Is Benin the New Luxury Temptation?

Night has almost fallen on the lagoon. At the Sofitel Cotonou Marina, the terraces are lit up by the pool. Tonight, the We Love Ya festival is transforming the hotel into a cosmopolitan hub for artists from Lagos and Paris: producers, designers, figures from the Beninese cultural scene and international guests mingle in relaxed elegance. Even Gims and Dadjoo have made the trip. Aya Nakamura, however, has stood them up. Sculptural dresses, impeccable silhouettes, bold jewellery: luxury is there, visible, a little garish. Total Dior looks, Goyard, Hermès, or Louis Vuitton bags, imposing diamond necklaces, gold everywhere, even on sunglasses frames. President Talon's son is there in designer sportswear from Parisian brands, surrounded by friends in Berluti trainers.

The pool party organised to close the continent's most prestigious urban music festival will last until 6am. This evening says a lot about the current situation in Benin. Luxury is no longer an imported product, but a language in the making, combining high-end hospitality, cultural affirmation and a desire for a unique narrative. In Cotonou, luxury is not flaunted like a trophy: it has settled in, infused itself. It is certainly not yet a structured market — but it is already a stage on which to display it.

The audience includes influential musicians from the contemporary African scene, designers based in Europe and West Africa, and cultural entrepreneurs who matter. They talk about music, fashion, hospitality, heritage and, above all, the future. The Sofitel, a showcase of perfectly executed international hotel luxury (with a construction budget of nearly €50 million), serves as the backdrop for another reality: a local creative ecosystem that no longer asks for permission.

Its spa by KOS Paris is fully booked more than a week in advance. With its Partouche casino, cinema, nightclub and tennis courts, its facilities would make many luxury hotels green with envy. The hotel, which is celebrating its cotton anniversary (in other words, its first year of existence), also offers a rare culinary experience in Africa with L'Ami, the restaurant of chef Georgiana Viou, a Michelin-starred chef who has become a true celebrity and champion of Franco-Beninese fusion cuisine. Located on the first floor of the hotel, it is always busy with customers and private functions. In the car park, on the Avenue de la Corniche side, diplomatic 4x4s with green number plates jostle for access to the rotunda with Mercedes or Lexus limousines and Porsches belonging to locals, some of whom have come from nearby Nigeria, as evidenced by their number plates.