Roger Damawuzan (TOG)

Roger Damawuzan (TOG)Dubbed the “James Brown of Lomé” (the capital of Togo), Roger Damawuzan stands as a towering figure in the African funk scene of the 1970s. His debut album Wait for Me was an immediate success, blending American soul funk with traditional Gazo, Akpesse and Kamou rhythms. As the charismatic singer and frontman of Les As du Bénin and The Melo-Togo Orchestra, Damawuzan spearheaded the funk movement in Togo and Benin throughout the 1980s, producing music on his own Tropicana label. In 2015, the French label Hot Casa rekindled interest in his work with a compilation of his most iconic tracks. His latest album, Seda (2022), sees him join forces with Peter Solo, a French-Togolese musician, composer, producer and passionate ambassador for Togo’s music.