Togo/ At the Lomé Palace, contemporary African art fosters dialogue between Togo, Japan, and France

Since Thursday, June 11, 2026, the Palais de Lomé has been hosting the inaugural exhibition of the Toyota Tsusho CFAO African Art Award, an event that brings together artists from five African countries in Lomé before a planned tour of Japan and France.

The exhibition, which runs through August 31, features works by the five winners of this inaugural edition of the award. The Togolese public can discover the works of Moffat Takadiwa, a Zimbabwean artist who won the Grand Prize, as well as those of Gosette Lubondo (DRC), Unathi Mkonto (South Africa), Katlego C. L. Twala (Botswana), and Tizta Berhanu (Ethiopia).

According to Sonia Lawson, director of the Palais de Lomé, hosting this first edition of the Toyota Tsusho CFAO African Art Award illustrates the growing role of African cultural institutions in international contemporary art circuits.

“THE TOYOTA TSUSHO CFAO African Art Award attests to the vitality of contemporary African art. Hosting the first exhibition in Lomé also affirms the role of African cultural institutions in major international artistic dialogues and in raising the profile of the continent’s artists,” she said.

Formerly the residence of governors during the German colonial era and later the seat of the Togolese presidency after independence, the Palais de Lomé is a historic building that has been transformed into an art and culture center, situated on an 11-hectare estate along the Atlantic Ocean.

Since opening to the public, the institution has pursued its ambition to become one of West Africa’s leading cultural venues. International exhibitions, artist residencies, conferences, festivals, educational programs, heritage preservation, and the promotion of African design are among the activities regularly organized on the site.

For Togo, the event also represents an opportunity to enhance its cultural appeal. After Lomé, the exhibited works will continue their journey to Tokyo and then to Paris, positioning the Togolese capital as the starting point of an artistic circuit connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Source: www.togofirst.com/