Joanny Thévenoud (March 14, 1878 - September 16, 1949) was a French

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

of the

White Fathers The White Fathers (), officially known as the Missionaries of Africa (), and abbreviated MAfr, are a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right (for men). They were founded in 1868 by Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie, who w ...

, best remembered for his missionary, ecclesiastical and public development work in Upper Volta (now

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

Biography

Born in Serrières-en-Chautagne in 1878, he was ordained for the Congregation of the White Fathers in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

on 28 June 1903, and was sent to

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

, where he arrived on November 11, 1903. There, he was appointed a

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

at the missionary in 1907. In subsequent decades, he was responsible for a number of important development works in Upper Volta, including the ordering of the first dam in 1915 (

Akosombo Dam The Akosombo Dam, also known as the Volta Dam, is a Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta Riv ...

), the establishment of a sewing centre for young Christian girls in 1917, a spinning and carpentry centre for men in 1927, and ordering construction of

Ouagadougou Cathedral Ouagadougou Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Ouagadougou () is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It was built in the 1930s, by apostolic vicar J ...

, built in 1934-1936. In the 1930s, Thévenoud brought the matter of

pawnship Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery, bonded labour, or peonage, is the pledge of a person's services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation. Where the terms of the repayment are not clearly or reasonably stated, or whe ...

and

child marriages Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.* * * * Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative con ...

to the colonial administration. Though slavery had been banned since 1905, one could still pawn a young relative to gain funds to settle a debt or pay taxes. To those without other property to mortgage, people became the collateral. The pawn served to offset the interest and debt maintenance, but did not work to pay off the debt. When the borrower had repaid, the pawn was returned. Authorities had tried to avoid getting involved in the local custom but by the 1930s, pressure from Thévenoud and his supporter, French Senator , forced the colonial administration to repress pawnship, treating it like slavery. Because so many of the pawned victims were young women and girls, the change in policy toward pawnship also resulted in a series of measures to ban

child marriage Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.* * * * Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative co ...

s. Thévenoud was appointed the first vicar apostolic of Ouagadougou on 8 July 1921. In 1942, Thévenoud established the first normal school of teachers of the mission, and five years later, set up the Young Christian Students Association. He died on September 16, 1949, in Ouagadougou, and was buried at the cathedral.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thevenoud, Joanny 1878 births 1949 deaths French Roman Catholic bishops in Africa White Fathers priests People from Savoie Roman Catholic missionaries in Burkina Faso French Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic bishops of Ouagadougou