Julien Alapini (born August 28, 1906, in
Abomey-Calavi; died February 26, 1970) was a teacher, writer, playwright, ethnographer, and politician from the
Colony of Dahomey (now the
Republic of Benin).
Biography
Julien Alapini attended primary school in
Ouidah and then the
École normale William-Ponty in
Gorée (
Senegal) from 1926 to 1929.
["Julien Alapini (1906–1970)"](_blank)
(Les Hussards noirs des savoirs)
After graduating, he was appointed a teacher and later a school principal in several locations:
Porto-Novo,
Kouandé,
Djougou,
Savalou
Savalou is a little kingdom located in the Collines Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 2,674 square kilometres and as of 2012 had a population of 35,433 people. It is the birthplace of Olympic Beninese hurdler Odile Ahouanwanou
...
,
Cotonou
Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.
The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...
,
Allada,
Abomey,
Covè,
Parakou,
Kouti, and
Tori-Gare.
[ Adrien Huannou, "Julien Alapini (1906–1970)" in ''La littérature béninoise de langue française: des origines à nos jours'', Karthala, Paris, 1984, pp. 82-84 ]
In parallel, he conducted ethnographic and linguistic research on Dahomey, approaching it as a Christian and admirer of French culture. Through two essays, ''Les noix sacrées. Étude complète de Fa-Ahidégoun, génie de la sagesse et de la divination au Dahomey'' (1950) and ''Les Initiés'' (1953), he aimed to continue the work of colonial ethnologists: to better understand the colonized to better govern them. As a devout Catholic, he denounced superstitions and fetishism, particularly the methods of divination such as the consultation of
Fa.
Like other Dahomean authors, such as
Maximilien Quénum, his work shows an "interpenetration of ethnology and literature." He studied entertainment, oral literature, songs, proverbs, and riddles
and produced his own tales and plays.
In 1960, he was appointed Inspector of Education, then Minister of Education of Dahomey from 1962 to 1964.
Retired in 1967, he died on February 26, 1970.
Selected publications
* "Note sur les Tam-tam dahoméens", ''L'Éducation africaine'', n°101, 1938, pp. 50-56.
* "Notes sur les chansons dahoméennes", ''L'Éducation africaine'', n°102-103, 1939, pp. 25-31.
* ''Contes dahoméens'', Paris-Avignon, Les Livres Nouveaux, 1941, 135 p.
* ''Légendes dahoméennes'', Namur, Éd. Grands lac, 1942.
* ''Les Noix sacrées : Étude complète de
Fa-Ahidégoun, génie de la sagesse et de la divination au Dahomey'', Monte Carlo, Regain, 1950, 126 p.
* ''Le Petit dahoméen - grammaire, vocabulaire, lexique en langue du Dahomey'', Avignon, Les Presses universelles, 1950, 285 p.
* ''Les Initiés'', Avignon, édition Aubanel, 1953, 252 p.
* "L'éducation africaine traditionnelle du Dahomey", ''L'Éducation africaine'', n°38, 1956, pp. 51–61.
* ''Les Dahoméens et les Togolais au centenaire des apparitions'', Avignon, Aubanel, 1959, 165 p.
* ''Acteurs noirs'', Avignon, Les Presses universelles, 1965, 189 p. (theater
[In the ''Dictionnaire des œuvres littéraires de langue française en Afrique au sud du Sahara'', volume 1, p. 17, Ambroise Kom and Noureini Tidjani-Serpos offer a very critical reading of this collection.])
References
Further reading
*
Adrien Huannou, "Julien Alapini (1906–1970)" in ''La littérature béninoise de langue française: des origines à nos jours'', Karthala, Paris, 1984, pp. 82-84
*
External links
"Julien Alapini (1906–1970)"(Les Hussards noirs des savoirs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alapini, Julien
1906 births
1970 deaths
20th-century Beninese writers
Government ministers of Benin
Ethnographers
French-language writers
Beninese dramatists and playwrights
People from Atlantique Department