Koffi Gahou (22 October 1947 – 24 August 2019) was a Beninese artist, actor, and director.
Biography
Gahou was born in
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 ...
on October 22, 1947. He studied from 1986 to 1989 at the Institute of Theatrical Studies at the
University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, earning a teaching license. From 1985 to 1986 Gahou served an internship at the
Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in Paris and in 1988, had an internship at the Institut international de la marionnette.
Beginning in 1974, he was self-educated in the mediums of plastic art, wall tapestry, sculpture, and interior architecture. Gahou joined the civil service as an artist and performed in the "Cerveaux noirs" troupe. Also a founder of the "Zama Hara" theater group, he had several exhibitions of his work in Africa, Europe, Cuba, and the United States.
Gahou created the cloth work "Yovo Helou e, Akowe helou e" in 1990. It depicts slaves with their hands tied behind their backs, and was a great success.
In 2000, Gahou played the stepbrother of Boubacar, a farmer, in
Jean Odoutan
Jean Odoutan (born in 1965) is a comedian, film director, composer, actor, screenwriter and executive movie producer from the African country of Benin. He is also the creator of a film festival, the Quintessence International Film Festival of Oui ...
's film ''
Barbecue Pejo
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
''.
In a video statement in April 2019, Gahou demanded to be paid the 30 million CFA Francs that a Beninese MP was ordered to give him by the 3rd Commercial Chamber of the Cotonou Court. The matter stemmed from a 2007 contest that Gahou won but did not receive the prize money.
Gahou died on 24 August 2019 in
Abomey. His funeral was held on 25 September.
References
External links
Koffi Gahouat the
Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gahou, Koffi
1947 births
2019 deaths
Beninese film directors
Beninese artists
People from Cotonou