Paul Hazoumé (15 April 1890 – 18 April 1980) was a

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

ese writer, educator, ethnologist, and politician.

Biography

Born on 15 April 1890, he descended from the

Porto Novo Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of G ...

kingdom's nobility, with his grandfather being a prime minister. He studied at the Ecole William Ponty in Senegal. In 1910, he was appointed the director of the school system at

Ouidah Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...

. He edited the newspaper ''Le Messager du Dahomey'' with Louis Hunkanrin during World War I while also working at the Musee de l'Homme in Paris. Along with Hunkanrin and the Zinsou Bodé brothers, Hazoumé began publishing the newspaper ''Le Recadere de Behanzin'' in 1917. Like most Beninese writers of the time, he did not criticize the French for their colonial dominance. Indeed, the French missionary Francis Aupiais helped advance his career.Houngnikpo & Decalo 2013, p. 67 In 1931, on the occasion of the International Colonial Exposition, he represented Dahomey and the International Congress of intercolonial and indigenous societies. Upon his return, he was responsible for general education at the vocational school in Cotonou. Hazoumé wrote ''Le Pacte de sang au Dahomey'' in 1937 and the historical novel ''Doguicimi'' the following year, winning recognition and awards as both an ethnologist and novelist. The two books are still widely read and cited.Houngnikpo & Decalo 2013, p. 199 In the years following World War II, Hazoumé got involved in local politics, becoming secretary of the Cotonou electoral committee. He was the cofounder of the Dahomeyan Progressive Union (UPD), the first political party in present-day Benin, and played an important early role. He served as councilor to the

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was the formal end of the "indigenous" () status of French subj ...

from 1947 until it dissolved in 1958, serving as Vice President of the Commission of Cultural Affairs and Overseas Civilizations. Hazoumé was a deputy to the territorial assembly from 1952 to 1957. He became chairman of the Association des Anciens du Dahomey in 1964. Hazoumé ran for president in the disputed elections of May 1968, but received a mere 11,091 votes, or 3.9 percent, which is attributable to strong regionalism. He died on 18 April 1980 at the age of 90.

Notes

References

* 1890 births 1980 deaths Beninese ethnologists Beninese politicians Beninese writers People from Porto-Novo Candidates for President of Benin 20th-century Beninese writers {{ethnologist-stub