Richard Dogbeh (1932–November 23, 2003), born Gbèmagon Richard Dogbeh in what is now

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 ...

, was a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. He served as

's Directeur de Cabinet of the National Ministry of Education from 1963 to 1966. He was also active in the Comité Consultatif International de Documentation des Bibliothèques et des Archives and then from 1968 to 1979 served as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

expert on educational systems for much of

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

. After that he spent his life in Benin. As an author Dogbeh started early and at 16 won the nation's "Institut Français d'Afrique Noire" prize for a novel. He also published essays,

poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

, and stories.Africa Database
/ref> He died 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 ...

References

Beninese novelists 1932 births 2003 deaths Beninese essayists Beninese poets Beninese male short story writers Beninese short story writers 20th-century novelists 20th-century poets Beninese educators 20th-century short story writers 20th-century essayists 20th-century male writers 20th-century Beninese writers {{academic-administrator-stub