Felix Couchoro

Felix Couchoro was born on January 30, 1900, in Ouidah (Dahomey) to Mina parents. Educated at Catholic mission schools, he worked as a schoolteacher and journalist in Aneho and Lome, Togo.

In 1929, Couchoro published L'Esclave ('The Slave') in Paris, a pioneering masterpiece examining traditional pawnship, servitude, and moral redemption in West African society. Over four decades, he serialized over twenty popular novels in local newspapers, depicting romance, commercial intrigue, and social justice. An active supporter of Sylvanus Olympio's nationalist movement (CUT), he served as editor of the Togolese Information Service following independence.