Paul Hazoumé

Paul Hazoume was born on April 16, 1890, in Porto-Novo. Educated at the Ecole Normale William Ponty in Senegal, he taught for decades while conducting pioneer research for the Musee de l'Homme in Paris into Dahomean history, religion, and palace traditions.

In 1938, Hazoume published Doguicimi, an epic historical masterpiece set during the reign of King Ghezo of Dahomey in the early 19th century. Portraying royal court intrigue, Amazon warrior regiments, and ethical conflicts with scholarly fidelity and dramatic splendour, the novel was awarded the Prix de la Langue Française by the Academie Française. He later served as a senator of Dahomey in the French Union.