Albert Teveodjré
Encyclopedia
Albert Teveodjré is a Beninese writer and politician. He was Information Minister of Dahomey
(now Benin
) from 1960 to 1963.
, Fribourg
, and Geneva
. He taught at secondary schools at Cahors
, Dakar
, and Porto Novo before travelling to Paris to pursue a writing career. While in Paris he wrote L'Afrique révoltée in 1958 and Afrique debout in 1959. He also served as editor in chief of the left-wing newsper L'Etudiant Noir. During this time he frequented left-wing circles to discuss political affairs. At these and various cultural conferences across Europe and Asia, he learned to speak German, English, and Spanish, besides his native French.
Before independence was obtained from France, Teveodjré helped found the proindependence organization Mouvement Africain de Libération Nationale and the Ligue pour la Promotion Africaine, as well as leading the Syndicat National des Ensignants du Dahomey. In February 1960, Teveodjré participated in a strike at the Technical College of Cotonou. The demonstrators requested to fire two professors who failed several students and had them expelled.
President Maga named the new ministers in his government on December 30, and chose many leaders from the former R.D.D. and P.N.D. He also chose several relative newcomers, like Bertin Borna under the Labor and Civil Service and Teveodjré, the new Information Minister. At this position he began suspending the publication of Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
's opposition newspaper, Dahomey-Matin, and its predecessor, Cotonou-Matin, in April 1961. This was in accordance with a law limiting the freedom of speech passed in February of that year.
On May 26 Teveodjré notified Maga that Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin had plotted to assassinate the president but he and 11 other dissidents had been arrested. The trial date was set for December. It differed from many political trials in Africa being that it was held in public and the defence was allowed a lawyer from Paris. In any event, Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin received five years for his role in the conspiracy, and the others were dealt from one to ten year sentences. Maga ultimately released them in November 1962, saying in a broadcastIt is unclear what type of broadcast this was. that it was not only due to their good behavior in jail but also to reconcile with his former enemies.
Teveodjré convinced the Dahomeyan government to create an Agence Dahomennée de Presse to be led by him, and before the year was over he had access to the Agence France-Presse
's wire services and a monopoly in Dahomeyan journalism. Another project of his was the construction of a museum to encompass all of Dahomey's art pieces. In July 1961, he was granted a 30-kilowatt transmitter, seven times more powerful than that owned by Radio Dahomey, by the Division of Information of the Company of Broadcasting of France of Overseas (SORAFOM). The Information Minister was named secretary-general of the Union Africaine et Malgache in November 1961.
In the summer of 1963, Dahomey underwent much unrest over the death of deputy Daniel Dessou. On October 28 Chief of Staff of the 800-man Dahomeyan Army Christophe Soglo
took control of the country to prevent a civil war. He dismissed the cabinet, dissolved the Assembly, suspended the constitution and banned any type of demonstrations. No longer a member of Beninese politics, in 1964 Teveodjré was appointed to work at the International Affairs Center at Harvard University
.
In 1991
, he was a presidential candidate and placed third with over 14% of the vote.
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
(now Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
) from 1960 to 1963.
Early life
Teveodjré was educated at ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
, and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He taught at secondary schools at Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
, Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, and Porto Novo before travelling to Paris to pursue a writing career. While in Paris he wrote L'Afrique révoltée in 1958 and Afrique debout in 1959. He also served as editor in chief of the left-wing newsper L'Etudiant Noir. During this time he frequented left-wing circles to discuss political affairs. At these and various cultural conferences across Europe and Asia, he learned to speak German, English, and Spanish, besides his native French.
Before independence was obtained from France, Teveodjré helped found the proindependence organization Mouvement Africain de Libération Nationale and the Ligue pour la Promotion Africaine, as well as leading the Syndicat National des Ensignants du Dahomey. In February 1960, Teveodjré participated in a strike at the Technical College of Cotonou. The demonstrators requested to fire two professors who failed several students and had them expelled.
Political career
In October 1960, Teveodjré applied for a government position. He received the job of administrative secretary of the Dahomeyan Unity Party (P.D.U). His first job was to announce that a group of people were to inform the uneducated about news from the government perspective. Those who were literate could read three government-sponsored newspapers: L'Aube Nouvelle, La Nation, and La Depeche du Dahomey. Teveodjré had previously written columns for one of these, L'Aube Nouvelle.President Maga named the new ministers in his government on December 30, and chose many leaders from the former R.D.D. and P.N.D. He also chose several relative newcomers, like Bertin Borna under the Labor and Civil Service and Teveodjré, the new Information Minister. At this position he began suspending the publication of Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...
's opposition newspaper, Dahomey-Matin, and its predecessor, Cotonou-Matin, in April 1961. This was in accordance with a law limiting the freedom of speech passed in February of that year.
On May 26 Teveodjré notified Maga that Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin had plotted to assassinate the president but he and 11 other dissidents had been arrested. The trial date was set for December. It differed from many political trials in Africa being that it was held in public and the defence was allowed a lawyer from Paris. In any event, Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin received five years for his role in the conspiracy, and the others were dealt from one to ten year sentences. Maga ultimately released them in November 1962, saying in a broadcastIt is unclear what type of broadcast this was. that it was not only due to their good behavior in jail but also to reconcile with his former enemies.
Teveodjré convinced the Dahomeyan government to create an Agence Dahomennée de Presse to be led by him, and before the year was over he had access to the Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
's wire services and a monopoly in Dahomeyan journalism. Another project of his was the construction of a museum to encompass all of Dahomey's art pieces. In July 1961, he was granted a 30-kilowatt transmitter, seven times more powerful than that owned by Radio Dahomey, by the Division of Information of the Company of Broadcasting of France of Overseas (SORAFOM). The Information Minister was named secretary-general of the Union Africaine et Malgache in November 1961.
In the summer of 1963, Dahomey underwent much unrest over the death of deputy Daniel Dessou. On October 28 Chief of Staff of the 800-man Dahomeyan Army Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo was a Beninese military officer and political leader and one of the most important figures in Benin's period of political instability and frequent, though usually bloodless, coups during the 1960s.-Biography:...
took control of the country to prevent a civil war. He dismissed the cabinet, dissolved the Assembly, suspended the constitution and banned any type of demonstrations. No longer a member of Beninese politics, in 1964 Teveodjré was appointed to work at the International Affairs Center at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
In 1991
Beninese presidential election, 1991
Presidential elections were held in Benin in March 1991, the first such election since 1970. The first round, held on 10 March, saw no candidate receive more than 37% of the vote; the second round on 24 March resulted in Nicéphore Soglo being declared the winner, with almost two-thirds of the vote...
, he was a presidential candidate and placed third with over 14% of the vote.