Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan or simply Nicodème Barrigah (19 May 1963 – 4 August 2024) was a Togolese[1]prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Lomé from 2019 to 2024. In addition to his episcopal ministry, he was known for his musical and dramatic career, and was awarded the Grand Prize for Togolese Literature in 2020 for the play Le Trône royal.[2]
Nicodème Yves Anani Barrigah-Benissan was born into a Togolese family in Ouagadougou,Upper Volta, in 1963. His family returned to Togo some years after his birth and he completed his primary education and minor seminary in the Nyékonakpoé district of Lomé.[4] He then studied philosophy and theology in the Saint-Gall Major Seminary in Ouidah in neighbouring Benin.[1][4]
From 1997, he was employed by the diplomatic service of the Holy See, and was sent to several successive nunciatures. His first mission was to Rwanda from 1997 to 2000, where he helped manage the judicial aftermath of the genocide, in particular the trial of a bishop. He was then sent to El Salvador (2000–2003), followed by Côte d'Ivoire (2003–2007), where he was present during the political and military crisis. He was then sent to Israel from March 2007 to March 2008.[1][4][5]
Before the 2020 Togolese presidential election, he worked in particular to ensure that candidates see politics as a "service that promotes social friendship to generate the common good" and their opponents "as brothers and sisters with other visions of development for the country".[9] After Faure Gnassingbé's re-election, a result contested in particular by Agbéyomé Kodjo and Archbishop Emeritus Philippe Kpodzro, Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan worked to appease both sides and challenged the blockages imposed by the Presidency.[10][11]
His role as mediator was criticised by his predecessor Philippe Kpodzro in an open letter published on 21 January 2021. The archbishop emeritus, who called him his "favourite son whom I begot with so much love", also criticised him for "shirking [his] responsibilities [... and] putting the church back under the boots of the bloodthirsty dictatorship".[12][13]
Artistic career
Musician
During his mission at the nunciature in Côte d'Ivoire, Barrigah-Benissan produced his first album of religious songs, entitled Père pardonne-nous ("Father forgive us"). He wrote and composed the texts and music for hundreds of songs, which were brought together on several albums. Most of his compositions were religious, but some were secular. He performed regularly in concert, singing and playing guitar.[1]
Playwright and author
Barrigah-Benissan was also a playwright. In 1993, he wrote a play entitled Le Trône royal, in which he evoked certain African traditions, as well as the place of the female figure and predestination. The play, reissued in 2019, was awarded the Grand Prize for Togolese Literature in 2020.[2]
In 2022, he published a book Crise d'autorité, abus de pouvoir ("Crisis of authority, abuse of power").[14]
Death
Barrigah-Benissan died on 4 August 2024, at the age of 61.[15]
.svg)
