Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan

Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan or simply Nicodème Barrigah (born 19 May 1963) is a Togolese Prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Archbishop of Lomé since 2019. In addition to his episcopal ministry, he is known for his musical and dramatic career, and was awarded the Grand Prize for Togolese Literature in 2020 for this play Le Trône royal.

He is also President of OCDI Caritas Togo, the official charity organisation of the Catholic Church in Togo.

Youth and education
Nicodème Yves Anani Barrigah-Benissan was born into a Togolese family in Ouagadougou 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. He then studied philosophy and theology in the Saint-Gall Major Seminary in Ouidah in neighbouring Benin.

Ordination and first missions
Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan was ordained a priest on 8 August 1987 in the Our Lady of the Trinity Cathedral in Atakpamé, where he spent his first year as vicar of the cathedral parish. He was then sent to study dogmatic theology at the Catholic Institute of Abidjan from 1988 to 1990, then exegesis at the Biblicum in Rome between 1990 and 1993, and finally canon law from 1993 to 1997 at the Pontifical Urban University and diplomacy at the Pontifical Academy.

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. Finally, he was sent to Israel for a year, from March 2007 to March 2008.

Bishop of Atakpamé
On 9 March 2008, Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan was ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Atakpamé. Within the Bishops' Conference of Togo, he became the chairman of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in 2009, tasked with shedding light on the political violence in Togo, from 1958 until the 2005 Togo protests and riots. The conclusions of this enquiry were presented to President Faure Gnassingbé in April 2012.

Archbishop of Lomé
On 23 November 2019, Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan was appointed Archbishop of Lomé to succeed Denis Komivi Amuzu-Dzakpah, who resigned on grounds of age.

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". 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.

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".

Musician
During his mission at the Nunciature in Côte d'Ivoire, Nicodème 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 are religious, but some are also secular. He performs regularly in concert, singing and playing guitar.

Playwright and author
Nicodème Barrigah-Benissan is 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.

In 2022, he published his book Crise d'autorité, abus de pouvoir ("Crisis of authority, abuse of power").