author
Pierre (Pierre Bertrand) Bouche
1835–1903
A 19th-century French missionary and explorer, he wrote from firsthand experience in West Africa and left vivid accounts of Dahomey and the Slave Coast. His books blend travel, observation, and religious life in a way that still feels direct and immediate.
1 Audiobook
Sept ans en Afrique Occidentale : La Côte des Esclaves et le Dahomey
by Pierre (Pierre Bertrand) Bouche
About the author
Born in Bagnères-de-Luchon on May 25, 1835, Pierre Bertrand Bouche was a French priest, missionary, and explorer. He studied at the minor seminary of Polignan and the major seminary of Toulouse, and was ordained in 1865.
As a member of the Society of African Missions of Lyon, he arrived in Africa in January 1866 and spent time in Porto-Novo. He later served as apostolic vicar of Dahomey and became known for travels along the Slave Coast, including between Léké and Quittah, where he recorded ethnographic observations on the kingdoms of Porto-Novo and Abomey.
After returning to France, he served in parish posts and continued writing. His known works include Manuel de la dévotion à Saint-Jean l'Évangéliste (1881), Les Noirs peints par eux-mêmes (1883), Sept ans en Afrique occidentale: la Côte des Esclaves et le Dahomey (1885), and La Vie de saint Bertrand, évêque de Comminges, son siècle, son culte (1895). He died in Bagnères-de-Luchon on September 10, 1903.