Zomahoun Idossou Rufin

Who is Zomahoun Idossou Rufin?

Zomahoun Idossou Rufin, popularly known as Zomahon, is a Beninese foreign personality in Japan. He is currently the Ambassador of the Republic of Benin to Japan.

Zomahoun was born in Dassa-Zoumé, Dahomey. He attended National University of Benin and Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China. Since 1996, he has been a student at Sophia University in Tokyo, where he is completing a Ph.D. in sociology. He can speak Yoruba, Fon, French, English, Mandarin and Japanese.

In 1998, Zomahoun was "discovered" by a TBS executive and became a cast member of Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin. In a pool of 100 foreigners voicing their displeasure about certain aspects of Japanese society, he was usually picked due to his hyperactive Japanese speech, causing him to trip over his words and prompting the celebrity panel to yell "Speak slowly!" at him. He was one of the show's leading stars until its end in 2002. With the help of host Takeshi Kitano, Zomahoun built four schools in Benin, two of which are named after Kitano. Additionally, he won a People's Honor Award in Benin in 2002.