José Pliya, who graduated from the Sorbonne University in Modern Literature, was an artistic and cultural entrepreneur working for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Dominica. Between 2005 and 2015, he directed the National Theater of Guadeloupe, for the French Ministry of Culture. Actor and theater director, he is the author of more than twenty plays created, translated and played on numerous international theater stages: Comédie Française, National Theater of Chaillot, Avignon Festival but also in New York, Montreal, Ottawa or Tokyo. He is a laureate of the Andre Roussin prize awarded by the Académie Française as a recognition of his work. In May 2016, he has been appointed as head of the National Agency for the Promotion of Heritage and the development of Tourism (ANPT), in Benin. This Agency has been created by the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, as part of his Gouvernmental Action Plan “Revealing Benin”.
The National Agency for the Promotion of Heritage and the development of Tourism is in charge of the implementation of six flagship projects, the purpose of which is to reveal the natural, historical and cultural potential of the country. Among this unsuspected heritage: the Pendjari National Park, the former slavery port of Ouidah or the voodoo tradition. As part of its work, the Agency is in charge of developing partnerships with private actors in the tourism sector and international organizations, as well as promoting Benin as a touristic destination.