What’s Going On in Abidjan, San Francisco’s Sister City

When I started my San Francisco Sister Cities Series, I knew Abidjan was going to be a challenge.  The capital city of Côte d’Ivoire isn’t exactly on the tourist trail.  So I’ve constantly been on the look for someonewho I could interview on the West African city.

I’m hopelessly addicted to world news reports, and while keeping up to date on the situations in Japan, Libya and the rest of the Middle East, I began to notice the lack of any substantial updates on Côte d’Ivoire. Besides an occasional blurb on NPR, it seemed the rest of the news agencies in the States decided Côte d’Ivoire wasn’t news worthy.  With a president who refuses to step down and a country seemingly on the verge of civil war, you’d think the great countries of the world would be poised and ready to help.  When I came across Phil’s – of Philintheblank.net – post, Blog for Côte d’Ivoire, I instantly wanted to take part!   But realizing that a post written by me on a place I had never visited or even been remotely close to would probably not be too great, I asked Phil if he’d be up to do a short interview on Abidjan and the current situation in the country.  Obviously he said yes.

1.  What drew you to Abidjan and why did you want to visit?

I was first in West Africa in 2005, studying abroad in Ghana. I was drawn to Côte d’Ivoire because I wanted to explore Ivorian music. At that time, however, the US state department more or less said Côte d’Ivoire was off limits. The current conflict in Cote d’Ivoire is an extended fall out of the crisis that was going on then. Last fall, I was in Ghana again and decided to head to Côte d’Ivoire before their elections. I was drawn to Abidjan specifically because it is one of the largest cities in the region and it was once known as the “Paris of West Africa.” I understood this label once I was there. When you drive over the lagoon towards Plateau, the main business district, you are presented with a skyline that could rival that of any Western city.

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire - photo by abdallahh

2. What did you absolutely love about Abidjan, and what could you have done without?

One thing I loved about Abidjan: drinking a beer and eating poulet braisee (barbequed chicken with peppers and onions served with chili and rock salt) on the side of the road and sharing laughter with friends. Ivorians really know how to have a good time and Abidjan is an especially vibrant city, even for West Africa. One thing I could do without: police harassment. There was an exceptional number of police checkpoints when I was in Abidjan (perhaps because of the elections) and fending off bribe requests was a somewhat regular occurrence.

3. Coverage of the current crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has been pitiful here in the States.  At the time of this writing, it appears that the army, loyal to president-elect Alassane Ouattara effectively have control of most of the country, and Abidjan is all that is left – a scary situation for those still in the capital city.  What are the essential facts that we need to know about this on-going situation?

You’re right, coverage has been atrocious. As I write this, Ouattara’s Republican Army has taken most of Abidjan, and as you mentioned, the rest of the country as well. It seems that there have been mass defections from the army loyal to Gbagbo, the president who has held on to power despite losing the run off election in November. The state TV station has been taken off air, a very positive development considering the propaganda that was being broadcast, and right now, Ouattara’s forces are attacking Gbagbo’s residence. By the time you post this on your site, Ouattara may be able to take up the duty he was elected to perform. To follow along you can search for the #civ2010 and #IvoryCoast hashtags on twitter or look at the Reuters page for Côte d’Ivoire.

4.  What can those reading this do to help the people of Côte d’Ivoire?

I have my fingers crossed that Abidjan will fall without significant fighting and hopefully, without reprisals from either side. Regardless of what happens in Abidjan, however, there is a humanitarian crisis already occurring in the country. Tens of thousands of refugees are in Liberia, hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced, and several thousand more have made their way into Ghana. In addition, most hospitals and clinics have run out of supplies and many medical staff have fled. There is now evidence emerging that Liberian mercenaries were hired in western Côte d’Ivoire and there was a massacre of Malian and Burkinabe farm workers.

To help the people of Cote d’Ivoire, you can give to one of the following NGOs UNHCR – this goes directly to their Côte d’Ivoire page, Croix Rouge / Red Cross (select Côte d’Ivoire from “Other Operations”), Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without borders.

A big thanks to Phil for doing this interview and for his efforts bringing attention to the on-going situation in Côte d’Ivoire!  Let’s hope for a peaceful end to the current situation and that the international community steps up and gives the people of Côte d’Ivoire the help they need.

<photo credit – abdallahh>