REFLECTIONS FROM ABIDJAN

REFLECTIONS FROM ABIDJAN - 12^th January, 2018

 

A few years ago, I took a decision to deeply explore the African continent, one that has been in the news overtime for the good, bad and ugly. As a social researcher, I consider myself one of the few privileged Nigerians to have had the opportunity of visiting or working in every state in the country; and I thought it was time I extended my reach. I wanted to have a firsthand feel of the countries, people, language, food, culture, arts, music, night life and all that make up this beautiful continent. I also wanted to expose my children to the continent from a very tender age, and shape their thinking to see themselves more as global citizens and Africans called to be a blessing to the world. I have always been a firm believer in Africa and the ability of her people to change the face of the continent without any form of external influence. So far, we’re making progress on the decision and still counting.

Fast forward to early December 2017 when my wife and I were discussing where to spend the Christmas vacation, it was difficult to pick one as there are so many beautiful places scattered around the continent.  To cut a long story short, we decided on Abidjan, the commercial capital of Cote d’Ivoire. Abidjan is often referred to as petit paris “small paris”, for its semblance of the French culture and way of life. It is to Cote d’Ivoire what Lagos is to Nigeria. Done and dusted, the vacation turned out to be great fun, and enjoyed the great tropical weather. We resided in Cocody, one of the major towns making up the city, and had the opportunity to explore the highs and lows of the city. We visited Hotel D’Ivoire (their equivalent of Transcorp or Sheraton) and the backstreets of Trechville; interacted with the bourgeoisies as well as proletariats; shared the word in a couple of churches and spoke at a youth seminar at the Methodist University. We also visited branches of two major “Nigerian churches” in the city, just to see how things are done (but that's story for another day). The game park at Abidjan Mall turned out to be the Children’s favourite, while the city’s Alloco dromes (their own bole, fried plantain, roasted chicken & fish joints) was mine and my wife’s. Not forgetting our trip to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro; a grilling 6-hour drive to and from the city, but it was worth far more than every second spent. The basilica is truly a sight to behold, and definitely one of the hidden treasures and pride of Africa. It was no doubt a great trip.
 

Just before anyone accuses me of only painting rosy pictures of Abidjan, I must say we found the city somewhat expensive, compared to average costs in Lagos, or even Abuja. Of course, Nigeria’s population serves the economies of scale of driving down costs of goods and services as much as possible. Additionally, as is the case in Nigeria or any other city, we observed some level of inequality and socio-economic class distinction amongst the people; with hordes of beggars (mostly women with children under 5 years) littering the street adjoining Cocody central mosque.  

Now, coming back to the objective of this piece, I was keen to observe quite a bit in Abidjan as we moved around the city and journeyed from one place to another; which on reflection, speaks volumes of the values, virtues, attitudes and way of life of the Ivorians. I really don’t want to bore you with so much information, so I want to make it as concise as possible. I have distilled my reflections as follows:
 

1.    Respect and Value for Citizens – Ivorians seem to be very polite and respectful to one another. Everywhere you go you see mutual respect, and hear people saying hello “Bonjour”, even without knowing the other person. In Taxis, buses, malls and market, people have regards for other fellow country men & women. They place high value on the lives of their citizens and consider peaceful coexistence paramount to building an enduring society. I remember being invited to speak at a seminar at the Methodist University, only for me to walk into the classroom and it was cool. Imagine my shock to find out the classrooms had ACs. Permit my naivety, but I never attended university in Nigeria with ACs in my classroom, and even when I studied abroad, all we had were heaters. There was not a single blink of light (power outage) during our entire stay, internet connection was sharp, no reckless blaring of car horns, and you could readily drive into any filling station to refill your tank. Don’t get me wrong; Cote d’Ivoire has over the years experienced its fair share of civil unrest, but what I observed was a clear resolve by Ivorians to live together in harmony, mutual respect and unity.
 

2.    Religious Tolerance – Religion is considered a private affair in Cote d’Ivoire and everyone is allowed to practice their religion privately. I understand there are almost equal proportions of Christians and Moslems in the country, but you will not find any side trying to take advantage of the other. No blaring of speakers from churches or mosques, and most things done in moderation. In fact, we had lodged close to a major central mosque in Cocody, and our mornings were quite peaceful. We also visited two local churches and you could barely hear happenings in the church from outside the gate. I was particularly impressed by their modest disposition.
 

3.    Trust and Integrity – I observed that citizens rarely haggle prices in Abidjan. You ask for the price of items and simply believe the other person is truthful enough to fairly price goods or services without trying to make excessive profit. I was a little taken aback by this phenomenon, as I attempted haggling a few times while visiting the local market, but you needed to see the stare I received each time I tried haggling. I also observed people seemed quite contented with little and didn’t necessarily desire much. They didn’t seem to have much, but fared just fine with the little they had. Once I bought bottles of water in a busy market, and left the water to attend to something else. Incidentally, I kept looking back to see if my water was still where I kept it; my host noticed I was always checking and simply said to me, “this is Abidjan, no one would take your water”. Yes, people are that trustworthy.
 

4.    Multiple Jobs – In Abidjan I also observed that people tend to have multiple jobs. Unlike Nigeria, where most employees have one 9 to 5 day jobs, Ivorians seem to prefer working multiple jobs. I met a gentleman who works as an Admin Officer with an organization, lecturer at an art institute and is also an active farmer. I met another lady who is a Math teacher, runs a pastry business, as well as an NGO. It just seems to be the norm there and they accept it. You simply give this job a few days a week, and the other jobs other extra days. This reminds me of a conversation I had with a young lady, who retorted that the reason she opted for entrepreneurship was because “most employers want to pay you 30K monthly and take over your life”. Conversely, the Abidjan style of doing multiple jobs allows you to explore options, gain experience and make multiple impact at the same time.
 

5.    Love for the Creative Arts – Ivorians love the creative art in all its forms; fashion, music, visual arts and sports. Didier Drogba appears to be the country’s No. 1 Superstar; with his pictures adorning billboards of several big brands like MTN. Interestingly, while we were in Abidjan we stumbled on Akon, the popular Senegalese-American music superstar, at Hotel D’Ivoire. Just a few days before we arrived, Davido had a concert in Abidjan; while the likes of Fally Ipupa, Alpha Blondy, Rick Ross, DJ Arafat, and Congolese band Zaiko had concerts within the period of our stay. Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend any of the concerts as there was no one to baby sit the children. I really would have loved watching Alpha Blondy perform his Sweet Fanta Diallo live.
 

6.    Love for African Fabrics – Everywhere you go in Abidjan, you’ll observe most people are proudly adorned in African fabric; even in corporate office such as banks, I observed several people decked in Anglo-Afro designs. I particularly saw one chap putting on a lovely suit made from Ghanaian Batic; which I found quite commendable. I recall several administrations in Nigeria introducing policies to encourage Nigerians to buy local, but most of those initiatives were short-lived, simply because they were not driven by the people. This truly calls for cultural orientation.
 

7.    Adaptable and Friendly – Ivorians seem very friendly and adaptable. We found people really friendly and willing to offer help when we lost our way. Even those who didn’t particularly understand English seemed eager to help on noticing that we couldn’t speak French. This got me thinking… In Nigeria, would we be willing to go beyond our comfort zone to offer assistance to people, especially if we saw they couldn’t speak English? Given our peculiar environment, one would probably think it’s a ploy by con men or 419ers.
 

8.    Preservation of National Heritage – The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, bequeathed to the country by her first president Felix Houphouet Boigny, stands out as the leading iconic monument and tourist attraction in Cote d’Ivoire. I observed how people of various ethnic groups and religions visit the basilica. In fact, I remember asking our tour guide how much it cost to build the basilica; he smiled and simply responded “the peace of the country”, demonstrating the value the country and her citizens place on peaceful coexistence. Interestingly, Ivorians still remember and revere the late President Boigny as if he died just a few years ago; one would not believe he passed on in 1993.
 

9.    Regional Cooperation & Integration – Abidjan appears to be a melting pot of people from various countries, especially within Africa. On our visit, we met Nigerians, Ghanaians, Togolese, Germans, Pakistanis, and of course Lebanese (who run most of the big businesses in the country). Incidentally, there’s an area in Abidjan known as Biafra; and I was made to understand it was the area allotted by President Boigny to Igbos who escaped the war and migrated to Abidjan during the Nigerian civil war, and still has some Igbos living there till date. There’s also the train that commutes between Abidjan and Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso) few times a week. Now, talking about Nigerians in Abidjan, we observed that Yorubas from south-west Nigeria constitute the majority of Nigerians. Interestingly, I hear over 70 percent of Yorubas living in Cote d’Ivoire are from a small town in Osun state known as Ejigbo. I could go on and on about Ejigbo and its Ivorian influence on the people, their food, architecture and culture; but that in itself is story for another day and subject matter for a new pet research project I have in mind.

In conclusion, these are just a few thoughts from my family’s Christmas holiday to the beautiful city of Abidjan. I truly hope it inspires someone out there on everything that is, and can be, possible in Africa, especially when her people commit to peaceful coexistence. There simply cannot be any development without peace; and the peaceful nature of the city and country stood out the most for me. I also hope this piece inspires someone to make a decision to visit Abidjan. Please be kind to leave a comment let me know what you think!!