1960-2010: "The Year of Africa" 50 Years On (XIV)

This Day in 1960:

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) attracted both French and Portuguese merchants in the 15th century who were in search of ivory and slaves. French traders set up establishments early in the 19th century, and in 1842, the French obtained territorial concessions from local tribes, gradually extending their influence along the coast and inland and controlling its ivory and cocoa resources.

France officially made Côte d’Ivoire a French colony in 1893. By 1956 voting was equal for everyone in Côte d’Ivoire, and in 1958 the country became by referendum an autonomous member of the French Community. Shortly after on August 7, 1960, Côte d’Ivoire declared itself independent from France. Félix Houphouët-Boigny, after 13 years of service in the French National Assembly, became Cote d’Ivoire’s first prime minister in April 1959, and the following year he was elected as its first president having ruled until his death in 1993.

Observers of Africa have often characterized Côte d'Ivoire as different from the rest of Africa. Borrowing the metaphor of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, president of Côte d'Ivoire, they have described it as an oasis of political stability and economic prosperity - in short, the "Ivoirian miracle."

Indeed, if judged on the basis of political stability and economic performance during its first twenty years of independence, Côte d'Ivoire does appear unique: it has had only one president and no coups since gaining independence, and between 1960 and 1979 the gross national product (GNP) grew by almost 8 percent per year, compared with minimal or negative growth rates elsewhere in Africa. However, that growth produced large - some would have said dysfunctional - disparities in wealth and income and skewed development.


This Day in 2010:

As Ivory Coast celebrates 50 years of independence today, impunity, a lack of elections, and the constant threat of political violence hangs over the divided country. At a recent event in Washington, a Ivorian civil society representative, Patrick Ngouan, explained Ivory Coast faces a dilemma. He said there were two options, either to deal with its history of impunity, or to give the priority to long-delayed elections.

Ngouan said he favors having a free and fair election first, and then letting the next government deal with judicial issues.

Since the 1990s, there have been a series of massacres, army uprisings and ethnic clashes across Ivory Coast which have killed thousands of people but which, in terms of justice, have gone unaccounted for.

[Sources: various]

This Day in 1960:

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) attracted both French and Portuguese merchants in the 15th century who were in search of ivory and slaves. French traders set up establishments early in the 19th century, and in 1842, the French obtained territorial concessions from local tribes, gradually extending their influence along the coast and inland and controlling its ivory and cocoa resources.

France officially made Côte d’Ivoire a French colony in 1893. By 1956 voting was equal for everyone in Côte d’Ivoire, and in 1958 the country became by referendum an autonomous member of the French Community. Shortly after on August 7, 1960, Côte d’Ivoire declared itself independent from France. Félix Houphouët-Boigny, after 13 years of service in the French National Assembly, became Cote d’Ivoire’s first prime minister in April 1959, and the following year he was elected as its first president having ruled until his death in 1993.

Observers of Africa have often characterized Côte d'Ivoire as different from the rest of Africa. Borrowing the metaphor of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, president of Côte d'Ivoire, they have described it as an oasis of political stability and economic prosperity - in short, the "Ivoirian miracle."

Indeed, if judged on the basis of political stability and economic performance during its first twenty years of independence, Côte d'Ivoire does appear unique: it has had only one president and no coups since gaining independence, and between 1960 and 1979 the gross national product (GNP) grew by almost 8 percent per year, compared with minimal or negative growth rates elsewhere in Africa. However, that growth produced large - some would have said dysfunctional - disparities in wealth and income and skewed development.


This Day in 2010:

As Ivory Coast celebrates 50 years of independence today, impunity, a lack of elections, and the constant threat of political violence hangs over the divided country. At a recent event in Washington, a Ivorian civil society representative, Patrick Ngouan, explained Ivory Coast faces a dilemma. He said there were two options, either to deal with its history of impunity, or to give the priority to long-delayed elections.

Ngouan said he favors having a free and fair election first, and then letting the next government deal with judicial issues.

Since the 1990s, there have been a series of massacres, army uprisings and ethnic clashes across Ivory Coast which have killed thousands of people but which, in terms of justice, have gone unaccounted for.

[Sources: various]