Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0197/01972.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 28KB | 532 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01972}
$Pretitle{269}
$Title{Cote d'Ivoire
Part 3}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Tourisme Cote d'Ivoire}
$Affiliation{Embassy of Cote d'Ivory, Washington DC}
$Subject{cote
d'ivoire
region
miles
feet
local
forest
san
lobi
pedro}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country:     Cote d'Ivoire
Book:        Cote d'Ivoire Inviting, Mystical, Secure
Author:      Tourisme Cote d'Ivoire
Affiliation: Embassy of Cote d'Ivory, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Part 3

Kong: The Heart of Black Islam

     As the capital of the Malinke Kingdom of Kong, dating back to 1705, it
became one of the great cities of African Islam, and, for more than two
centuries had an influence spreading as far as Bobo Dioulasso. At a major
crossroads, it was a center of a powerful class of wealthy merchants and
prestigious marabous. Unfortunately, it also lay directly in Samory's path,
and on May 15, 1897, the city was razed by the ferocious soldiers of the
Moslem leader.

Recommended Tourist Site:

     The beautiful and very original town mosque, built entirely out of mud,
and patterned after the Sudanese mosque style.

Boundiali

     At the last stage of an itinerary through the hearts and souls of the
Senoufo lies Boundiali, 55 miles west of Korhogo. It is the chief town of a
region devoted to cotton crops, and, even more than Korhogo, it is a typical
Senoufo town.

     The traditional neighborhoods have kept the style of the Senoufo
villages. Even the town's resort village, the Dala, despite its modern
facilities (restaurant, bar, night club, pool) is modeled after the
traditional Senoufo architecture: 24 rooms are housed in individual round
thatched huts.

     The great local tourist attraction is a famous dance-the N'Goron, well
known and admired throughout Cote d'Ivoire. This is an initiation dance,
performed exclusively by young single girls of the same age. Their skillfully
arranged cowrie shell and feather headsets and ornaments, their bare torsos
revealing shapely breasts and ebony skin; their graceful gestures are a
dazzling sight that deserves to be filmed.

     From Boundiali, recommended tours go to Ouazomon, Kolia and Kouto - all
within thirty miles - to discover multi-faceted Senoufo crafts: weaving,
sculpture, pottery, etc.

The East Kingdoms, Ceremonies and Traditions

     This is one of the few regions in Cote d'Ivoire to have known, before
colonization, a centralized political organization - the kingdom. Elsewhere,
and particularly among the forest people of the western and central-western
regions, the basic political unit has always been the chieftainry - usually
no larger than a village (with the exception of the Baoule chieftainries).
After the Agni Indenie and the Abron were forced into exile like the Baoule,
the Ashanti established on the Eastern fringes of the forest powerful
kingdoms, strictly modeled after their structure of origin. They were
characterized by quasi-divine monarchs, devotion to hierarchy, matrilinear
lines, and a cult for gold. These kingdoms are still striking today by their
endurance, their vitality and their adaptability to modern institutions. The
Indenie and Abron kings still receive allegiance from their many feudatories,
while they are also the respected auxiliaries of contemporary political and
administrative leaders.

The Indenie Abengourou (40,000 inhab.)

     Capital of the Indenie Kingdom and chief town of a flourishing
prefecture, Abengourou is a necessary stage in the understanding of African
social structures in pre-colonial times.

     After the hardships of the march into exile, the Agni Indenie found here
a haven of peace, settled it without great difficulties, and devoted
themselves to farmwork. Today, it is one of the key regions for coffee and
cocoa farming; it has given rise to a land-holding upper class with solid
local roots and considerable power in Cote d'Ivoire.

Recommended Tourist Sites:

     The King's Place, built around 1882

     The Regional Tourism Representative
will guide you through it and explain in detail the complex court protocol
and the royal genealogy, customs and traditions. You will be received by King
Bonzou II himself.

     A word of caution: Addressing the King directly is prohibited. This must
be done through the mediation of the official court interpreter.

     You will be able to see the Bia, a solid gold sacred throne which
symbolizes the monarchy. It is used in celebrations every year with
unparalleled ceremonies.

Recommended Tours: Zaranou

     Thirty miles east of Abengourou, Zaranou is the former capital of the
kingdom; it is well worth a visit because of its status as official residence
of the heir apparent, and also because of its museum. At the heir apparent's
court, you will learn about the succession system and the funeral rites at the
king's death. (These topics are taboo at the Abengourou royal court.)

     The museum holds a wealth of artifacts, including weapons used by the
Agni Indenie in their pre-exile struggles. It also features Agni statuettes,
representing mostly women, as a reflection of the matrilinear system and of
the key role played by the Queen Mother in the kingdom. You will also see
measures used to weigh gold, and tools for gold mining and handworking. On
Sundays, you will be invited to attend a dance accompanied by the Attougblan,
the famous sacred drums that regulate and punctuate life in Akan country.
(Agni belong to the Akan ethnic group.)

The Abron

     The Abron are an important branch of the great Akan group; they came from
the east in the XVIIIth century, as did the Agni Indenie, in their fight from
the formidable Ashanti warriors. For the Abron, however, settling the
Bondoukou area was far from easy, for the land was already held by the
Koulango, whose aggressive name (Those Who Do Not Fear Death) bode ill for the
newcomers. Settled here since the second millenium, the Koulango had
successfully driven off their ferocious neighbors, the Lobi, toward the
northern borders, and they had converted to Islam under the influence of the
Malinke from Kong. Nevertheless, the Abron emerged as victors from their clash
with the Koulango, and founded the powerful Bondoukou kingdom and capital
city. But they surprisingly abandoned their animist cult and adopted the
language and religion of the conquered people. Their political structure,
however, remained patterned after that of the Ashanti kingdom.

Bondoukou (30,000 inhab.)

     This is surely one of the oldest towns in Cote d'Ivoire, probably dating
back to the mid-XVth century. Its antiquity is attested to by the famous
Tarikh-Es-Sudan, one of the most reliable Arab sources for African history.
Prior to its occupation by Samory in the XIXth century, this town as a major
central trading point, offering goods from Kong, Timbuctu, Djenne, Kano, etc.
Today a striking feature of Bondoukou is the mark left by Islam and reflected
in numerous mosques (no less than 18 for a total estimated population of
30,000) whose chiseled, many colored minarets loom over the town.

     ATTRACTIONS: The midtown Crafts Center, restored in 1971, the museum,
featuring interesting pieces, and the market, always crowded and richly
stocked.

Recommended Visits: The Sacred Monkeys of Soko

     The nearby village of Soko - less than four miles from Bondoukou -
periodically hosts an event which is probably the only one of its kind in the
world. Entire bands of monkeys come out of the surrounding forests to mingle
with the local people, invade the marketplace, gorge on peanuts and bananas,
and, after their feast, march back to the forest in single file. An
explanation for this unusual phenomenon lies with a XIXth century sorcerer; as
Samory's soldiers were drawing near, he is said to have turned the village
people into monkeys to save them from being massacred. He did this with the
understanding that they would become men again once the troops were gone.
Unfortunately, the sorcerer died before the village people could recover their
initial form. Monkeys have s