DESTINATION CÔTE D'IVOIRE
Once the poster child of African development, Côte d'Ivoire has fallen on hard times. The country has always had enviable exports but is now massively in debt, thanks to spendthrift bureaucrats and collapsing crop prices. Côte d'Ivoire is still figuring out how to recapture its former days of gloire. Economics aside, Côte d'Ivoire's powerful draw card is its people, so if you're interested in African history, art or music, this is the place to be. There's also a lot of physical beauty to take in, including the mountainous region around Man, the fascinating Senoufo area around Korhogo, Comoë National Park (West Africa's largest) and the remote fishing village and beaches of Sassandra. All these places are easily reached on some of the best roads in Africa.
 Map of Côte d'Ivoire (15K)
 Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Area: 322,000 sq km (126,000 sq mi)
Population: 14 million
Capital city: Yamoussoukro (pop 100,000)
People: Akan (including Baoulé and Agni), Kru (Yacouba, or Dan, primarily), Senoufo, Mandé, Lebanese and French.
Language: French. The main African languages are Yacouba, Senoufo, Baoulé, Agni and Dioula.
Religion: Traditional religions (65%), Muslim (23%), Christian, mostly Protestant (12%)
Government: Republic
President: Henri Konan-Bédié
 Environment
With an area about the size of Germany, squarish Côte d'Ivoire is bordered on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Liberia and Guinea, to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, and on the west by Ghana. Except for the western hill country around Man, Côte d'Ivoire is mostly flat. The coastal area is notable for an inland lagoon that starts at the Ghanaian border and stretches 300km (190mi) along the entire eastern half of the coast.
In the south is Yamoussoukro, the country's capital, and the cocoa and coffee farms that grow Côte d'Ivoire's major export crops. Around them are remnants of the rainforests that once covered the entire southern area; the land becomes savannah farther north. The expansion of agricultural lands poses a major threat to the country's diverse flora and fauna. Rainforests are being cut down at the highest rate in the world; the only remaining virgin forest is in the 3600 sq km (1400 sq mi) Taï National Park in the far south-western corner of Côte d'Ivoire. The timber industry is the main culprit; hardwood exports are on a level with those of Brazil, a country 20 times larger.
Côte d'Ivoire is humid and tropical along the coast and semi-arid in the north, with three distinct seasons. The country is warm and dry from November to March; hot and dry from March through May; and hot and wet from June through October; July is wettest of all. From early December to February, the harmattan winds blow sand south from the Sahara, reducing visibility in the northern mountain regions.
 History
Not much is known about Côte d'Ivoire prior to the arrival of European ships in the 1460s. The major ethnic groups came relatively recently from neighbouring areas: the Kru people migrated from Liberia around 1600; the Senoufo and Lubi moved southward from Burkina Faso and Mali. It wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that the Akan people, including the Baoulé, migrated from Ghana into the eastern area of the country and the Malinké migrated from Guinea into the north-west.
Compared to neighbouring Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire suffered little from the slave trade. European slaving and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast with better harbours. France took an interest in the 1840s, enticing local chiefs to grant French commercial traders a monopoly along the coast. Thereafter, the French built naval bases to keep out non-French traders and began a systematic conquest of the interior. They accomplished this only after a long war in the 1890s against Mandinka forces, mostly from Gambia. Guerrilla warfare by the Baoulé and other eastern groups continued until 1917.
The French had one overriding goal: to stimulate the production of exports. Coffee, cocoa and palm oil crops were soon planted along the coast. Côte d'Ivoire stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of 'settlers'; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, the French and English were largely bureaucrats. As a result, a third of the cocoa, coffee and banana plantations were in the hands of French citizens and a hated forced-labour system became the backbone of the economy.
The son of a Baoulé chief, Félix Houphouët-Boigny was to become Côte d'Ivoire's father of independence. Houphouët-Boigny studied medicine before becoming a prosperous cocoa farmer and local chief. In 1944 he turned to politics and formed the country's first agricultural trade union - not of labourers but of African planters. Annoyed that colonial policy favoured French plantation owners, they united to recruit migrant workers for their own farms. Houphouët-Boigny soon rose to prominence and within a year was elected to the French Parliament in Paris. A year later the French abolished forced labour. As Houphouët-Boigny grew fonder of money and power, and more ingratiated with the French, he gradually dropped the more radical stance of his youth. France reciprocated by making him the first African to become a minister in a European government.
At the time of Côte d'Ivoire's independence in 1960, the country was easily French West Africa's most prosperous, contributing over 40% of the region's total exports. When Houphouët-Boigny became the country's first president, his government gave farmers good prices to further stimulate production. Coffee production increased significantly, catapulting Côte d'Ivoire into third place in total output behind Brazil and Colombia. Cocoa did the same; by 1979 the country was the world's leading producer. It also became Africa's leading exporter of pineapples and palm oil. Behind the scenes, it was French technicians who had masterminded the programme, which was often referred to as the 'Ivoirian miracle'. In the rest of Africa, Europeans were driven out following independence; in Côte d'Ivoire, they poured in. The French community grew from 10,000 to 50,000, most of them teachers and advisors. For 20 years, the economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 10% - the highest of Africa's non-oil exporting countries.
Politically, Houphouët-Boigny ruled with an iron hand. The press wasn't free, and only one political party was tolerated. Houphouët-Boigny was also Africa's number one producer of 'show' projects. So many millions of dollars were spent transforming his village, Yamoussoukro, into the new capital that it became the butt of jokes. No one was laughing by the early 1980s though, when the world recession and a local drought sent shockwaves through the Ivoirian economy. Thanks also to the overcutting of timber and collapsing sugar prices, the country's external debt increased threefold. Rising crime in Abidjan made news in Europe. The miracle was over.
In 1990, hundreds of civil servants went on strike, joined by students whose violent street protests blamed the economic crisis on the corruption and extravagant lifestyles of government officials. The unrest was unprecedented in its scale and intensity, shattering Houphouët-Boigny's carefully managed personality cult and forcing the government to support multiparty democracy. The 1990 presidential elections were opened to other parties for the first time, and as a result Houphouët-Boigny received only 85% of the vote instead of his typical 99.9%. But Houphouët-Boigny became increasingly feeble and died in 1993. His hand-picked successor was Henri Konan-Bédié, a Baoulé and the speaker of the National Assembly.
While the country experienced well over a decade of continuous decline, the end of bad times seemed imminent in the late 1990s. The devaluation of the country's currency, the Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA), had a favourable impact, fending off the chaos predicted by political pundits.
 Economic Profile
GDP: US$22 billion
GDP per head: US$1500
Annual growth: 5%
Inflation: 10%
Major industries: Cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, palm oil, fish, cotton
Major trading partners: France, Germany, Netherlands, Burkina Faso
 Culture
The art of Côte d'Ivoire is among the best in West Africa and is distinct to each ethnic group. Three groups stand out - the Baoulé, the Dan (or Yacouba) and the Senoufo - all known for their wooden carvings. The most common Dan mask is that of a human face, slightly abstract but with realistic features. Another common Dan carving is that of a large spoon for serving rice; such spoons typically have two legs of human form and rest standing up on their legs. Traditionally used in commemorative ceremonies, Baoulé facial masks are very realistic and intended to portray individuals who can be recognised by their facial marks or hairdos. Senoufo masks are highly stylised: the most famous is the 'fire spitter' helmet mask, which is a combination of antelope, wart hog and hyena.
Though the country has two of the largest Catholic cathedrals in the world, only 12% of the people are Christian and most of those are Protestant. About a quarter of the population is Muslim, most of whom live in the north. The majority practise traditional religions involving ancestral worship. They believe that the dead are transformed into spirits and remain in constant contact with the living; through various rituals, the living seek their blessings and protection. Magic is also common, and good magic keeps evil spirits away. Medicine men or juju priests dispense charms, tell fortunes and give advice on how to avoid danger. They also bless grisgris, necklaces of charms that ward off specific evils. The Senoufo people in particular have held very strongly to their traditional beliefs. Children are instructed over many years in the history and social mores of the Senoufo and are then secretly initiated into it.
World famous reggae artist Alpha Blondy is Côte d'Ivoire's best known singer, though his music isn't necessarily representative. The country's traditional music style is characterised by a series of melodies and rhythms occurring simultaneously, without one dominating the others. Historically, this music has been the prerogative of just one social group, the griot (village entertainers), who use only instruments they can make with local materials, such as gourds, animal skins and horns. Côte d'Ivoire's most famous and prolific writer is Bernard Dadié, whose work has been widely translated. One of his first novels, Climbié (1971), is an autobiographical account of a childhood journey to France. Other well-known national novelists include Aké Loba and Ahmadou Kourouma.
In villages and African-style homes in the cities, African food is eaten with the hands. Attiéké is a popular Côte d'Ivoirian side dish. A lot like couscous, it's made of grated cassava. You'll find attiéké at a maquis - typically an inexpensive, open air restaurant with chairs and tables in the sand. Côte d'Ivoire's claim to culinary fame, maquis normally feature braised chicken and fish smothered in onions and tomatoes, served with attiéké, or kedjenou, a chicken dish made with vegetables and a mild sauce. One of the tastiest street-vended foods is aloco, which is ripe banana in palm oil, spiced with steamed onions and chilli and eaten alone or with grilled fish. Bangui is a local palm wine.
 Events
One of Côte d'Ivoire's most famous festivals is the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks), which takes place in villages in the Man region each February. Another important event is carnival in Bouaké each March. If you're here in April, don't miss the Fête du Dipri in Gomon. This festival starts around midnight, when women and children sneak out of their huts and, naked, carry out nocturnal rites to exorcise the village of evil spells. Before sunrise the chief appears, drums pound and villagers go into trances. The frenzy continues until late afternoon of the next day. The major Muslim holiday is Ramadan, a month (around December) when everyone fasts between sunup and sunset in accordance with the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan ends with a huge feast, Eid al-Fitr, where everyone prays together, visits friends, gives presents and stuffs themselves. National Day is 7 December.
 Facts for the Traveller
Visas: All visitors need a visa except for nationals of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the US.
Health risks: A vaccination is required for yellow fever, and another for cholera if there's an outbreak.
Time: GMT/UTC
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion
table)
Tourism: About 728,000 visitors per year
 Money & Costs
Currency: West African CFA franc (CFA)
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$1-5
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$5-15
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$15-30
- Budget room: US$6-12
- Moderate hotel: US$12-80
- Top-end hotel: US$80 and upwards
The CFA franc is fixed against the French franc and is the principal currency for all of French-speaking West Africa. France's recent 100% devaluation of the CFA has brought down the cost of living. A bare minimum budget for travellers is US$10 a day for clean but simple accommodation and excellent street-stall food. Finding cheap restaurants isn't always easy, and if you insist on eating Western food and staying in fancier accommodation, you'll need closer to US$30-40 a day. For top hotel accommodation and nights out on the town, budget about US$100 a day. Renting a car requires another US$100 a day.
The airport bank offers decent rates, so change money there if you arrive by plane. Otherwise, before changing money, it definitely pays to shop around for the best rates, as some banks offer excellent rates but also charge high commissions, while others charge no commissions but offer significantly lower rates. The French usually have no trouble obtaining cash with credit cards, as the cards are issued by French banks affiliated with those in Côte d'Ivoire; travellers from other countries may find this more difficult.
There are few clear rules about tipping. Africans are not in the habit, but rich people (ie tourists) are expected to give a cadeau (gift) of a tip. Even Africans are expected to tip 10% at upmarket restaurants, but check the bill closely first to see if service is included. Travellers are expected to tip taxi drivers about 10%, except for rides in shared cabs.
 When to Go
In February, the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks) takes place in scattered villages in the Man region. Not to be missed is mid-April's Fête du Dipri, held in Gomon, 100km (60mi) north-west of Abidjan, when the entire village vigourously exorcises their homes of evil spells. A peaceful time to go is the cool, dry period from November to February, though shutterbugs will get much better photos in the rainy season from May to October. The tourist season tends to be from December to March and, to a lesser extent, the months of November and April.
Abidjan
Huge, glitzy and crime ridden, Abidjan was an unimportant town until 1951, when the French finished the Vridi Canal connecting Abidjan's lagoon with the ocean. This instantly gave the city an excellent harbour, and since then the population has skyrocketed to almost 3 million people, spread over four peninsulas around the lagoon.
Known as the 'Paris of West Africa', Abidjan has a lot of French people but also attracts Africans from neighbouring countries, making it the region's most cosmopolitan city. Many travellers see only the wealthy side, especially Le Plateau, the central, high-rise commercial area, and Cocody, the posh residential section where you'll find the imperial Hôtel Ivoire. The sections where ordinary people live, such as Treichville, Marcory and Adjamé, are far more interesting. Linked to Le Plateau by two major bridges, Treichville is where you'll find the largest of the city's four markets and the most nightclubs.
Hôtel Ivoire, West Africa's most famous hotel, is the city's number one attraction. It boasts everything from a swimming pool, ice-skating rink, bowling alley, cinema and casino to a major art shop in the basement. The city's eye-catching, modern St Paul's Cathedral, outdone only by another in the capital Yamoussoukro, is worth checking out for a trip up the tower. It was grandly designed by an Italian and consecrated by the Pope in 1985.
On the north-western edge of town is the Parc du Banco, a rainforest reserve and a pleasant, cool place for a walk. Several hundred metres beyond the dirt road entrance is Africa's largest outdoor launderette, an unforgettable spectacle where hundreds of fanicos (washermen) jam together in the middle of a stream to wash clothes. They're there every day, frantically rubbing garments on huge stones held in place by old car tyres and then spreading the clothes over rocks and grass for half a kilometre, never getting them mixed up.
Bear in mind that since the late 1980s, Abidjan has had one of the worst reputations for crime in West Africa, and no part of town is considered safe enough to wander around alone after dark.
Yamoussoukro became the capital in 1983, but it's the capital in name only. Starting in the 1960s, President Houphouët-Boigny began spending lavishly on his native village. The result is a wasteful, bizarre example of what not to do with a lot of money. There are deserted, eight lane highways lined with over 10,000 lights and avenues that end in the jungle. Virtually no traditional African houses are left; Houphouët-Boigny replaced them with concrete middle class structures. At the same time there's no city like it in Africa, and the core centre is a lot livelier at night than its grandiose, impersonal appearance suggests.
The dazzling centrepiece of it all is the Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix, an overly long name for an almost exact replica of St Peter's in Rome. Built in only three years, the basilica is the tallest church in all of Christendom - which is probably meaningless to a country with few Catholics. Size and shape aside, what you'll remember most are the 36 immense stained glass windows, all hand blown in France. All in all, not bad for US$400 million, a sum equalling half the national budget deficit.
Yamoussoukro is about 200km (125mi) north-west of Abidjan. Connections in all directions are easy because of its central location. Buses tend to be the best, quickest and cheapest form of transport for getting there and around.
Taï National Park is one of the last remaining areas of virgin rainforest in West Africa. You'll see trees up to 50m (165ft) high, with massive trunks and huge supporting roots. Walking through a primary forest is a unique experience: the towering trees, hanging lianas, swift streams and resident wildlife combine to create a peaceful and, dare we say it, enchanting environment. Researchers have spent decades studying the park's chimpanzees - who, they've found, have imaginative ways of hunting for monkeys.
The park is in a very rainy and humid area, so the best time to visit is during the dry spell from December to February. A permit from the Ministère des Eaux et Forêts in Abidjan is required and strictly enforced. Getting to the park isn't easy. The best way is to take a tag team of bus, then bush taxi, then minibus from Man (450km/280mi north-west of Abidjan) or San Pédro (280km/175mi west of Abidjan) to Guiglo and onward to the town of Taï and then hitch a ride for the 30km (19mi) leg to the park's research station.
The Man region in the central-western section of Côte d'Ivoire is a sweeping vista of lush green hills, known for its first rate market (in the town of Man), distinct village masks and the Yacouba stilt dancers who perform during the annual Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks). Each village in Man has several representative masks that are used for rituals.
The town of Man is nothing special outside of its daily market, but it does make a good base for exploring the region, especially La Cascade, an often visited waterfall in a bamboo forest 5km (3mi) west of town. The base of Mt Tonkoui, the second highest peak in Côte d'Ivoire, is 15km (9mi) north of La Cascade. Liberia and Guinea are visible from the top. Hikers also love the steep, tooth-shaped mountain La Dent de Man (Tooth of Man) - the guardian angel of the region. The other main attractions of the area are the villages: an interesting 275km (170mi) circular route north from Man takes in Biankouma, Gouéssésso, Sipitou and Danané.
Man is approximately 450km (280mi) north-west of Abidjan. Air Ivoire has flights from Abidjan to Man twice a week. A few bus companies and bush taxis make the long journey several times a day.
 Off the Beaten Track
Sassandra
Sassandra is best known for its wonderful beaches. But what makes it special is that it's also an ethnic Fanti fishing village, with an active port and a scenic river to explore. If you're up to trying some highly recommended bangui (palm wine), there's plenty of it here. The town was once an important trading post, but when the port at nearby San Pédro was built, it went into decline.
The beaches are all west of Sassandra, along a dirt road. The first one, big-waved Plage Le Bivouac, is walking distance from the village; for the remainder, you'll have to hitch a ride or take a taxi. The prized jewel is peaceful Poly-Plage and its tiny Fanti fishing village. Sassandra is 210km (130mi) west of Abidjan. Buses ply daily between the two.
Korhogo is the capital of the Senoufo people and dates from the 13th century. The Senoufo are best known for their wooden carvings and are skilled blacksmiths and potters. Most of the wood carvers live and work in a small district called the Quartier des Sculptures. The heart of town is the bustling market.
The Senoufo have secret associations, divided into the Poro cult for boys and the Sakrobundi cult for girls, through which they are prepared for adulthood. The goal is to preserve the group's folklore, teach tribal customs and instill self-control through rigorous tests. The children's education is divided into three seven-year periods, ending with an initiation ceremony involving circumcision, isolation, instruction and the use of masks. Each community has a 'sacred forest' where the training is done, and the uninitiated are never allowed to see the tests. Some ritualistic ceremonies occur in the village itself and can be witnessed by visitors. These include la dance des hommes panthères (dance of the leopard men), which takes place when the boys return from a training session in the forest.
Korhogo is over 500km (310mi) north of Abidjan. Air Ivoire has flights between the two on weekends. Buses serving the Abidjan-Korhogo route offer half a dozen departures daily. Car rental is available from Korhogo for forays into the surrounding area.
In the north-eastern corner of Côte d'Ivoire, Comoë is the largest game park in West Africa. One of the most popular tracks passes alongside the Comoë River, where most of the game comes in search of water during the dry season.
Lions tend to be abundant in the southern section, particularly in the triangle de Kapkin area. There are an estimated 100 elephants in the park, so there's an excellent chance of seeing them. Other animals include green monkey, hippo, baboon, colobus monkey, waterbuck, several species of antelope and 21 species of pig. Leopards also roam, but catching a glimpse of one is a rare treat. The park is open December to May.
Comoë is 570km (350mi) north-east of Abidjan. There are various entrances into the park, the most widely used being Kafolo in the north and Gansé and Kapkin in the south. Buses and bush taxis usually use the northern entrance.
 Activities
Parc du Banco in Abidjan is a great place for walking. You can trek through virgin rainforest in Taï National Park, located in the south-western corner of the country. The hiking is good on tall Mt Tonkoui and steep La Dent de Man in the central-western Man region. The best coastal areas lie west of Abidjan. Grand-Lahou is one of the best spots in the country for surfing. There are also big waves further west at Plage Le Bivouac in Sassandra; the swimming is better at adjacent Poly-Plage. The country's best beaches for sun worshipping are in Grand-Béréby, a fishing village 340km (210mi) west of Abidjan near the Liberian border.
 Getting There & Away
Abidjan's international airport is 16km (10mi) south-east of the city center. There are frequent flights between Abidjan and other African capital cities. From Europe, there are direct flights to Abidjan from Paris and also from Brussels, Geneva, Lisbon, Rome and Zurich. From the US, flights from New York stopover in Dakar. There's a departure tax of about US$5.
Direct buses run between Accra (Ghana), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Bamako (Mali) and Abidjan and Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire. Travellers rarely take these long haul buses the entire distance except on the Accra-Abidjan route because the trip's too gruelling. Bush taxis offer more frequent service from most of the same cities but can be more expensive than buses and take longer. Trains go between Ouagadougou and Abidjan several times a week. The region's road system (except from Liberia) is excellent for travelling around in your own car or motorbike, though distances are long and borders close at night. Foreign cars entering Côte d'Ivoire need a laissez passer, issued only during daylight hours.
 Getting Around
Air Ivoire has internal flights several times a week from Abidjan to San Pédro, Korhogo and Man. There's a tiny airport tax (about US$2) on domestic flights. All the airports are connected to city centres by bus and taxi. If taking a plane isn't possible, the country's large modern buses are cheaper, more comfortable and more popular than bush taxis. They're also cheaper than the train. Bush taxis run throughout the country and leave at all hours of the day without fixed schedules. Some are Peugeot sedans, others are minibuses.
In addition to the daily Express train between Abidjan and Ouagadougou, there's a Rapide that costs about a third less and travels between Abidjan and centrally located Bouaké once a day, making several stops along the way. Taxis ply the streets of major cities. Rental cars are most easily found in Abidjan.
 Recommended Reading
- Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent by Blaine Harden touches on a number of topics, honing in on African political leadership and 'Big Man' disease.
- Bernard Dadié is the country's most famous novelist. English translations of his books include Climbié, an autobiographical account of a childhood journey to France, The Black Cloth and The City Where No One Dies.
- Côte d'Ivoire, Enchantment of the World is an imaginative children's book describing the country's flora and fauna and post-independence way of life. The text is accompanied by some knockout photographs.
- Veronique Tadjo's Lord of the Dance: An African Retelling tells the story of the secretive Senoufo culture, known for its elaborate masks and festivals.
- Baulé: African Art, Western Eyes is Susan Mullin Vogel's account of Côte d'Ivoire's Baulé people and their masks and sculpture.
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