Tensions are growing in the opposition stronghold ahead of the October 31 election. While activists are trying to keep the peace, many residents are nervous about the possibility of more violent protests.
Image: Katrin Gänsler/DW
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When John Ekra walks through the streets of Bonoua, he occasionally stops. Sometimes it's to greet market women, or chat with young people. Ekra was born and raised in Bonoua, which is considered the pineapple capital.
Ekra promotes peace between his fellow citizens – both personally and as part of his work with the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Ivorian human rights organization RAIDH.
It is late morning and the center of Bonoua seems calm. Passers-by are shopping and chatting. No one seems to be in a hurry, or look tense.
But things here can change quickly. Ekra stops in front of what used to be the police station. There are still a few burnt-out cars parked in front. On August 13, angry protesters set fire to the building.
"It has to be rebuilt," Ekra says, pointing to the rubble. Ever since this incident there have been more demonstrations. Four people have already been killed.
The protests were sparked by President Alassane Ouattara's announcement that he would run for a third term. In 2016 the country's constitution was amended – while it still limits the president to two terms, earlier mandates do not count so that Ouattara can run again after 10 years in office.
The police station in Bonoua was destroyed in violence protestsImage: Katrin Gänsler/DW
Bonoua is considered the stronghold of Ouattara's long-time rival and former president, Laurent Gbagbo. The 75-year-old is currently in exile in Belgium. Following the 2010 presidential election – in which Ouattara ran against then-president Gbagbo – violent protests broke out across the country, leaving 3,000 dead.
But Ekra does not see Bonoua as a Gbagbo stronghold. While Gbagbo was supportive of the local Aboure people, many here rejected him because of their difficult living conditions.
"If young people had more work here, they wouldn't take to the streets for a small amount of money," explains Ekra. While economic growth in Ivory Coast was at around 7% in the years before the coronavirus pandemic, not everyone has benefited.
John Ekra is trying to promote reconcilliation and cooperation between the people in Bonoua in the lead up to the electionImage: Katrin Gänsler/DW
Supporters of Ouattara and Gbagbo are by no means the only victims of the protests. A group of women have gathered in front of the house of Therese Adje and Frederic Kissi for a condolence visit. Photographs of their son Armel lie on a wooden bench. He had hoped to become a plumber someday – until the protests on October 19.
His father cannot forget this day. "He left the house to run an errand," he says. But he never returned. Once again, the opposition had called for a demonstration. Armel got caught up in the protest and was shot.
Kissi was called to the town hall later that afternoon. "The body of my son was there," he recalls. The mayor, sub-prefect and police chief all expressed their condolences. Kiss still can't believe that he has lost his son. "Our child is dead!" he exclaims in a grief-stricken voice.
Bonoua residents Therese Adje and Frederic Kissi lost their son Armel to violent protestsImage: Katrin Gänsler/DW
Tense wait before election day
Kissi feels all the more uncomfortable when he thinks about the upcoming election on October 31. Two opposition candidates – including Henri Konan Bedie, who was president in the 1990s, and Pascal Affi N'Guessan, have called on people to boycott the vote.
"It's obvious that we are very concerned," says Kissi. But it remains unclear as to how, or even whether, election day should be disrupted. The police already have a much greater presence around here than usual.
But it barely seems to be an issue for the old political guard who have determined life in Ivory Coast for decades. Their fronts are considered unshakable.
In Bonoua, Ekra is showing people how collaboration works. He has invited youth representatives from different parties to a café across from the destroyed police station. No one refused his invitation.
"We now have to sensitize everyone so that there is no violence," says Ekra. But he also has one more wish.
"I would like Bedie, Ouattara and Gbagbo to withdraw and make room for other candidates. We are tired of the old stories/of history repeating itself!"
Ivory Coast: a slow rebirth
After its independence from France, the Ivory Coast was called the "Miracle of Africa" for its religious and ethnic harmony. But the dynamic country still faces many challenges.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Strangers in their own country
Ivory Coast is home to 62 different ethnic groups, including the Peuls. But many don't have Ivorian citizenship because the government demands that at least one of their parents were born here — difficult to prove without proper documents. Without Ivorian citizenship, they can't open a bank account or get a driver's license, leaving many Peuls feeling like foreigners in their own country.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Traditional fabrics tell a story
"Tell me which fabric you wear and I will tell you who are," is a common saying among Ivorians. The traditional wax print fabric is commonly worn by women and each pattern sends a different message to their husbands. The hibiscus flower wax pattern, for example, symbolizes happiness in marriage.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Damaging beauty standards persist
Although they've officially been banned since 2015, skin-lightening products are still very popular here. Bleaching dark skin can cause irreparable damage and can even lead to hypertension and diabetes. Still, many pharmacies make a lot of money discreetly selling such products, as well as doctors who can prescribe them. One out of two women in the capital, Abidjan, uses skin lightening products.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Leaning an ancient art
Young girls dance with their bodies coated with kaolin in Aniansué. They are learning to become komians: Traditional healers and fortune tellers. Komians are known for their ability to cure bad luck and predict the future and are often consulted by the country's most powerful politicans and local chiefs. A unique school teaches this art in the Akan culture.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Fake medicine brings false hope
Almost half of the population live below the poverty line, making it easy to exploit those in need of healthcare. Approximately 600 tons of fake medicine have been seized over the last three years, representing a third of all medicines sold in the country. Most of it is imported from Asia. Signs like these are commonly seen outside shops selling 'Made in China' medicines.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Dreaming of a new life abroad
The world learned of the plight of Ivorian refugees in early 2020 after the body of a teenage boy was found in the landing gear of a plane. Driven by a lack of job prospects, many young people dream of starting a new life abroad, taking dangerous migration roads to reach the Mediterreanean. President Alassane Ouattara has promised to create 200,000 new jobs a year, but the youth aren't convinced.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Waiting for 'women's gold'
An man patiently waits to buy karite or shea butter in the Savanes District. The product is known as "women's gold" across Africa, as it is primarly women who earn money making and selling it to consumers via small cooperatives. Used in make-up and food, shea butter is popular all over the world.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Woman take charge of an age-old cuisine
An Ivorian woman from the "Femmes battantes cooperative" (Women fighters cooperative) wraps attiéké, a traditional type of couscous made from cassava tubers. Women are also in charge of the production of attiéké: They grow the cassava, process it and sell it along the side the road. This income is often used to send their children to school.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
Mining still a man's world
The booming mining industry meanwhile remains dominated by men. But that hasn't stopped some women from wanting to work in the sector. However, they are often victims of clandestine exploitation and the work is notoriously exhausting under the blazing sun.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
A struggling cocoa sector
In Ivory Coast, the cocoa sector is on the verge of a new crisis. Small traders are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with larger local cooperatives which hold most of the contracts with major chocolate manufacturers such as Mars or Nestle. Out of 3,000 cocoa cooperatives in the country, just over 200 are fair trade certified.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
A place of worship
The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro was consecrated by Pope
John Paul II in 1990 and was said to have cost $300 million (€277 million) to build. It's even bigger than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which it is basedon. The basilica can accommodate 200,000 people: 7,000 inside and the rest out on the esplanade. But today, only a few hundred people flock to Sunday mass.
Image: DW/E. Lafforgue
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This article was adapted from German by Ineke Mules.
