Reconfiguring Nationhood in Côte d'Ivoire?

Henri-Michel Yéré

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Reconfiguring Nationhood in Côte d'Ivoire?

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• Publié par: yrixujaw
• Nombre de lectures: 108
• Langue: Français

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rECoNiguRîNg nàtîoNhood îN côtE d’IvoîRE?

1 HenriMichel Yéré

INtRoduCtîoN

The paper explores the current challenges confronting Ivorian nationhood as shaped by historical factors since Côte d’Ivoire came into (official) existence in 1893. This is based on the belief that the root causes of the Ivorian civil war that broke out in 2002 cannot be understood outside of the unresolved national and citizenship questions in Côte d’Ivoire. By focussing on how encounters between indigenes and foreigners evolved over time in the context of the colonial and postcolonial state politics, this paper analyzes the history of national consciousness, not just as a consequence of the nationalist struggles that resulted in independence (Mbembe, 1996), but also in connection with the migration patterns that characterised the making of the peoples of Côte d’Ivoire as we know it today (Loucou, 1984; Kipré, 1992). A key aspect of those encounters and the contestations around Ivorian identity had to do with the question of land ownership, civil rights and entitlements. By the same token this study intends to analyse the relativity of the notion of the “foreigner” and show how it is defined contextually rather than independently of any social situation (Skinner, 1963; Skinner and Schack, 1979; Challoner, 1979). It is expected that this approach will open up a fresh historically informed perspective to the unfolding developments in Côte d’Ivoire.

HîstoRîCàL bàCkgRouNd

Côte d’Ivoire was for long regarded as a haven of political stability and economic prosperity in West Africa. The country benefited from the increased prices of cash crops such as cocoa and coffee from the early 1950s till the late 1970s. Its gradual economic ascendancy made it possible for Côte d’Ivoire to overtake Senegal as the richest colony in French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française) from the early 1950s onwards (Gbagbo, 1982; Kipré Tirefort, 1992). The political leader of the colony, Félix HouphouëtBoigny (1905–1993) was decisively proFrance, a position that became the trademark of his long political career: namely his belief that Côte d’Ivoire territory’s fate was directly linked to that of the colonial métropole, France (Grah Mel, 2003). It was a position that was further reinforced after Independence in August 1960. Another aspect that remained a cornerstone of Ivorian socioeconomic life was agriculture: as cocoa and coffee became the main cash crops that sustained

1. I want to thank Rita Kesselring for her valuable help and advice for this paper.

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