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Report from Cote
d'Ivoire, the Ivory
Coast
by Beatrice Grandcolas
The country
The country first concluded a peace accord in
January, has then progressively been doing better
and much better for more than two months now: the
cease fire signed on May 3 has held well, war zones
have disappeared, the curfew has been raised and
the very notion of it has vanished, the western
region has been pacified and people have returned
to their home, mode and schedule of demobilization
and disarmament have been agreed upon and are due
to start as of August 1st. Cars, buses and trucks
traffic from Abidjan to landlocked Mali has
resumed. The road and railway to Burkina Faso will
reopen this July 15th. Both armed Forces have
formally announced the end of the war.
 The
Communications Minister also Secretary General of
the New Forces Group has followed suit. Popular
districts in Abidjan and youth allover the country
have immediately started celebrating this highly
symbolic proclamation.
The reconciliation
government has been working and working quickly
& efficiently. The Minister in charge of
Tourism lives up to his reputation: active and
personally committed to building up Cote d'Ivoire
Tourism which eventually will contribute to the
sustainable and peaceful development of the country
and its people.
Day to day life is back to
normal; Blaise Pascal School, the American School
and other foreign schools have closed for summer
break and are getting ready for the next school
year; programs and long-term plans are under way.
Funding and foreign aid are back: the construction
of a motorway has been approved by the Islamic Bank
of development on June 22nd; in the central lakes
area (north of the political capital Yamoussoukro)
the rural fishing development program has been
launched; likewise, the Chinese group Tianshi
(health) has elected Cote dâIvoire as its
main regional base. Cote d'Ivoire Telecom monopoly
has been abolished. Late June, 26 Ivorian
corporations attended the Corporate Council on
Africa Summit in Washington, D.C. thus the first
delegation of African private operators at it.
Furthermore, basic utilities
are still there (and most of them have remained
undisrupted throughout the crisis), electric lamps
are still lit; water still flows from the taps,
cellular phones, mail services are still operating.
Buildings and plants are intact; almost nothing has
been destroyed or damaged. And more importantly,
good people are still there; determination,
vivacity and hope are there. And even more, Cote
d'Ivoire and its people have recovered their true
face: welcoming and tolerant, genuinely kind and
smiling, joyful and humorous, courteous and
harmonious, friendly and
charming.
The region
Sassandra region is and has
continually been a small haven, all peace and
luxuriance. Now clear of pot-holes and road-blocks,
the main East-West road mirror any modern tar road,
but for goats, chickens or wild dog and pigs still
ignoring pedestrian crossings. Best of Africa 12 km
dirt road has been widened and leveled. 100 km
east of Dagbego, manganese, a non polluting ore, is
due to be extracted soon.
Air transport and
diverse
Air France daily non-stop
flights towards France has continued, Air Ivoire
soon in Paris, SN Brussels has increased its weekly
flights to 3, Air Senegal in addition to RAM,
Panafrican (Euralair), West African Airlines and
Corsair have resumed or started flying as well as
Kenyan Airlines, Ethiopian, South African·
Moreover, there are talks about Air Afrique
starting up again. ClubMed as usual is opening at
fall (on October 5, 2 003). As usual, we are
not closing, furthermore benefiting from an
exceptionally mild and sunny July.
Best of
Africa
Work, maintenance and
investments have been resumed and include: 2
additional air-conditioned bungalows. Consequently,
12 out of 14 bungalows, including the 2 large ones
designated as 'Family' and 'Youth' bungalows are
now provided with air-conditioning. The roofs
of the office and of the beach bar have been
replaced; all other roofs have been checked and
mended & consolidated when needed.Settees and
armchairs have been equipped with a foam of the
highest quality, fabrics have been changed, etc. If
a lot has yet to be done, if economy is still very
weak and unemployment very high, if financial
resources are crucially lacking, and therefore
foreign aid and international assistance are
mandatory to get Cote dâIvoire, the Sassandra
region, the tourism and hotel industries, and Best
of Africa back on track, the right signals are
there.
A few
shadows:
Travel Advice Websites do
not reflect this new reality and tend to make some
confusion between the risks incurred by a wealthy
resident or deemed as such and those which a
mundane tourist is facing;
Media who fancy appalling
information and stereotyped prejudice has not yet
turned this dark page of beautiful and amicable
Cote d'Ivoire history.
Family owned and managed
hotel
Gourmet restaurant
Charming atmosphere
Seclusion and tranquility
Excursions and on-site activities.
Dagbego - C™te d'Ivoire
Tel: (225) 34 72 06 06
E-Mail :
mailto:best@bestofafrica.org
Website : http://www.bestofafrica.org
English/French/Italian
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