Cote d'Hope




 

What a difference a decade makes in Cote d’Ivore. Didier Drogba has risen from anonymity (unless of course you’re scratching your head) to become an icon for the Ivorian people, economic vitality has returned in the way of foreign investment and trade, and democracy is well on its way. “But Mark,” you say, “aren’t we witnessing something along the lines of civil chaos with the current political turmoil?” Great question hypothetical you; remarkable really given the fact that you’re not even signed up as a follower of this blog (ahem, that means you).

Sure, there are some crucial and grave issues right now given that Laurent Gbagbo (pictured left) has refused to concede the November 28th election to Alassane Ouattara (pictured right), instead setting up his own administrative cabinet. These range from the farcical (Gbagbo tried to order the UN peacekeeping force out of his country, oh him...) to the distressing (hundreds are reported to have been abducted in the night, while the perpetrators were protected by the security services) and the downright deadly (dozens have been killed, with more violence threatened). And so chaos has ensued. This election, which was supposed to have healed wounds endured from the 2002-03 civil war, is instead leaning Ivory Coast towards a national crisis between the ruling and the should-be-ruling.

The recent political history of Gbagbo is incredibly interesting, mirroring a hurricane of political turmoil. Following a failed coup in 1999, in which the leader of the movement fled, Gbagbo ran in a 2000 election. After winning the vote Robert Guei was later deposed following an uprising, which led to Laurent Gbagbo being instated as the President of Cote d’Ivore. Phew. In that decade, there was a considerable amount of xenophobia and racism, violence, civil war and political instability due in part to Gbagbo himself. Now that he is refusing to concede the election, there is much anticipation of renewed polarization of the country along the lines of North (predominately Muslim/former rebel territory) and South (predominately Christian). After all, it was only in 2007 that a power-sharing agreement came into place with a settlement that allowed for a former rebel to act as prime minister and Gbagbo to continue as president, while the recent elections were aimed at moving the process of reconciliation along.

The UN Security Council as well as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the European Union, African Union and a whole host of other countries have all moved to recognize the winner of the election, Alassane Ouattara, and encourage Gbagbo to step down and allow for a peaceful transition of power. And for the African Union to say “it’s time to go,” then surely the party must be over because they don’t send anyone packing, not even Robert Mugabe and his billion percent inflation in Zimbabwae. What we’re witnessing could well be a “Mugabe” as Gbagbo attempts to assert himself in the hope that a mechanism for his continued presence in power, even power-sharing, can be found to alleviate the crisis. Cheeky if that’s the case.

Back to your initial question regarding the co-existence of democracy and chaos and, from what I can see, there are many reasons to find hope in these prickly events. On the whole, the greater issue remains the state of democracy in Cote d’Ivore and its sustenance regardless of the cost. Despite the chaos, kidnappings, threats of violence from Gbagbo’s youth militia and retribution from the Ouattara-backing rebels, democracy is working. The voices of the people are being heard and fought for by the global community and, regardless of the policies of individual countries and organizations, it is a significant declaration. That the election was won by a Muslim from the North is also extremely significant, and gives way to the kind of hope and national unity that was nurtured in Cote d’Ivore prior to the 1999 coup. Only that type of feel-good sentiment can foster the necessary trust to move democracy forward, disarm and disband all rebel /militia groups, and bring the state towards a greater role in African peace making.

Hopefully the standoff in the not so wild west of Africa can come to a peaceful conclusion, sans Gbagbo in my opinion. Anyone who betrays the sentiment of the people, as well as those fragile elements of democracy and national interest, needs to go. Clearly that was the message in the election, and only some political posturing is preventing its activation.

A quick side note about the rebels and militias: I swear they must shop at a military wholesaler who equips them in a style that can only be called “African chique”: guns that are either way too big for the person carrying them or far too small, bullet belts that always find the most intricate ways of being used as clothing, standard camouflage pants and then shirts that range from camo green to sleeveless plain t-shirts or old soccer jerseys, not to mention the diversity in hats, jewellery, and even the footwear (flip flops optional). Are rebel movements so unprofessional that they can’t even take pride in their appearance or uniformity? Say what you like about the Marxist fighters of old, at least they had it together.

Coming up on Africa's Next Top Rebel: The role of accessories.