Coconuts and Soccer Balls

This (last) weekend was just what I needed!

Well, after not sleeping most of last week, more sleep and relaxation would have been nice, but it was also great to have a busy and booked weekend!  Well, booked and then a little empty, but that’s ok.

After some US Embassy warnings about a Gbagbo supporter rally planned for Saturday, I was planning on a boring weekend in, but when our social media/web guru mentioned going to an event with the Vacances Santé group on Saturday, I jumped at the offer, realizing I had absolutely no clue what I was jumping at.

Vacances Santé is part of the CCP’s Sports pour la Vie (Sports for Life) program that uses sports (notably, soccer) as an outlet for peer education about reproductive health, and encourages abstinence among teenagers.  VS is offered to girls ages 14-18, though SPV is for both girls and boys, because the girls have “fewer activities” and opportunities during the summer, whereas boys frequently have sports camps and tournaments and other activities.  The VS girls have been meeting in their quartiers across the city since June and this week is the end of the program, getting ready for classes to start in September. I was surprised to hear that I would be picked up at 8am and had no clue what time I would be back, but was excited to check out a new quartier of Abidjan, Poiboi (sp?).  All I really understood was that the VS participants were “going to some nearby villages,” but to do what?  No idea.

We arrive at a healthpost far away from the part of town I know, and right on the ocean.  This was the first time I had seen the Atlantic since landing a month and a half ago.  There were shanty homes, maquis/bars, and a few campements up against the water, so I could only see it through the narrow alley ways, but it was cool to be reminded that ABJ is right on the water.  We arrived and saw several large groups of girls already singing and dancing around, giggling, and buying cold yogurt from vendors walking around.  

My coworker who manages the SPV/VS program had confessed that he hadn’t slept all night because he could not stop worrying about the t-shirts he was supposed to pass out to the participants and if there were enough for all 300 girls.  Little did we know that would be the least of our problems.

Stuck bus and a crowd of girls

One of the four large buses was stuck in the sand on a hill when we arrived and it took ages for one of the other buses to get on the highway, turn around, and properly approach the stuck bus in a way that it could push it free of the sand without the bus rolling over.  This was done while my coworker nervously passed out t-shirts, carefully counting and verifying with his lists of participants.  As he was finishing up and people were milling around, rumor made it to him that some of the drivers claimed to not knowing they were expected to go to a village, let alone spend the entire day there, and were refusing to go.  Uhoh.

The negotiations and a yogurt man

Bread was purchased as a snack for the girls as negotiations began.  My two coworkers, representing a US government-funded project, supported by all of the VS and SPV trainers, arguing with a troupe of bus drivers, trying to figure out where in the chain of communication things got messed up.  All the while, the girls were still singing and dancing, hours later, alternating between doing so on one of the buses or in the sand of the road. They ate their bread while we all waited.  I hung out next to the CCP car with the driver, getting sunburnt in the overcast sky (first in CI!) and with random gendarmes coming up and asking “what embassy is this?”  Well over 2 hours later, and thanks to some local language negotiating by the social media guru who found the crack in the team of drivers, all except the ring leader had agreed that they were in the wrong.  We eventually wound up leaving our gathering place 3 hours late, with all 4 bus drivers and 300 teenage girls, for the village…oh Africa!  [As we were finally getting home at the end of the day, my coworker admitted what I had suspected…my skin color and a “US Embassy” car had encouraged the greed of the one driver who then convinced everyone else to team up in hopes of getting more money out of the trip.  Jerks!  I really hate it that my skin color is a liability in my work.]

Anyways…

The group was divided in half so as not to overwhelm either “village” and we headed into the bush.  Our car headed off to a coconut/palm tree research center and plantation that was ENORMOUS!  They have hundreds of varieties of coconuts growing on (a few thousand?) hectares of land, complete with little “cities” as they called them, instead of villages, for the workers and researchers to live on.  Though we showed up 3+ hours late, the village welcomed us and had us “share the news,” as they say here.  What does “sharing the news” involve?  Well, it’s customary in CI that when you are newly arrived somewhere, you drink water and share that “the news is good” and explain what you are doing there.  We met with the head of the research center, and were then introduced to the local village chiefs and “notables” and told about the history of the village as well as a little about coconut production.  Unfortunately, the youth of the village were at a big event outside of the village, leaving a bunch of adult men to welcome 300 14-18 year old girls. Weird.

After the presentations, the girls were offered the opportunity to ask the chiefs about any questions they may have about the village and boy did they!  The girls took the opportunity and whether knowlingly or not, publicly illustrated what they have learned over the course of VS as well as spotlighted the fact that all of the notables and people present to welcome them were MEN.  The questions started innocently enough: easy and basic things about the village and what you can do with coconut, etc, and then one bold 15 year old stood up and asked “What happens in this village when a girl enters puberty?”  The men were shocked.  The MCs tried to answer politely and then the next girls asked “Do you talk to your kids about sex?” and then the next “What happens in this village when a girl gets her period?”  The girls were showcasing their new reproductive health knowledge, the theme of the camp, and innocently wanting to know how things were like in this village.  However, without youth or women present, it was difficult for the men to handle.  Every response started somewhat belittlingly/mockingly “Well, my daughter…when these things happen, you talk to your mother…”  With the latest question, some women had come to the back of the room to set up lunch and I nudged my coworker and got him to convince the MC to invite one of the women up to answer the question.  She did so eloquently and correctly and the girls applauded excitedly (as did I!).  The next question turned out to be the final (due to the time and needing to eat lunch), when a girl asked “Does every girl get her period if she goes through adolescence?” or something like that and a few men stumbled through various responses and ended with one MC who said something blatantly wrong…and the girls knew it.  [Why the girl asked this question after being in the program so long, I am not sure, but it was met with a bizarre response.] My coworker called out to the other trainers that if that happens again with another “technical question” that they need to take the mic and say the correct answer.  It was awkward and frustrating and humorous all piled into one.  Then we ate a delicious lunch, right after one of the city officials with us lectured a female trainer for sitting “in a man’s place” at the table.  She’s Ivoirian and looked at him like he had 3 heads, as she should, because he was being macho and we were at a camp meant to support and empower girls.

Village girls in red, VS in blue

After lunch, the social media guru and I headed to the other “village”, which was off of the coconut plantation and along the lagoon and more like a few homes rather than a village.  We arrived and “presented the news” again, though it had been done earlier, with more village chiefs and then watched a team of VS girls take on a ramshackle women’s team from the village.  The village didn’t really understand the full purpose of the day and didn’t have many young women at all, so it was mostly some of the younger “mamas,” or women in their 20s and 30s, who passed off their babies and donned SPV uniforms despite never having played.  They did not have much of a chance next to the VS girls who play a few times a week, but it was still a fun match to watch and the village women had a few stand out stars, so that was fun.  After, they wanted to do a photo “en famille” (ie group photo) with our girls…and the village chiefs/men?.  The village women’s team was already dispersed…until I called out the fact that they should be in the picture and sent some trainers running to find the women to join the picture.  We left the village, the girls still excited, dancing, and singing without ceasing.  It took us over 3 hours to get home due to extra military blockades due to an attack earlier in the day and I couldn’t wait to shower and fall into bed.

Singing and waiting for the rest

Immediately upon getting out of the truck in front of my home, holding a bag of coconuts from the plantation village and a neighbor drove up on his motorcycle, saying something about his brother marrying a German woman and them fighting a lot because she doesn’t know ABJ at all or speak the language, and would I be willing to talk to her, as a German woman?  He handed me the phone, said to me she doesn’t speak French, and then there was a confused voice on the other end.  Apparently, they had stopped by my place earlier in the day but I wasn’t home and so she couldn't meet another German in ABJ.  Not German!  Anyways, we made small talk and she asked me to get a drink with her bf and her that evening but after 12+ hours in the field and transport, committing to several hours being out was more than I could handle.  I sadly turned her down and then her bf got on the line and begged/convinced me to let them come over for “20 min” to chat and talk with her about ABJ.

Three hours later, they were still at my house!  Actually, this wasn’t too bad and turned into an enjoyable evening.  I shared one of my coconuts (and drank the fresh juice) with them and her bf fetched us chwarmas and we chatted about life as an expat in ABJ, and Africa, and a lot more.  It was quite enjoyable and surprising.  She had been in ABJ a month like me but unfortunately was scheduled to fly out the next day.  Around midnight, they headed out to meet friends on the town and as much as I would have loved to see ABJ at night, I was barely functioning and had barely slept all, but we agreed to meet up and check out this enormous artisanal market and have her bf negotiate for us, before she flew out.  I was wiped out but excited about finally, and ironically, making a non-work friend here the day before she leaves.  Figures.

Unfortunately the next morning, they had to cancel because she hadn’t yet packed and they had about a bajillion family farewells to say before she left.  Bummer!  Though I was exhausted beyond belief from the week and a busy Saturday, I was really bummed, for both the loss of a prized social event and the opportunity to go to said market.  I wandered to church but spent the rest of the day trying to be productive, but much too exhausted to do much of anything.  Still, I was happy with the weekend.

More pics are up to check out here!

Yo!

In case anyone is interested:

Updated pictures with captions!

Nothing super exciting.  It's mostly pictures of food (because food here is quite different from that in Senegal), landscape, awkward pictures of me, or other rando things, but enjoy!

Visiting the Capital

 The actual and lesser-known political capital, Yamassoukro.  The capital was moved from ABJ to "Yakro" in the 1980s because it was realized that making representatives come for government meetings from the far corners of the country all of the way down to ABJ did not really make sense and so they figured Yakro would be a compromise.  Of course, all of the major agencies and international institutions are a bit lazy and stick to the more cosmopolitan ABJ, but I really liked Yakro.  Here are some highlights:

My first week in Cote d'Ivoire, the Chief of Party was (correctly) concerned that I would be bored to death just hanging out in my room here in Abidjan and organized a "mission" for me to travel to the political capital of Cote d'Ivoire with one of our drivers to "test drive" one of the new USAID/PEPFAR cars.  The car needed a practice drive and I wanted to see more of Cote d'Ivoire, so a 3-ish hour ride north was just what the doctor ordered.

Orange+green tricolor

The day before, I was handed an official "Mission Order," in case any security or military forces questioned us.  Sure, there were a few checkpoints on the way out of Abidjan and into Yamassoukro, but with our USAID/PEPFAR sign, we had smooth sailing--well, except where the road was bumpy.

I spent the whole ride staring out the window, AMAZED at the number of TREES!  Cote d'Ivoire is soooo green, and the ground so orange.  I understand now why the flag colors are what they are.  It looked so different from the greener, more tropical parts of Senegal or The Gambia that I've seen and I realized that I really am in a new country and part of the continent.  Very cool.  Also, LOTS of banana trees everywhere--I think I've found my country!

Our first stop, the Hotel President on the outskirts of the city.  The spaceship at the top?  A bar and restaurant of course.  We walked inside and I was the only one inappropriately dressed in flipflops.  I'm definitely not classy enough for this place!

After swimming 3 times a week in June, I was ready to jump into this pool.  Alas, we were just there for  a walk around, but still tempting!

This hotel was actually a little creepy in that you could tell that the people who stay here are power players but also that 20 or 30 years ago, it was in it's hey-day, like the rest of the country.  It still feels like a fancy hotel that was obviously built in the 1950s or 60s, but it has seen a lot of hard times too.  I guess there's no easy way to put words to it, but I felt the ghosts of post-colonial Cote d'Ivoire, when ties with France were close and the country was on it's rise.

A view of the Basilica from the top of the spaceship/hotel.

In my years abroad, "Winning" apparently became a catch-phrase, so I had to take this picture!

At the hotel, we met up with our Chief of Party's nephew, David, who works at the hotel as part of the CI Ministry of Tourism.  He acted as a tour guide and took a friend of his up on an invite for a special, traditional meal, bringing us along.  He invited more of his friends over and we feasted on this messy dish, village style.

Sugary banana mash with spicy mushroom sauce.  Weird but soooo good!

Take a bit of banana mash (futu), make it into a stick ball, and roll it in the slimy mushroom sauce.  Yum!

Then David took us to meet a fellow tourism friend who works at the Basilica, which has become the landmark for the city.  

You can't tell from this angle, but it's designed to resemble St Paul's in Rome with outstretched arms.

 The church is circular, which I love, and the bottom portion of all of the window sections open up to doors so they can have even larger crowds.

Very easily one of the coolest churches I've ever seen.

The capital city?  Yep, all you can really see is the white mosque in the background.

Looking up

Looking down on the church

Looking out on the entrance way and the arms

Unfortunately we ran out of time to check out the crocodile basin outside the palace where Boigny is buried.  They feed them every evening around dusk, especially dring Ramadan.  Alas, next trip!

A beautiful mosque covered in latisework closer to the town.

Though it was a quick trip and long road, Yamassoukro seemed more like a large town than a capital city, but also felt a little more like the West Africa of the Sahel I'm used to (if you ignore the trees, let's be honest).  Something about the dusty road, small stores, and general pace felt familiar.  I would love a chance to go back before I leave, but that might have to wait until my next visit to this country.

Bonne Fete de l'Independance!

Woohoo, Happy Independance Day Cote d'Ivoire!  52 years of "cooperation, hardwork, and development."

Vive la Cote d'Ivoire!

If only they could say "peace" as well.  :(

I guess one of the potential benefits of colonialism's sudden end is that at least for the former French colonies, the large majority of them received their independance the same year and thus it is easy to keep track of what number anniversary it is each year in each country.  Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Togo, and Cameroon, and many other pays francophones achieved independance after many years of colonial rule, over a few months in 1960, meaning that 2012 is 52 years.  When I left Senegal in 2010, it was a month after an enormous, and very important 50th anniversary celebration.  Senegal cheered it's peace and culture with Wade's terrible eye sore  beautiful triumph to African culture, the Monument of the African Renaissance.

You can't help but mock this statue.

Jokes about the Monument aside, and some rough times pre-election this past year, Senegal has maintained la PAIX.  PEACE. JAMM (or DIAM, for the fr. spelling).  Even with occasional separatist skirmishes or banditry in the southern Casamance area (below The Gambia), it has maintained large-scale peace.  This is quite an accomplishment in a region that seems to be falling to coups, wars, and general instability everywhere.

If you ask a Senegalese about peace, they may tell you that it goes back to a culture that across ethnic groups and personalities, appreciates a good joke and some sugary tea.  No seriously, you sit around with your friends and neighbors making fun of each other for last names, ethnic groups, favorite food, whatever, and before you can have a chance to get seriously angry, it's tea time!  [Not to say Senegal as a geographic space has been peaceful since time began, there were wars with the Pulaars and the slave trade and other terrible stories, but in "very recent memory."]  There are many other theories for the peace, but I think some of it has to do with their great sense of humor.
Note: I am not saying Ivoirians don't have a sense of humor, they definitely do!  But there's just something different in Senegal that keeps the peace coming.

Senegal's Independance Day was April 4, with many other countries following, and eventually Cote d'Ivoire on August 7.

As I posted on my first CI post about the conflict, Cote d'Ivoire has had a much different and sadly more violent past...perhaps it would just be better to say that the "New Millennium" hasn't been very kind to the country.  The country's first "President" was Félix Houphouët-Boigny who "ruled" (as Wiki says) from 1960-1993, celebrating independance while maintaining close ties to France, whose leadership and meticulous planning led to investment, prosperity, and development for the country.  Since the 1999 Coup, however, things have been "hot" or "warm" in the country ever since, and I am not talking abou the weather.

Ok, this post has been all over the place but really, I just wanted to post a notice to all about some of the violent skirmishes and attacks that have recently moved from the western border with Liberia (this link is only provided so that people don't confuse it with Libya) and northern areas and into the economic capital that is Abidjan. In the west, there is a lot of hangover from past wars in the areas (think Liberia, Sierra Leone) and some ethnic warfare and retaliation, which keeps my project and many others from doing much of anything out that way.  The north has also been tense over the past several years due to displaced persons from Burkina and other countries coming in, so we mainly stay in the south and east.

Anyways, the government had recently begun tearing down some of the remaining rebel camps/barracks in different parts of the country, and that upset various groups of people, including, apparently, those loyal to former prez Gbagbo, who is currently in trouble in The Hague.

Check it out:
BBC News
Cote d'Ivoire is heating up, en francais

There was a small attack near Abidjan a few weeks ago, though I didn't hear about until a week or so later, but things picked up this weekend, with events Sat/Sun and Monday morning in multiple areas in and around Abidjan.  DON'T WORRY: they are NOT in the part of time where I live/work.  The State Dept Travel Alerts and Embassy sent out TONS of email alerts the past few days with updates and recommendations (low profile, avoid crowds and military personal, stay away from areas where attacks have been known to happen, etc), so have no fear.  I do, however, wish that the Peace Corps system of color-coded party pagnes also worked here, but alas.  The skirmishes are all between current military and the rebel troops and extremely targeted, but emphasize the precarious situation that exists here.

In response, President went on TV last night to encourage calmness for the fete today and also emphasized that security (meaning UN troops, police, soldiers, etc) would be stepped up across the city and especially in the "HOT" areas that had the attacks.  UN trucks and SUVs are always a presence in the city and there is a GIANT UN compound right outside, thanks to the ONUCI, or United Nations Operations in Cote d'Ivoire.  While I think a big concert was planned in a park today, needless to say, there will not be fireworks tonight.  Clips from the military parade this morning were shown on national TV tonight and emphasized the Special Forces troops, sporting freaky masks and others with coast made of leaves.  Not even kidding.  Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of it nor can I find it online.  He also emphasize that large-scale demilitarisation will continue and be stepped up, which needs to happen, but is also not bound to make those leading some of these attacks very happy.

I am not trying to freak anyone out, but just wanted to keep people informed and also share some of the realities that come while working in a conflict or post-conflict/recovering country situation.  Abidjan is a cool city and the countryside is absolutely beautiful, so I am hoping and praying that lasting and stable peace comes to the country.

A view looking out on the political capital of the country, Yamoussoukro.

That's all for now!  Happy 52 Years to this beautiful country and people!


P.S. Sorry for all of the Wikipedia links that I know no one will use...it just gets a little too addicting when you want succinct information on a specific topic, over and over and over.

Today on the BBC

Cote d'Ivoire in the News

It's not a super happy post, but just shows a little about how far CI has come and how much still remains.