• Jul 4, 2025

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WAR TORN DREAMS (Part 2)

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

New class, new level, new expectations, more responsibilities.

Classes commenced smoothly after the first six weeks. All the students were striving for excellence and success in their academic pursuits. On 28 November 2010, La Côte d’Ivoire held its much anticipated general elections. Before that, there were few campaign floats in Abidjan; where party faithfuls were cladded in party colours amidst drumming, singing, dancing and sharing of flyers. This was just like what goes on in Ghana during political campaigns; there were normally rallies of each political parties, where presidential and parliamentary candidates took turns in giving juicy and promising speeches, it was nothing different from what they witnessed in petit Paris. The current President then was H.E Laurent Gbagbo, whose residence was not far from the university campus. President Laurent Gbagbo had a strong support base on campus, they were called FESCI (Student Federation of Côte d’Ivoire), this group was pro Gbagbo, they defended and supported him in his political career. Yopougon which is an area for the indigenous people of Abidjan, was one of Gbagbo’s stronghold just like Kumasi for NPP (New Patriotic Party) and Hohoe for NDC (National Democratic Congress) in Ghana. Lol.

There were two main contenders for the “palais présidentiel” (presidential palace), Alassane Ouattara and the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo who aspired to go for the third term, because according to sources, the French meddled in his governance, Ouattara on the other hand, wanted to be Head of State, however, Ivorians said he was from Burkina Faso. Twists and turns in the land of Houphouet Boigny.

Elections were finally held, and it was announced on National Television (RTI, radio télévision Ivoirienne) after few days that, Laurent Gbagbo won. There were jubilation and celebrations in the camp of Gbagbo. Life was normal, everyone was going about their daily activities, until one day things took a different direction unexpectedly.

There were gunshots on campus in the evening, the usual evening routine and meetings were halted, school was no longer in session. The situation was gradually deteriorating, gunshots were the order of the day, shops, malls, pharmacies and markets were closed.

After two weeks, life went back to normal, classes were in session until the end of the six weeks where exams were written and promotion to the next class was announced. All the students were happy to have made progress in their academics. The French language was now at their fingertips; conversations were smooth with few pauses; which was normal. This progress could not only be attributed to the work of the teachers in the classrooms but also the little “chéris” (sweethearts) they had also assisted them in the learning of French. Some of the chéris were possessive, showing up every time at the hostel, assisting with assignments, teaching of songs in French and spending time with them. Other chéris only showed up when they were called upon or there was a “soirée” (evening outing). These “chéris” played a big role in the integration into the Ivorian culture. However, there were few breakups along the way due to reasons best known to the ladies. Lol. Some of the “chéris” were faithful to the uttermost, they were in contact with the ladies whilst in Accra. 

School went on recess for the Christmas festivities; the ladies spent Yuletide in Abidjan. The celebration was joyous, there were invitations to homes of friends, classmates, church members etc. There were dinner parties by the beach, time at live reggae club called Parker Place at Zone 4, lunchtime at Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, traditional restaurants etc. It was real fun for the ladies. The ladies had different recipes of attiéké such as was combined with chicken or any kind of protein, alloco (ripe plantain), habanero pepper sauce, a pinch of seasoning cube and mayonnaise, very delicious. La Côte d’Ivoire has a variety of delicacies like plakali (cassava dough) with okro sauce, kedjénou poulet (chicken tomato soup), sauce graine (palm nut soup) with rice. These students went on a culinary tour exploring all these mouth-watering dishes especially during the period of Christmas. Right after the festive season, school resumed, some were about to complete their last level (C2) and “paint Abidjan tomato red”, whilst others were to finish hard. This was just a dream that may not be realised.

A picture of a yummy attiéké with fried fish and veggies

Tug of Power

In February 2011, pressure started mounting on Laurent Gbagbo by external forces to step down, it panned out that he didn’t win the elections. Oh boy!! This can’t be!! Quoi!! Mon œil !! -expression of shock. Qui a remporté le présidentiel alors? To wit, who won the elections then?

Apparently, the country’s constitutional council was controlled by Gbagbo loyalists, who declared him the victor with 51.45 percent of the vote on 3 December 2010. The council’s move invalidated the findings of La Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral commission, which had pegged Ouattara the winner with 54.1 percent, an outcome certified by a UN special representative. What !!-civil war looms in La Côte d’Ivoire; the students immediately recalled the statement of the stranger on the STC bus. Life was no longer normal and lively in Abidjan.

The international world has started causing fear and panic by spreading news that petit Paris was on fire. Well, this may be true in some parts of the city, chaos started from some parts of La Côte d’Ivoire. Armed groups of Gbagbo and Ouattara clashed, and more than 3,000 people were killed in the post- election violence which plunged the whole country into a state of crisis. 

Hiatus

A communiqué was immediately sent to the students that school was closed for some time, no one should step out. Abidjan was thrown into a state of emergency; there were curfews every evening. The all lively and bubbly atmosphere of petit Paris was now a cemetery, where there were living beings but as though dead.

These students were in contact with the Embassy of Ghana in Abidjan, right when they arrived in the country in 2010, they paid the diplomatic corps a visit as and when. The Embassy staff took turns in inviting these students to their homes for parties, to local restaurants for Sunday special “omo tuo” (rice balls) with beans palm nut soup or hot afternoon “akple with ademe detsi” (corn flour balls with slimy green leaves soup) ran by a Ghanaian woman in Grand Bassam. The Embassy staff were very instrumental in their lives in Abidjan. When the crisis was worsening, they decided to evacuate all Ghanaians. This move was the best decision ever; Abidjan was gradually becoming empty, natives were relocating to their villages, those who had nowhere to go, stayed indoors, that was risky because one could be hit by a bullet or there could be a break in. There were gunshots here and there. Shops and restaurants were being looted by the rioters and militants. Daily activities had halted suddenly. There were agitations, apprehensions, and great fears.

The Exodus

Finally, a day was set aside for evacuation in March 2011, which was announced by the Embassy to all Ghanaians living in Abidjan and towns nearby. These 6 students had to return home without completing their studies. They were despondent; this really thwarted every plan they had. However, they were assured that as soon as the storm was over, they could return so long as the academic year was not over. The question was when will this end? And how many months would have been left? Were things gonna be the same after this? Families of the students were worried; calls were coming in every minute of the day. As soon as they watch a scene in the news, they would call, especially the “mothers”.

Reluctantly, they had to go back home because Abidjan was no longer safe. They had informed “Maman “of their sudden departure the night before the next morning, which she agreed to. The students had packed their belongings but still left few things behind with the intention to come back and use them; that was a false hope. Early the next morning, they had prepared, awaiting the Embassy bus to pick them from the hostel to “La gare “(lorry park or station). Oh boy!! La gare was full of people from everywhere claiming to be Ghanaians. It was like a funeral ground of a prominent person in Ghana. Most people were wondering if Abidjan took in all these people. What a shock!! The atmosphere and energy at La gare were indescribable, simply put. The Embassy staff had to stay behind and monitor the situation, they couldn’t leave Abidjan, that was sad. They had families back home expecting them to return due to the unstable situation, however, they were on a mission whether rain or shine.

The journey itself was smooth, but the sentiment attached to it was a sad one- people left homes several years ago without visiting or visited fewer times, they had raised families on a foreign land and now going back to a place that may seem totally strange to their children and their spouses who were non-Ghanaians. Language was also going to be a barrier for most of them; some could only speak French, though a variation of Akan language is spoken in La Côte d’Ivoire (Ashanti & Nzema), but few could speak it. Before the departure of the colonial masters (the French) from La Côte d’Ivoire, there was a language policy which was established; that is, not to teach any indigenous language in schools, hence the extinction of these local languages in most cities in the country. In other words, there was French imposition and marginalisation of the indigenous languages; French was the official language of administration and education, while local languages were largely excluded from formal domains. Nonetheless, those who were born and raised in villages could speak these languages (Baoulé, Bété, Anyi, etc.). Thankfully in Ghana, local languages are still being taught in schools from primary to the university level (optional) and spoken in most homes. Arrival in Accra was very late. Family and friends were waiting patiently at the STC yard to welcome their relatives.

Family and friends were waiting patiently at the STC yard to welcome their relatives.

The 6 students with dashed hopes were welcomed by their parents. They bid one another farewell and promised to be in touch during the unexpected break. They were following the situation closely in the news with expectations of a positive outcome of the situation, however the situation was worsening by the day. Would they ever go back to continue with their studies? That may not be possible. Hmmm!! A week after their arrival in Accra, one of the students had a call from a friend who was still in Abidjan, informing her of the break in and looting that took place in the hostel. They made away with everything; there were few Nigerians students at the hostel because their embassy couldn’t assist them during the evacuation. These ones had to escape when the group of looters arrived in the hostel, they were terrified, they had no option but to flee. The students were informed of the incident; they accepted the situation and were at peace with themselves though they had lost some valuables.

The Storm is Over

On 11 April 2011, there was a breaking news “Laurent Gbagbo was captured with his wife Simone Gbagbo at the basement of their residence” by French troops. Oh, is this good news or bad news? Couldn’t this rather trigger more mayhem in the country? Forgetting that Abidjan was now a cemetery. After a month of the above incidents, Alassane Ouattara was sworn in as the new President of the Republic of La Côte d’Ivoire.

What was next for the students to do? Do they go back and continue with their studies, or they remain in Accra? How then will they submit their grades for completion of their bachelor’s degree? Mind you, year abroad was 12 credit hours. That’s lot!!

In this regard, two of the students had decided to go back to Abidjan and chase their grades for submission, if possible, comb the city for few months before going back to Accra to complete the last year of their university education. The rest of the students didn’t show interest in the plan. So the two students, who were also friends planned their trip back to Abijé. One decided to leave ahead of time to get at least an accommodation before the arrival of the other. During the evacuation, the only Kenyan student amongst them, joined the bus to Ghana; she was also returning to Abidjan before leaving finally for East Africa. They got to Abidjan, and they were picked up by a friend who stayed behind during the political crisis. The next day, they went to look for an apartment, which was successful, they got a studio flat for a period of 3 months. Few weeks later, the other student also joined them. They were three living in the apartment. Few friends gave them furniture, television set, kitchen utensils, household appliances etc. The apartment was just opposite the new military camp in an area called Riviera 2. Abidjan was now regaining consciousness after the war which claimed lives, a friend of two of the two friends, who was a journalist for Reuters went missing, whether dead or alive, they had no idea. The presence of the students in Abidjan must be known to the Embassy hence, they visited to inform them of their comeback, lol. They were happy to see them hale and hearty, the Embassy staff narrated their experience during the firing of gunshots throughout the whole period. They told the students how alcohol became their best friend during the time, bedtime was always underneath the beds for fear of being hit by a bullet, water and eggs were their food throughout due to shortage of food, stepping out was equally impossible. They expressed their frustration and depression during this turbulent period. One of the staff said he called the Ambassador one evening when the shootings were intense in his neighbourhood and said “H.E yen y3 d3n wor krom ha? menwu wo aha o !!” to wit “H.E what are we doing in this country? I won’t die here !!”  and he hanged up, he couldn’t give Ambassador a chance to explain things because it was going to be the same old story, “We are here for a mission”. They all laughed hysterically, in as much as it sounded funny at the time of narration, it was a serious issue then. The students tried getting in touch with few friends who were available then, some were unreachable, some were also not in Abidjan, but in other parts of La Côte d’Ivoire, others had fled to Ghana and Liberia. The two Ghanaian students visited a friend who lived very close to RTI (radio Télévision Ivoirienne), it was a horrifying sight of bullet holes on the walls of his bedroom, thankfully he came through all these perils unscathed, he was also sleeping under the bed. His area was captured by the military so he could not even look through his windows to catch a glimpse of the sky, that would have been suicidal. There was also a visit to their hostel to gather the remains of their belongings, unfortunately, they were not allowed in, campus was blocked, however they had an interaction with the guards at the entrance who narrated how they were hired as mercenaries to fight during the war. One of the guards had scars all over his body, the students were terrified by the narration and how events unfolded in the past months. The whole city was in shambles; most of the infrastructure were destroyed, life was slow in “almighty petit Paris”. On two occasions, these students went out and there was a crowd gathered, as curious as they were, they drew closer, only for them to see dead bodies under grasses; that traumatised them, oh my God! That was scary! 

These two friends discussed how they never thought war could be this close to them, at a point, there was hesitation to go back home during the evacuation, with hindsight, they made the best decision of their lives.

The Invitation

 Few weeks later, the students booked an appointment with the Embassy to invite the Head of the school in request of their grades. Monsieur Bédié, the Head of the school, who had taught in CUEF for over 20 years and had admitted several Ghanaian students to the school. He was invited to the Embassy of Ghana; he honoured the invitation. He informed the Embassy of how the school has been destroyed due to the political instability; they broke in and made away with all valuables, scattered files and archives. In addition, there came a heavy rain one of the days which finally ...... your guess is as good as mine. The political stability had a toll on M. Bédié, he was sick at the time of the visit, and it was out of courtesy he honoured the invitation, he told the Diplomatic corps. His countenance was one of struggle and pain, yet he made it to the Embassy.

 He assured the Embassy that he was going back to the school building and search for the grade files. The Embassy pleaded with Monsieur Bédié to try as much as he could to provide the grades; the Embassy will explain the situation to the university authorities about the use of the Embassy’s letterhead to transmit the grades to the school. Few weeks later, Monsieur Bédié had a good news for the Embassy, he found the files, very tattered and unattractive, however it was handed over to the Embassy in its state, the Embassy worked on it and posted it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ghana for submission to the French Department of the University of Ghana. The students were glad they came back to fight for their grades.

Now that the mission had been accomplished, what then was left? Chilling!! Exploring Abidjan, “Abijé, petit Paris” thoroughly before departing to Accra, and that was exactly what they did. In July 2011, the students bid Abidjan goodbye with the expectation of returning one day. Even though their stay didn’t turn out as planned, it was worth the effort, time and experience.

-The End-

Thank you for reading, see you in my next blog. Please leave a comment.