Info or Intox?

In a previous post I talked about the elections for 2020 in the region ...  However we never realised the world would see a pandemic in the meantime, COVID-19 has brought bitter hardship to many.

Guinea went to their polls on Sunday, it got a little heated but nothing too bad.  However today there has now been a video circulating and according to the BBC Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamadi Touré denounced as "completely false" a video circulating online claiming to be a recording of a phone call made by President Alpha Condé conceding defeat to his rival Cellou Dalein Diallo.

This weekend on Sunday 25th October, the small archipelago state of Cabo Verde off the west coast of Senegal will go to the polls.  With a population of 600,000 or so, it would be hoped that the information coming from there is correct!  However they have suffered due to the pandemic as most of their income is from tourism and finally managed to open their airspace on 12th October,a day they reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.

At the end of the month, Sunday 31st October Cote d'Ivoire will go to the vote.  This election has become a conflictual debate due to the running of the third term of President Outtara.  However, it appears the population forgot that he had put in his former Prime Minister, Gon Coulibaly to replace him.  Sadly Gon Coulibaly died on 8th July 2020 so the President found himself standing again.  There have already been demonstrations in pockets of the country against the 3rd term, intox is spreading and a small minority of the population seem to have forgotten the events of 2010-2011.  Most of the population would like to continue in peace!

Just three weeks later, it's Burkina Faso's turn on 22nd November, like Cote d'Ivoire it can go to a second round.  Burkina has had a few years of terrorism now with the jihadists trying to take over this beautiful country.

December 7th is the day the hotly contested seat of President in Ghana is up for grabs.  12 candidates have just been accepted by the electoral commission.  Word is that on the ground things are tense with people ready to go to the polls.  Ghana seems to be very much a two party nation between the NDC & NPP but a third party 'PPP' with a female candidate Brigitte Dzogbenuku is rallying voters around her.  After Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson of Liberia, it would be a positive move to have a fresh female face leading a country in the sub-region!

With the Nigerian #EndSARS movement taking an awful twist today with several shot and killed at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, the region is getting somewhat edgy!

2020 a year to watch

2020

The beginning of a third decade in the new millennium

The elections are due to be held across Africa during 2020 in:

Burkina Faso
Burundi

Cabo Verde
Cote d'Ivoire
Ghana
Guinea
Togo

That's a lot across West Africa

I've been talking to Ivorian friends about the situation locally for the next elections as that is where I'm most concerned.  After the municipal elections in early October 2018 that caused chaos in some regions of the country,  as there was one declared death (Lakota) and a lot of post-election dramas.
I asked the question; as I usually do!

The last Presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire passed peacefully in general but that's because the Gbagboists refused to vote.

So where does that leave 2020 in the sub-region of West Africa, particularly Cote d'Ivoire?

A lot of friends are already talking about leaving the country to watch the elections pass from afar.  Personally this worries me as it hints at something more ominous.  Currently there's no clear leader to take over from Alassane Ouattara.

Having said this, over the last few years, Burkina Faso has had an de-facto government when Compaore was exiled, Burundi has seen a lot of turmoil, another country I love and was shocked to hear a hand grenade go off within an hour of my arrival a few years ago.  Burundi is in chaos and I hope it stops soon!  Ghana has a President that wants to leave his religious mark with a building resembling the Yamoussoukro Basilica despite not having schools nor regular electrical supplies, so dumsor makes today's headlines.  Guinea's fortunes change daily, I'm not going to comment on that or Togo's possible perilous future ...

2020 is a year to watch ... I hope I'll be more optimistic soon!

Answering endless requests about the region

It's been a while now that I've been online on various travel forums under my pseudonym 'Kira' ... the name came from Kira-cho, a town in Aichi-ken, Japan where I spent 15 months living and working there for my degree.

I digress ... but on several occasions I've met people and talked to them over the years of travelling around the sub-region and then been asked 'Are you Kira?' ...

So I've set up a group on Facebook to cover all things West African related to travelling, without any touts hopefully!  The group can help and advise others who are in the region.  It's open to all heading that way or who are already there!

Join us by clicking here: West Africa Travellers on Facebook

Ode to an Irishman!

I've been lax of late, still not finished the whole Franki debacle but this weekend knocked me for six.  This isn't an ode, it's not a poem, but this is my blog and it's saying goodbye to a great Irishman.

Stephen Keenan died on Saturday in the Blue Hole, in Dahab, Egypt.  Steve was an amazing guy, we've kept in contact for 10 years after travelling together after a chance meeting.  He was open, honest, laid back and loyal to his friends.  He had a heart of gold, always looked for the positives, didn't take any stick from anyone and he loved the Dubs!

He had a wanderlust, like so many of us, it took him to South America then onto Africa which is where we met.  People have been asking me where we met, I nicknamed him BBB, short for Bissau Brothel Boy, we met in a brothel in the Caracol district of Bissau.  A pretty horrendous area of town, we later discovered that it was a hive of activity for crack cocaine and the evening wasn't the most calm I've had in my travels!  As described in my 2006/2007 trip to the region it wasn't as though we had much choice in Bissau but to sleep here and by pure chance Steve also decided to find a room at the same place, considering we'd not seen another European since Senegal, it was a surprise to meet him.  Steve took a photo of one of the rooms the following morning, it was awful and always said to me, his mother should never find out that he was forced to stay in this lousy hellhole, he also described it as a 'Gentleman's Club' hmmm!

Commandering a boat to the Bijagos with the Bubaque Chief of Police

I'm telling this story now because I don't want to forget some fun memories, often dangerous but Steve took the brunt of the danger.  We crossed the border into Guinea separately, we'd separated in the UNESCO protected Bijagos Islands, I headed back to Bissau, he went onto another island, Orango famous for it's saltwater hippos where he wanted to swim with them.  From Bissau I went onto the Guinea Conakry border with my Italian friend Gianni who also thought the world of Steve.  He was a few days behind us but we were in contact.  When we got to the Fouta Djalon region of Guinea there were strikes against President Conte, the Guinean President of that time.  The country had a major fuel crisis and things were getting desperate, I decided to head into Senegal as my flight left from Dakar, Gianni went south to Conakry to carry on eastbound, Steve was still somewhere in the west of Guinea.

Steve Keenan RIP - on Bubaque, he loved water, died doing what he loved

On arriving home in France I got frantic messages from Steve, he was near Donka Bridge area of Conakry and there was gunfire all around.  Power outages were getting worse and his mobile phone battery was getting lower but could I help him?  I rang the Irish Embassy in Paris, declaring his situation but it was a weekend, the consular official on duty was a saint, he rang the Foreign Affairs office in Dublin who subsequently called Steve to check on his safety and make arrangements for him.  Sunday morning, Steve was calmly having a cup of tea with the British Consul having made it across town in the chaos with the Consul waiting at his front door for him. He made it across into Sierra Leone the next morning, from memory.  An excerpt of an e-mail:

"In Freetown myself - got here last night after aother fucking shocker of a trip. Should of been 6 hours but due to a wreck of a car took 13! Left Conakry at 9 nd arrived here around 10 a broken man, covered in dust and smelling of diesel.. 

Sent you a text, not sure if you got it. Anyway I should be overjoyed and happy to be here but truthfully I'm not - I'm sad to have left Guinea behind and my heart aches thinking about all my friends I became so attached to while stuck in Conakry. That's one reason I hate staying in places for more that a few days - you can create relationships that become so hard to walk away from. Just hope things work out for them.

Anyway the reality is that I got out of there with my life and all my stuff, which might well of not been the case - so that, and all your help, I'm extremely grateful for. Thanks"

I got regular texts and e-mails from him telling me about his journey and experiences in Sierra Leone and horrendous journey down the coastal road in Liberia.  Then he got to Cote d'Ivoire, describing Abidjan as somewhere like Europe, reminded him of a few South American cities he had been to.  He was due to meet his father and brother in Bamako, they were flying in from Dublin and it was clear he was very excited about having some of his family with him.  He sent an e-mail to me protesting at the cost of a bus to Bamako at 40,000CFA (price has dropped considerably since then!) and was off to find other options.  He obviously went back to the bus company as I was getting text messages telling me how he had bought a seat but there was a big argument between the driver and the bus station chief that he couldn't understand and he kept being told to get off the bus.  Finally I got a text telling me he was en route for Bamako, but had to get through the northern part of Cote d'Ivoire which at that point was controlled by the Forces Nouvelles, the 'rebel' army.  His texts went dead for over 48hours, I was concerned but had no way of contacting him.  This an e-mail arrived a few days later explaining the silence after the few texts I'd received when he was free:

"I have just reached Mali, having made my way from Abidjan in Ivory coast to Bamako, Mali's capital. In doing so I had to cross the rebel controlled north of Ivory coast - this trip was without doubt my most perilous, taking 3 days and included 15 hours locked up in a cell with 14 other Ivorians and, thank God, one Dutchman.... The rebels imprisoned me.

Ivory coast has been in the grips of civil war since 2002. The south of the country is controlled by the government and the north by the rebels or "New Forces" as they call themselves. However in recent months things have calmed somewhat. I crossed into the south from Liberia about 2 weeks ago. Lots of military checkpoints and a few bribes but other than that it was alright. I asked a few people about crossing the rebel controlled north - almost all said it was fine that the war was almost over and I had nothing to worry about. So I decided to risk it and get the direct bus Abidjan - Bamako. We pulled out of Abidjan Saturday morning and headed north accompanied by  military vehicle. We reached the Gov/rebel divide at about 7. There was an army checkpoint, then UN checkpoint, then about 20k of no man's land, another UN checkpoint after which we entered Bouake, Ivory Coast's second largest city and headquarters of the rebels. We were all told to descend the bus and hand our Identity papers over. I was the only white guy. The rebels brought us into a large room where one of them stood up and addressed us all. He said who they were, their purpose and that there would be some payment necessary depending on the length of each passengers trip. I felt reasonably relaxed but then as he was speaking another rebel went through the ID papers, found mine, and put it aside indicated to someone that I was to be kept or something like that - I was standing too far away to hear. They began to give back the ID cards and the hall emptied till it was just myself standing in front of 6 seated rebels.

They asked me the purpose of my voyage, what I did, etc. One guy was quite aggressive and asked me how long I had been in the army - I said I was never in the army and that in Ireland it was not obligatory. he shrugged this off as if I was lying. They then summoned the bus driver and told him to carry on as I was to be held for more questioning. My heart sank, I so just wanted to get back on that bus. I pleaded with them and one of them said that the questioning wouldn't last long and that as the bus was stopping anyway for something to eat I will be back on it no worries. I had to get my bag off the bus. A pick up arrived with armed rebels in the back and PCO written on the side (Not sure what it stands for but it's seems to be their title). So I was driven off to the rebel headquarters, a large compound with big iron gate, and brought into an office where sat a slight man wearing a traditional Muslim robe. Behind him on the wall were photographs of various rebels and pictures of some guy called Bele Bele. Beside him was a chart with various lapel tags attached and their corresponding rank written alongside.

He began asking me similar questions as before, all was going well and I was hopeful I'd be back on the bus. I was devastated when he put my passport in his pocket and said I was to be kept there until he got clearance I could pass from "Le Chef". I had to leave all my belongings in the office for inspection. I also had to count all my money and hand it over. He wrote down the quantity and gave me a receipt assuring me I would get it all back. I was allowed keep some small change. I was then marched out into the main yard where a traditional style hut stood - it had a TV inside being watched by 3 dozing rebels and a white man! - I couldn't believe it, I hadn't seen a white person since Abidjan. Also he was a young and looked like a traveller. He was told to come out and then the 2 of us were brought to the back of the compound to a building with an iron gate and people lying around inside, it was a small prison. The rebel brought us inside and over to a vacant corner and told us we were to sleep there, and that he would come for us in the morning. I couldn't believe it - it was Paddy's day, and there I was lying in a cell...

My white companion was a guy called Ernest from Rotterdam, he had made his way to Bouake from Bamako hoping to visit the Medicin Sans Frontiers group stationed there. He was a nurse and was interested in working for them. I was so happy he was there, we kept to ourselves and were generally left alone. The cell was a large L shaped room with 3 smaller cells attached. These small cells were packed - about 15 people in each. In our own big cell I counted 14. Ernest luckily had taken his sleeping bag out of his bag. So we lay on that and I actually managed to get some sleep.

  At sunrise all were up including myself staring out through the bars waiting for someone to come take me out and tell me all is well. Across the far end of the compound I spotted the guy who had takin us into the cell, but I never saw him again. Time rolled on, every hour feeling like 10. We weren't fed, nobody was - they had people come, relatives and friends, with food. Eventually around 11 we decided to ask for a coffee and some bread. One of the guys, a prisoner from Guinea, was allowed leave the compound to purchase food. He came back with 2 bread rolls and 2 cups of coffee, the jailer accompanied he him and said we could eat outside. We were out!, it felt so good to be out of that cell. We sat under a tree for about an hour, then someone from across the compound beckoned us. Great I thought, but my heart sank when he indicated they only wanted to talk to Ernest. So I was alone, but they left me under the tree and thankfully not back into the cell. Ernest was walked to an office building about 500 meters away. He went in the door with 2 men in front and 3 behind him. He must of been in for about 40 minutes, I was getting worried. He came back out looking drained. He told me they asked the same questions over and over. They seemed sure he had a military purpose or something. They were more suspicious of him than I as he had a GPS with him and had a Dutch Army issued backpack. My questioning wasn't so bad, after a while they did believe that all I wanted to do was go to Mali. Ernest got some more hassle until he eventually agreed to leave along with myself. We were free. They put us in a bus along with another rebel to accompany us to the border.

I got off the bus at a town near the border as the bus was going to Burkina. I bid my cell mate goodbye and waited for a bus to Mali -  I was still in rebel country and so wanted to leave - about 2 hours later, 11pm a bus came. It drove for about an hour then stopped at a checkpoint. The rebels left me alone but we were told we were to stay there for the night. We slept on the side of the road and at about 6am we headed off again. Soon in the distance, through the morning Harmattan haze I spotted a Malian flag, the border. I never saw any more rebels. Phew."

Just over a year later, I went to Bouake as an Irishwoman, it was still controlled by the Forces Nouvelles but they weren't too worried about my presence.  I asked around about an Irishman that had been imprisoned a year earlier, they all knew about him, referred to him as my 'comrade' and were confused as to why he'd been imprisoned.  Steve had told me at the time they believed he was a spy ... for who?  The Irish government???!!!  The border town he was taken to was Ouanlangoudou, I remember the text message asking me if I could pronounce it ... I can now!!!  It was good to be there on 30th December in Franki

Steve said he'd always like to return to Cote d'Ivoire, I always hoped he would one day ... he sent a good few texts and e-mails as he made his way through West Africa, adored Nigeria, went up the Congo on barges with his backpack, loved Uganda, Kenya then found Dahab, Egypt where he's been living for the past 8 years and very sadly lost his life on Saturday.  He's had tributes pouring in on an international basis.  Some lovely photos here of the guy who always went home to see the Dubs play at Croke Park where on 5th August there will be a round of applause in his memory during a match at the 39th minute, he died too young at 39 but doing something he loved, a small consolation! Steve, a true hero in various press reports

RIP Steve, you're missed by so so many of us who had the pleasure to meet you!

Final border

Franki at The Sleeping Camel

A restful night at The Sleeping Camel I got up to have a warm shower and coffee.  Phil was already working and hoping to finally introduce me to his wife and new son. Sitting, sipping endless cups of coffee with him and Jeff, a UN aviation consultant, we chatted for what seemed like hours.  I was getting more than aware that time was marching on and I should be hitting the road south.

The aim was to get into Cote d'Ivoire today, it was Friday 30th December 2016 and I could see my goal of spending New Years Eve in Yamoussoukro with friends being accomplished!  I had to unfortunately bid goodbye though, but not before Phil refused to let me pay my bill, too kind of him!  I had missed meeting Bintou and Andre who I hope I'll meet in the near future.  I drove back out onto the main road to find someone to check the tyre pressure.

Getting out of Bamako was straightforward, I knew the road well as far south as Ouelessebougou and once out of the chaos of Bamako and nearby dormitory towns, the road was smooth sailing. In  Ouelessebougou it was obviously market day, driving through teems of people along the road selling their wares.  After Bougouni the road was quieter until eventually I pulled into Sikasso without stopping, covering 368km by around 1.30pm, I was happy with our progress. I had ideally wanted to go to the bus station and talk to people there about children being trafficked southbound, but as Sikasso had witnessed a fairly recent AQIM attack, I needed to find a bed tonight during daylight hours so dropped the idea.  Found a lovely service station in Sikasso, bought a few bits to eat, had a coffee and refuelled Franki.  

The road from Sikasso to the border was in relatively good shape but the relentless re-surfacing caused a few problems and it had to be treated with a little more respect than the one from Bougouni.  I sent a text to my friend PC in Yamoussoukro to ask him for some Ivorian phone credit on one of my Ivorian numbers just to be ready.  Reaching the border at about 4pm, it was a painless and straightforward process to exit Mali apart from dodging around trucks to find the correct offices.  I was out of Mali, I was finally heading into Cote d'Ivoire, I surprised myself by finding tears running down my face.  I was back in the most beautiful country after 4 months away, a country I seem to have adopted over the years!!!

The Ivorian border started with the police.  I had a grumpy officer who sent me back to Franki to get her documents too; desperate to find something out of place he finally grunted and stamped my passport! The rope barrier was raised as the passenger door was suddenly opened, another officer jumped into the passenger seat, I asked him what he was doing and was told that he was coming to Abengourou with me!  I managed to extract myself from that situation and drove onto customs at Pogo which was a kilometre or so ahead, which is where the trouble started.  

Heading into the customs office they told me I could have a 'vignette touristique' as I didn't have a carnet but this would cost 32,000CFA or 50€.  I laughed at him and told him that I knew they were free, he wasn't laughing, I knew I had a battle on my hands.  I flatly refused to pay, told him it was just a corrupt way of getting cash out of 'la blanche' and a real shame for tourism for Cote d'Ivoire.  He still wasn't budging, so I offered to call a senior police officer and friend ... he thought I was bluffing, I wasn't!  Slightly bemused he took the phone from me and my friend told him that he wanted to speak to his chief, he disappeared into the chief's office for a few minutes, returned and handed me the phone.  I thanked my friend profusely and watched my vignette touristique being typed up!  Grinning from ear to ear, I jumped back into Franki and headed as quickly as possible at about 5.45pm towards Ouangolodougou, known as just Ouangolo (/wangolo/)

The road for the first 86km in Cote d'Ivoire was horrendous.  Pot-holed and difficult; I wasn't happy about being near the border in the dark and know that this road is often ambushed by 'coupeurs de route' at night.  I pressed on as fast as was safe to do so before finally reaching Ouangolo about 2hours after leaving Pogo.  Getting into town 557km after leaving Bamako, there wasn't anywhere obvious to sleep, I found a young couple getting on a jakarta and stopped to ask for ideas of where to stay.  Stephane told me to follow him, he took me to what seemed to be a nice hotel but I wouldn't be able to park Franki inside and the rooms were out of my budget, I asked him if he knew of another.  He told me he would drop his girlfriend who ran a fish stall at a maquis then take me across town.  We finally ended up at a great little place with rooms at 4,000CFA, I then asked him about a nearby maquis to go and eat at; there wasn't anything but he offered to go and get me some fish from his girlfriend.  Very happily esconced near the hotel with a drink, he came back with the fish which is when I got the news that my friend's father had died, someone I held in very high esteem.  Tears poured down my face, poor Stephane really didn't understand what had gone wrong ... I managed to explain, apologise and pull myself together, we finished the fish together, he headed home to his gendarme father and I had a sound night's sleep!

Ouangolodougou - Arrived from Bamako, destination: Yamoussoukro 

Roadtrip preparation for Franki

Last weekend, for the third time in six weeks, I returned to Northern Europe to pick up "Franki"

The whole idea started via a friend of mine, Frankie who offered to sell me his van to take to Cote d'Ivoire.  Thankfully Frankie is a very good friend, as he discovered (after I agreed to buy his van) that the chassis was twisted, he backed out of the deal refusing to sell it to me.  However, I was left wondering how to return to Cote d'Ivoire.

My utility room has become a dumping ground for donations going to Cote d'Ivoire.  Some of these donations have been around for 5 years or so, despite taking endless luggage on previous trips of things the centre needs.  Suitcases that take bicycles or fridges haven't yet been invented as far as I am aware!

Found Franki in Schijndel, NL

So I found Franki, a Mercedes Sprinter 211CDI van with 7 seats and a big roof rack on top in the Netherlands.  Two weeks ago I flew to Brussels, rented a car and made a 5 hour round trip to see Franki and put a deposit down.  Luckily, Frankie the friend was there to meet me & help me decide if the van was as good as the dealer said it was, the dealer was called Frank!

Bottrop boys helping get Franki ready!

This weekend, I drove Franki back from the Netherlands via Frankie's in Germany to southern France.  She purred all the way south after Ferno, a retired French Mercedes Benz employee and Frankie very kindly got her shipshape prior to leaving Bottrop, Germany.  I spent a very short night in freezing Dijon before heading southwards over the Millau bridge to home.  The following day my mechanic gave her a once over and declared her fit for purpose whilst doing an oil change.

Franki parked up in Dijon for a night

The plan is to leave soon by road loaded with bits and pieces (including a much needed fridge that is in great condition) to take to the centre.  Whilst heading south, I will be looking at the situation of trafficking in the region.  It's a route I know well and have done before but as a passenger in public bush taxis.

This is going to be a whole new adventure but I probably won't have time to be able to keep posting on here whilst driving south; hence Franki has a Facebook page www.facebook.com/FrankiGoesTo

Le Monde isn't a propaganda machine it seems!

Posted 2 years ago almost to the day, but still holds true!

Thrilled today to see an article in the French press.

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2016/04/29/un-vent-de-colere-contre-le-quai-d-orsay-souffle-sur-le-sahel_4910753_3212.html

Yes, it's in French but no doubt google will be your friend to translate it.

It talks about the government's security warnings (this could apply to most Western governments) that they continually shade parts of Africa.  Red means the region is extremely dangerous and off limits which then downgrades to grey, yellow then green.  This isn't to say that there aren't dangerous areas that you really shouldn't be stepping foot in at the moment with AQIM or Boko Haram in situ, but as I've always said you need to keep an ear to the ground locally.  Reading the news, listening to the radio etc isn't going to give you the real lowdown on the local situation, local residents will!

This was put to the test last week by the company 'Control Risks' who 24h after the event, warned their clients that the Bouna region had flared up with a mail entitled "Côte d'Ivoire - Northern border areas: Clashes in Niamoue underline potential for violence, need to avoid non-essential travel".  In actual fact this situation was a small affair that I heard about a few hours after it happened and was in touch with UN contacts who were then alerted to it and see if it was a repeat of the situation in March 2016.  It wasn't, but two Lobi who refused to stop at a checkpoint in Niamoin (not Niamoue) and were shot, unfortunately there was a revenge attack against the gendarmes involved who also lost their lives.  A very local incident that unfortunately sent unnecessary alarm bells ringing elsewhere!

So back to the article; the African nations implicated Mauritania & Mali are mentioned amongst others, a little annoyed that their nations are ablaze with red and yellow on their maps.  Yet Belgium, parts of France remain green and therefore 'safe', as does Turkey.  Where's the logic after all the attacks in Europe and Turkey?

However, it's also widely known that if you do travel to these red zones, many travel insurance policies are invalid should you need assistance.  It really doesn't help tourism, nor peoples feelings and fears about this wonderful region of Africa.  This has been a pet hate of mine for some time now, it's unnecessary to throw a blanket over a whole country, yes, there are problems that come up from time to time as they do in Europe. Like many of my friends, I feel safer in the West Africa region than I do in many big cities in Europe!

The Crazy Gang's Mushrooms & Ghanaian Espionage

Dormaa Ahenkro was a real eye-opener.  Used to being in border towns & usually wanting to get over the border and not hang around, I was confused by this town, it's wealth and atmosphere.

Generally in West Africa, I try to be 30km from a border, they're not the most safest of places to be and can get volatile.  The Elubo (Ghana) Noe (CI) border further south is one border I ensure I'm well away from at night.  However, Dormaa Ahenkro was the 'Silicon Poultry Valley' of Ghana as I exclaimed to a friend in Accra that night over the phone.  The town was obviously wealthy, people were lovely, incredibly laid back and I found a gem of a little guest house complete with French electrical wiring (no more problems with my French plugs going into UK type sockets!).

After a feast of jollof rice and chicken at the 'Canteen' I found a taxi to return me to the guest house with the thought of a long restful night of sleep.  How wrong I was!!!  I was sitting in the garden's  concrete gazebo in the dark when an Obruni caught me relaxing with a Star beer.  Absolutely shocked to see an Obruni in this little unknown corner of Ghana, I started talking to him.  He was German and in business with a Ghanaian setting up mushroom farms.  The business partner soon joined us, we had a hilarious evening of chatter which went on far too long before I found my bed again.

In the morning, I was invited to join them for a mushrooms & moringa breakfast, absolutely delicious, all cooked on a small stove in the gazebo which was still littered with the previous night's beer bottles!  They asked me to go with them to meet a local chief and promised to drop me at the border shortly afterwards.  By 9am we were ready, my bags were in their pick-up and I went into the guesthouse briefly to pick up my small backpack, on my return I discovered they had locked the car keys into the car.

To put the situation into perspective, the Ghanaian business partner didn't drive and didn't realise this could happen (the keys were in his jacket in the pick-up), their driver didn't have a clue about mechanics & it was Sunday morning, so the whole town had already gone to church.  One of the boys of the guesthouse found some wire & we started trying to break into the pick-up to no avail.  The town's main mechanic was sent for, one of boys went to find him, he eventually turned up with most of the male congregation of the nearby church ... Meanwhile, my new found friends aka 'The Crazy Gang' settled back into last night's chairs in the gazebo with cold beers ...

The centre of Dormaa Ahenkro

By 11am we were finally on the road, I was given a tour of the town with some lovely old colonial type buildings then off to see the Chief.  The meeting went well and we headed for the border, 8km from town.  I went directly into immigration, I was told to take a seat and hand over my passport so he could fill the form in; he was quite young & junior in rank.  This is where it started going wrong, I told him I'd fill the immigration form in (last time this happened in Ghana in about 2007 it took them 4 or 5 attempts to fill out a card without a mistake and wasted 45minutes or so!).  He thought for a moment and opened my passport, he went through every Ghanaian stamp in my passport, of which there are many and then asked me to show him my work permit.

At this point I was a bit miffed and surprised by him, usually the junior officers don't look too much; however I have nothing to hide.  I asked him why he thought I was working in Ghana, he told me that I must be working in Ghana to have come through so many times.   I made it clear that I don't have any job in Ghana.

"So you are a spy" was his next question!  Trying to figure this out in my head.  Here was a junior officer now accusing me of spying on Ghana, for who? why? when (it's not as if my 2-3 day transits gives me enough time to do any spying).  I laughed at him and asked him why he had come to that conclusion as he was opening his desk drawer.  His manner changed & he was looking rather flustered, it turned out that there weren't any immigration forms ... this changed the situation as he went to another cupboard in the office, then out to the waiting room but the forms it seems were nowhere to be found.  They had run out!

He returned, semi-apologetic saying that he would call his senior officer but still wanted explanations as to what I do in Ghana.  I ignored this and asked him what I was going to do if there weren't any forms, because I wanted to be in Cote d'Ivoire as much as he didn't want this 'spy' in his office.

Eventually an arrangement was made and I escaped his office with an exit stamp in my passport to add to the other hundred or so in there!  I found the Crazy Gang behind the little Duty Free shop drinking some more cold beers & then discovered that we couldn't go over the border in the pick-up as the 'Obruni' couldn't leave Ghana and was the only one able to drive.  My immigration officer found us all there and asked what the problem was, we told him, he offered to drive me to the Ivorian border and suddenly became very friendly, my espionage status was obviously downgraded!!!

Voluntourism

Voluntourism comes in all shapes and forms.  In neighbouring Ghana it's become a profitable business for many charitable organisations that doesn't always direct the money where it should to help the NGO in question.

People of all ages from gap year students to retirees are paying what I would consider phenomenal amounts of money to 'help'.  They often arrive without skills that would be of use to the NGO in question for short periods of time that really doesn't merit their presence.  At the end they return home with photos on their social media pages surrounded by 'disadvantaged' children and another box ticked on their CV.  It's really quite sad.

Imagine the shock when a volunteer is offered the chance of a 3 month placement without paying a fee; just their flights, visa and daily costs.  Room and board included to assist a centre with trafficked children, references are obligatory as is a current police check.

An Australian art teacher was given this opportunity, previously known via their professional life in Khartoum, Sudan and more recently in Cairo, Egypt.  A reference was obtained and the police check held on file.  The objective for this volunteer was to work with the children allowing to express themselves in art whilst keeping an eye on the overall running of the centre and finances.  Very kindly money was raised to gain art supplies and buy paint to create murals at the centre, or so it said on the crowdfunder website.

Unfortunately it all changed on arrival; quickly deceived by a (now former) employee, communication was limited with the organization's board due to the employee's greed and deception.  Knowing that this volunteer had already spent time in Africa, the presumption was that the volunteer would see the reality of what was actually happening.  Sadly not! 

However, things took a turn for the worse when the volunteers website was discovered.  Firstly personal details of the children and their origins were put online (thankfully the former employee didn't carry out the correct research so the child's village is some 200km away from where they thought).  The NGO's own motorbike was used without authorisation to go miles into the bush with terrible consequences for its wear and tear, particularly on the engine. Then upon leaving the paintings done by the children had been removed so that they could be sold online ... https://theartandsoulproject.wordpress.com

People close to the organization are disgusted by this behaviour, numerous messages were sent to the volunteer which remain unanswered.  There was one minor change, that the money raised by the pictures will go back into the project.  However the former employee is currently being interviewed by the police for a variety of matters, despite this conduct the two still seem to be in cahoots!

Whichever way you turn, volunteering isn't as simple as it looks!

PS. June 2016, our former coordinator was held in police cells in Abengourou for two nights for blackmail.  Only when he agreed to return the money did he escape a prison term! 

Politics

I try to stay out of politics generally but there are a few bugs in the system that still haven't been ironed out in Côte D'Ivoire.  Having said that I doubt they will for a few decades yet.

Currently there are a lot of government posters condemning corruption by government officials, asking the population to report it.  It's a massive change from the other side of the border in Ghana, where even when petty corruption is reported, you are given a smirk and the matter is ignored.

Back in August 2015, going through a 'barrage' (checkpoint) our minibus was stopped for ID checks.  Those that didn't have ID were asked for varying sums of money.  On ringing a police chief the matter was dealt with swiftly, correct fines were applied and receipts given.  Of course not every minibus will have a passenger who'll make the calls!

In Abengourou the roads were savagely torn up 6months ago, the dust has been so bad ever since everyone is forced to breathe through a tissue or cloth, wear a (now illegal) plastic bag over their head; respiratory problems are rife.

During a chat with a restaurant waiter who was wiping down a dusty chair, a job he has to do several times a day, we got chatting about the situation.  I pointed out that when the Mayoral elections come up everyone has the choice to vote.  His attitude was that no matter who you vote for, the bigwigs around town will ensure that a well-known personality will get into office.  A 'lowly' waiter will never have the chance to help make a change.  This is certainly true in Ghana which I've watched getting corrupter by the month but I do feel that Cote D'Ivoire is making progress in this area, to let everyone contribute ...

Africa as a continent needs to wake up and change from internal corrupt systems before neo-colonism sneaks in and takes over whilst in-country squabbles take the front page ...

Bizarre Border Day

After a 36h stop in Accra and a rather short night due to a party, departure alarm was set for 0530.  It proved to be a bad idea to try travelling to Cote d'Ivoire with my 'little brother' Charles Sablah from Nima after only 3.5h sleep!

Grumpiness set in right at the beginning, particularly when a man on our VIP bus was spotted boarding after departing Kaneshie, a preacher!  7 long hours later incarcerated on 'religious' transport our arrival at Takoradi was over 2hours late.  This was partly due to the fact our driver didn't seem to know how to get into 3rd gear, we crawled most of the way in 2nd with the engine groaning under my back seat!

Arriving at Elubo, the Ghanaian side of the border with Lampard, a driver I've been using for a few years; the hunt was on for a private Ivorian car.   We were looking to hitchhike and get as close as possible to friends living in Bassam for the night.  Lucky to spot someone with an empty car, he offered a lift despite being at work at the border.  The Ghanaian border guards all remembered me, shook hands & asked why I wasn't staying for longer.

On our way between Elubo & Noe which was heavily blocked with trucks waiting to get through customs we exchanged pleasantries and chatted about all things Ivorian.  Whilst crossing the bridge I made mention of the children that cross and a village I'm aware of ... He confirmed it all and the fact he's involved with trafficking .. Alarm bells were ringing, our conversation had been in French, he then asked Charles in Twi what I'm doing in Cote D'Ivoire, of course he'd not understood our conversation.  It all became a little complicated!

Arrival at Noe, big welcomes from the border guards who I've built quite a rapport with over the last 2-3 years with this team ... Then to bump into a colleague who was also heading towards Abidjan with her young family for Christmas.

I'm now in CI puzzling how to move forward at the moment.  Today is Sunday, tomorrow I'll probably be making a lot of calls in relation to our new 'friend' ...

Eggs ...

Having been in the UK last week, I was shocked to see the price of Easter eggs, mounted high, on supermarket aisle corners with flashy signs all over.

Looking for a present for an ex-student who was looking after my car, I was tempted to buy a 'Cadburys Creme Egg' Easter egg, together with it's own china mug. Priced at £3.00 it was set to sell.

I couldn't face it. The packaging and mug alone were worth more than the cost of the chocolate; where did the chocolate come from? Examining the box, together with it's small package of 'Mini Creme Eggs' I couldn't find an origin of the cocoa. The thought of it was too much, trying to find the 40,000€ for the materials to build C.R.E.E.R in Cote d'Ivoire, even £3 seemed too much without a hint as to the origin of the chocolate!

That's it; 40,000€ - considering it will house 30 children for many years in a centre destined for trafficked children it's a ridiculously small sum. Our vision of creating a centre on 5ha of land, enough to farm & be semi-self-sufficient. Paltry in comparison to many centres I know of who have spent thousands on their buildings in rent.

My ex-student ended up with some magazines on aviation; he's thrilled. I'm happy too reflecting on what I'm trying to achieve & what I could have bought; the cost it would be for some child possibly working in the cocoa farms of Cote d'Ivoire somewhere ...

Re - building, heal, stablise, unification ... ???

I heard a comment earlier on Al Jazeera talking about the Tamil war in Sri Lanka which went along the lines of 'without reunification there's no healing process, without a healing process, there's no economy for the country'

The same could be said of Cote d'Ivoire, the divide between north & south; pro-Gbagbo & pro-Ouattara. So much healing has to be done; again!

A poster for the elections that I wanted to photograph whilst there but with the political situation it would have been 'difficult' said: "I'm 8 years old, I want to grow up with peace" It's true so many children were born during the last crisis & don't really know the country at peace.

So what can be done?

A lot, I feel!

In February I was contacted by the journalist James North to assist him in the country. He did an amazing job showing the cocoa situation in Cote d'Ivoire. The multinationals of Callebaut, ADM & Cargill are happily buying up supplies but giving very little back to the farmer on the ground


http://www.thenation.com/article/159707/roots-cote-divoire-crisis

Remembering a taxi journey to Aboisso in January, two cocoa farmers were beside me in my taxi lamenting over the cost of a chocolate bar in Cote d'Ivoire & how much cocoa they need to sell to be able to buy one! Many can't afford to purchase the end product of their raw material.

Along with my own worries of how to get enough funds for C.R.E.E.R's construction, hearing that now more than ever, there are children in desperate need. These large cocoa organisations along with the Mayfair, London hedge fund company Aramjaro are more than able to fund projects in areas of Cote d'Ivoire that are in need.

Easter starts tomorrow, I for one won't be eating any chocolate unless I know where it's come from ... I would love to be able to eat Ivoirian chocolate one day knowing the source of it & the labour used; whilst knowing that C.R.E.E.R is sheltering the cocoa-farm destined trafficked kids and giving them vocational skills for an independant adult life.

Is this the beginning of the end?

I haven't been able to post for a few weeks, it's been a terrible time that might have calmed down now, but time will tell ...

The violence that has occurred in Cote d'Ivoire over the last month has been horrific; a few 'memorable' nights of shelling in Abidjan when many lives were lost.

As far as I know my friends are fine.  I had one contact me via social networking asking for assistance, a female member of the family had been shot & needed surgery.  The same friend lost two cousins, RIP to them & all the others ...

The orphanage I used to support, EMSF in Bassam were out of touch with their directors.  Luckily I got to hear of their plight, again through #civsocial on twitter, they received food from the Mayor of Bassam amongst others having not eaten for a few days.  For a NGO to leave children stranded in these circumstances is beyond belief.  Their President in France hasn't really given a straight explanation as to why this occured or why their staff haven't been paid for 18months and therefore didn't have the funds to assist.

For the moment, peace almost reigns in Cote d'Ivoire following the capture of Laurent Gbagbo & his wife Simone.  Today via journalist friends I heard of shooting of Abobo, Cocody and in Yopougon which seems to be the worst hit.  This should quieten down over the next few days, hopefully arms will be confiscated & the UN might do their job.

My worry now is the whereabouts of Ble Goude, the leader of the 'Jeune Patriots', a henchman for Gbagbo who has had UN sanction imposed against him since 2006 & unable to leave the country.  The rumour is that he has got to Ghana.  Good luck Ghana, I wouldn't like him in my country!


Focussing now on C.R.E.E.R, getting the centre built by the end of the year, the NGO is now on Twitter CREER_RCI for anyone who wants to join us online.  The need to get it up & built for the children that are now roaming the streets of Abidjan amongst other cities is URGENT!!!  I've been getting stories of more & more children who are in danger.  Many of their 'patrons' will have fled the violence leaving the trafficked kids behind, left to fend for themselves.

Anyone who can assist with funding would be very much appreciated; we've been fundraising but it's more urgent now than ever!!!

Looting in all shapes & forms

Photo courtesy of twitpic


I've been delayed in blogging  for a variety of reasons ; hoping that the end of this violence is near.

With the banks shut, ports closed & the economy at a standstill people are forced to fend for themselves. It's ended in looting ...

Genocide In The Forgotten Paradise

Many people wouldn't know where Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is on a map of Africa; it's a little paradise that has turned into a war zone.  A place full of hospitable people, sandy beaches, great food with mercenaries, kalashikovs & some dangerous politicians determined to wipe out half the population.

Last night was terrible.  The constant fighting in Abidjan I was hearing about on Twitter and friends telling me of their plans or their situation.  I don't care who is in power, the violence needs to be stopped by a responsible force before the whole region is inflicted by the Double Presidential Virus.

In the space of 2-3hours I was at my wits end trying to find a way to assist friends, friends of friends, orphanages & towns in the south east of the country ... I'm still fighting what looks to be a losing battle.  The aid is going west, to Liberia & the displaced refugees there.  They need it, I don't doubt that.

The world has forgotten Cote d'Ivoire.  It's just 'another conflict', the BBC & AlJazeera are trying to do their best with reports but CNN etc don't seem to care despite Anderson Cooper initially offering media support.  Libya is more important due to oil, Japan has had a terrible time of it & the states in the Middle East are all trying to mount their own revolutions - strangely it's also all oil related ... What does Cote d'Ivoire have to do to get centre stage in the media?  The fact that chocolate prices will rise which was the only selfish theme keeping the country in the news has been forgotten.

So genocide doesn't count?  It will be another Rwanda that when all these other world news items fade out, the world will pick up on & then feel sorry.  It'll be too late, just like Rwanda!  The UN are there, but behave like camera touting tourists, there to protect the population but in fact just counting the bodies that lie dead in the streets of Abidjan.

What can you do?  Anyone reading this with ideas, please put them forward in the 'comments' below ... I am ready to return with a NGO if I can find one who will let me assist in the situation but need help particularly in assisting the SE of the country.

Shelter - refugee camps for internally displaced in this area, a town mayor has told me of 420+ refugees in his town, more to count & more arriving daily.  They don't have room for these families, they need temporary shelter and will need medicines etc if these numbers continue to grow as the risk of disease will be high.  Childrens orphanages; children who need food & will probably need to move out to the countryside from the densely populated areas if this continues

Does anyone care?  Or will everyone wake up when the genocide has taken place???

Yako mes amis ...

The time has come ...

The second round of elections were voted upon yesterday.  Today the first results came out.  Yet again France cancelled all their votes but the rest have left Outtara (ADO) leading at 59.97% and Gbagbo at 40.03%, however judging from the first round, this doesn't mean much.  The real results (in my mind) will come with Bedie's strongholds voting one way or another ...

Interestingly, with the curfew in force in Cote d'Ivoire, tweeters have been tweeting about the Barcelona-Madrid football match, something that really doesn't interest me!  However it's funny that with the curfew in force and obviously being stringently observed; this is the next best form of entertainment online.  I suppose in a country of football mad enthusiasts, it has to be expected!

Hopefully in the next day or so a President will be announced & that the whole country will accept it ...

Continuer en paix, la plus belle pays d'Afrique!

Interested in keeping up to date with the CI elections?

Check out twitter handles: #civ2010 #peacevote
Log onto: www.wonzomai.com

Tent hooks or tenterhooks???

Yesterday we sent 12 boxes on a long journey to Cote d'Ivoire, inside we have 4 tents ... minus a few hooks which I'll have to take with me when I go.


Today, right now in fact, the Presidential result is expected, I've been sitting here all day on tenterhooks checking for updates, constantly hearing the latest from friends & twitters.  The best laugh I've had all day is to hear a play on words with the French word for current as the electricity company CIE seems to have turned off the power, but the current theme of the day is for CEI the electoral commission to announce a winner!!!

I just want to hear that everyone accepts the final vote after 10 years without voting.  That things remain calm.  That friends are safe & sound, won't be witnessing any further violence.  That Cote d'Ivoire gets back on it's feet with the grace it once had as a country.

As Tiken Jah Fakoly starts his song 'Ma Cote d'Ivoire' ...

la côte d' ivoire mon beau pays - Cote d'Ivoire my beautiful country
pays d'hospitalité - country of hospitality
pays de fraternité - country of brotherhood

and finishes ...

Ma Côte d' Ivoire - My Cote d'Ivoire
je ne veux plus te voir en larmes - I don't want anymore tears
ma Côte d' Ivoire - My Cote d'Ivoire
je ne veux plus te voir prendre les armes - I don't want to see you take your weapons


Says it all really ........

The time has come 10 years on ...

It's just after midnight here, in Abidjan it's just past 10pm.

Tomorrow morning Cote d'Ivoire will go to the polls, for the first time in 10years.  I hope that the calm that has reigned for the last few years and during the election campaigning will remain.

Tomorrow is also auspicious for me, I will be sending 12 boxes of goods to Cote d'Ivoire via a friend of mine who has kindly given me space in his container.  The boxes are full of clothes, shoes, sheets & towels plus anything else that I've had donated or raided my cupboards for, to enable C.R.E.E.R to get started.

Whatever happens from tomorrow will happen.  I hope that the country will remain peaceful and that it'll all pass off without any major incidents.  I have too many friends there that I know want the country to continue to grow & hopefully return to being the economic powerhouse it once was in the 1980's.

I trust that whatever happens, we will be able to get C.R.E.E.R established, encourage children to get the best out of their lives and off the streets; there will be many voting tomorrow who may have held arms during the crisis as children.  This cannot be repeated!!!

My thoughts are with you all in Cote d'Ivoire ...