The first edition of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Festival for the Promotion of Ivorian Values was held on September 7 and 8, 2018 at the Institute of Communication Sciences and Techniques (ISTC) in Abidjan. This Festival was initiated by Mr. Khalil HESNÉ, economic operator and organized by the Elites Channel Network of Côte d’Ivoire. Indeed, the objective of this festival was to make known to the young Ivorian generation the vision of Felix Houphouet-Boigny for his country.
“More than a president, he was a father to all,” Hesné said in a speech to the many guests, mostly students. Youth being the future, the initiator of this festival wanted to inculcate the ideals of the “Sage of Africa” as love and peace. Finally, he said: “At a time when Côte d’Ivoire has more than unity between his sons and daughters, it is good that we can stop at this moment, to look in the rearview mirror to embrace the values that the Apostle of Peace has taught us, to allow us to look to the future. ” Following him, Mr. Romain METEOVI, President of the Elites Networks Network of Côte d’Ivoire took the floor to urge the Ivorian youth to take inspiration from the “Yamoussoukro Aries” to bring out their potentialities. At the end of the series of speeches, Prof. Jean-Noël LOUCOU, Secretary General of the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research and sponsor of the festival, congratulated Mr. Hesne and the Chaîne des Elites de Côte d’Azur. ‘Ivoire for the organization of this event which is part of the Houphouët-Boigny Year commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of the first President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
The highlights of this activity were performances of traditional dances, a film screening on Félix Houphouët-Boigny and the presence of stands to allow young entrepreneurs and large companies to promote their products and services. Panels on youth entrepreneurship and a competition for innovative projects closed the festival.