Call for Papers for the symposium on the topic: « twenty years after the war in Ivory Coast: thinking about the crisis in times of peace »

Organized by the Research Group of Strategists in Ivory Coast (GRESCI) and Félix
Houphouët-Boigny University in collaboration with the Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Foundation and the Institute for Strategic Research of the Military School (IRSEM).

CALL FOR PAPERS

GRESCI and FHB University are pleased to partner with the Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Foundation and IRSEM to hold a symposium to analyze the legacy of the Ivorian crisis, with
an emphasis on current and future dynamics, through looking back twenty years after the
outbreak of the civil war on September 19, 2002. This conference will take place from
September 19 to 21, 2022 at the headquarters of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for
Peace Research in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

Twenty years after beginning of the war in Côte d’Ivoire, it is beneficial in time of peace to
draw lessons from the war. Ivory Coast had been for a long time an island of stability in West
Africa marked by instability. But the country entered a phase of crises which led to the start of
a politico-military crisis on September 19, 200, which lasted for a decade. The long negotiation
process initiated by the Economic Community of West African States at the beginning of the
war gradually opened up to various actors, but was unable to spare the country from a deadly
end to the crisis. Indeed, the 2010 presidential election, which was supposed to bring peace and
democracy, increased divisions while exposing the fragilities of a decade of crises. On April
11, 2011, more than 3,000 deaths ended the tragic page of the war in the country.

Ended, the word seems strong as war transforms societies and has a lasting impact on the
progress of a nation. In fact, the Ivorian crisis seems to be an ideal terrain for understanding the
complexity of civil wars and for analyzing post-crisis reconstruction approaches which, beyond
economic performance, are rooted in democracy, the preservation of freedoms and citizenship.
The writings and productions on the subject have shown the particularities of the Ivorian case
as a land of immigration, of tensions between democratic openness and authoritarian practices,
in a context of particularly strong ties between France and Ivory Coast.

The crisis itself called into question Ivorian strategic choices in terms of defense and diplomacy,
the role of France and, more broadly, of the international community – including pan-African
institutions – in conflict prevention and management. International actors and institutions have
been at the heart of conflict management and the post-conflict reconstruction process, both in
terms of justice with the International Criminal Court, peace and security through the role of
the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire and the French Licorne operation, and in terms
of economic recovery with the Bretton Woods institutions, the European Union, and the United
States, among others. Beyond international action, the local dynamics of post-crisis
reconstruction have been the subject of much research. Paradoxically, the crisis was a catalyst
for synergies and mobilization of energies that gave rise to a tremendous artistic and cultural
activity, of which the coupe-decalé was one of its exemplification. In short, war and peace in
Ivory Coast is the product of a dual local and international logic, whose causes and effects are intertwined.
What lessons can be drawn from the years of the Ivorian crisis and post-conflict reconstruction? Which of yesterday’s dynamics have disappeared, which have persisted? How does the trajectory of the Ivorian crisis and post-crisis period fit into the history of West African civil conflicts? The importance of Côte d’Ivoire in the subregion and the interest in the study of conflicts have encouraged the production of several books, articles and other reflections on the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. However, two decades after the beginning of the war, there is a need for a global reflection mobilizing practitioners and researchers, looking globally at its various facets.
The organizers invite researchers and practitioners to submit abstracts of 250 words specifying the axis in which they wish to intervene. Please send contributions in French or English, from April 15 to May 20, 2022 and to the following address: colloquevingtansciv@gmail.com.

Within the framework of this symposium, the following themes are envisaged:
– Axis 1. Origin and causes of the Ivorian crisis and beyond, what remains of it today?
– Axis 2. Living at the pace of war: mutations, political life, freedoms and human rights, relationships to the sub-region, arts, rebel governance, living in war in government territories and scientific productions.
– Axis 3. International actors during war and reconciliation in Ivory Coast: UN, France, ECOWAS, AU, Licorne operation, UNOCI, ICC, high-level personalities, development aid actors.
– Axis 4. Consequences and mutations linked to the conflict: living the post-conflict, reconfigurations of the social order, ex-combatants, post-conflict socio-economic transformations, local power in the post-war period, youth and social mobilizations.
– Axis 5. Reconstructing and reconciling in Côte d’Ivoire: economic and social aspects, diplomacy and defense, justice, democracy and citizenship, territorial equilibrium and state presence.
– Axis 6. Questioning the post-conflict model: good practices, liberal models, justice.
Please also note that contributors should approach their institution to obtain funding to attend the conference. Some limited funds will be available to support colleagues whose proposals are accepted, but this cannot be guaranteed at this time.

Call for papers for the Colloquium on the theme “Twenty years after the war in Côte d’Ivoire: thinking about the crisis in times of peace”

GRESCI and FHB University are pleased to join forces with the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation and IRSEM to hold a colloquium aimed at analyzing the legacy of the Ivorian crisis, with an emphasis on current and future dynamics, via this return to the past. twenty years after the outbreak of the civil war on September 19, 2002 This colloquium will take place from September 19 to 21, 2022 at the headquarters of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

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Côte d’Ivoire: Here is the legacy that Houphouët left us

Starting from almost zero, without oil, gold or diamonds, and other mines in abundance, here is the legacy that Houphouët left us.

  • two autonomous ports,
  • one international airport plus five national airfields,
  • the first national airline in the sub-region,
  • two bridges in Abidjan, having himself participated in the construction of the first one just before independence and many others in the interior,
  • three university hospitals in Abidjan (expansion of the first one) + numerous regional hospitals,
    hundreds of water towers,
  • four hydroelectric dams.
  • the first sub-regional electricity production and distribution company,
  • the only country in Black Africa with all major cities connected by asphalt,
  • the first highway in black Africa (apart from South Africa),
  • the first oil refinery in Black Africa (apart from South Africa),
  • the first bitumen manufacturing company in Black Africa (apart from South Africa),
  • the first domestic butane distribution company directly connected to homes via an inter-city pipeline network,
    the largest oil palm plantation in the world,
  • the largest privately owned cocoa and coffee plantation, which he bequeathed in part to the state during his lifetime,
  • the largest sugar complex in Africa,
  • social housing in all cities through the first two state-owned companies in Africa dedicated to such a program,
    a decentralized public university system,
  • a modern political capital, a center for advanced university education,
  • millions of national and sub-regional executives trained in Côte d’Ivoire and abroad thanks to an efficient scholarship system
  • a peaceful and intelligent sub-regional community integration,
  • a business district structured on the American model,
  • a master plan for the economic capital programmed to be developed over 50 years, including 3 additional bridges,
  • a strategic reserve of animal proteins, cattle and sheep, containing more than 100,000 heads to face a possible shortage or political crisis with the border countries,
  • and for the anecdote, a palace with the first ice rink in Africa, before South Africa…

Almost everything had to be built. Not all the objectives were achieved. But he still made us before his death :

  • the second largest economy in ECOWAS and the first by far, had it not been for Nigeria’s oil,
  • the third largest African producer of yams,
  • the second largest African exporter of bananas,
  • the fourth largest exporter of pineapples in the world and the largest in Africa,
  • the world’s largest exporter of cocoa,
  • the first African exporter of coffee and the fourth worldwide,
  • the first African exporter of copra and fifth worldwide,
  • the first exporter of kola nuts in the world,
  • Africa’s largest cotton gin,
  • the world’s largest rubber tree yield,
  • the first African exporter of tuna and second in the world,
  • Africa’s leading producer and exporter of tropical flowers and plants,
  • the first African exporter of bitumen.

And above all, when it dies:

  • a United, Peaceful and Respected country,
  • the ONLY one in the sub-region, along with Senegal and to a lesser extent Guinea, that has not experienced a coup d’état.

Nana Boigny…Respect!

Celebration of World Radio Day 2020: the Public Broadcast – 12 02 2020

As part of its outreach activities in the field, the West African Network to Fight against Clandestine Immigration (REALIC), in collaboration with the Organisation du Conseil des Jeunes de l’Entente (OCJE), the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research (FHB Foundation), organised the celebration of the 2020 edition of World Radio Day. This celebration took place on 12 and 13 February in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Côte d’Ivoire. It focused on two themes, namely: “Youth and irregular migration in Côte d’Ivoire, the role of radio in the struggle” and “Youth and the promotion of the culture of peace during the electoral period”.

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Tribute Study Day to President Auguste Denise – 30 11 2019

On Saturday, November 30, 2019, a study day was held in Yamoussoukro in tribute to President Auguste Denise. Organized by the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research (FHB Foundation), this scientific meeting which brought together politicians, academics, students and civil society personalities with the notable presence of President Auguste Denise’s family celebrated. It was an opportunity to perpetuate the memory of this Ivorian statesman and companion of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. This celebration is part of an overall policy of immortalizing the former collaborators of the first President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, whose merits are not sufficiently highlighted.

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Commemoration of December 7

Commemoration of December 7

Thanksgiving Mass for the repose of the soul of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Date: December 7, 2019

Place: Basilica of Our Lady of Peace

Training and Exchange Workshops on Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Côte d’Ivoire

Organized by the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research in partnership with the Institut Afrique Monde (AMI)

Religious Leaders’ Workshop

Theme: “Contribution of religious leaders to the promotion of the culture of peace, non-violence and the prevention of religious extremism in Côte d’Ivoire

Date: November 26 and 27, 2019

Location: Foundation Headquarters

 

Youth workshop

Theme: “Youth contribution to the promotion of the culture of peace, non-violence and the prevention of religious extremism in Côte d’Ivoire”

Date: November 28 and 29, 2019

Location: Foundation Headquarters

Council of Ministers of April 24, 2019

On April 24, 2019, the President of the Republic, H.E. Mr Alassane OUATTARA, presided over a Council of Ministers at the headquarters of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research (FHB Foundation) in Yamoussoukro.

At this council, several decisions were taken, including a project to support the governance of the coffee and cocoa sector to increase producers’ incomes and improve access to electricity in rural areas to enable the installation of 2027 km of overhead power lines, 23,549 connections and 22,960 public lighting households.

The Council also adopted two decrees to finance the project for roads to open up cross-border areas – Phase 1 – Bondoukou section – Soko Ghana border. This project includes, in particular, the development and asphalting of cross-border roads, as well as the remediation and development of several kilometres of runways.