When Visiting Cote D'Ivoire

Now that you know a little more about the country, here is a list of tips for when you visit Cote D'Ivoire:

1. Go to traditional restaurants and try typical ivorian food
2.  Know someone that actually is from the country, they could bring you to the villages to see the more traditional parts of the country as well as the urban parts
3. Make a trip to Assinie village, there’s nothing more relaxing that having the sea on a side of you and the laguna on the other.
4.  Go during mango season. No joke. If you can’t make it at mango season, then from june to September is also a good period because of the summer entertainment shows and festivals. Avocado season works too.
5.  Make sure to visit Yamoussoukro; as you have already read, the old president worked hard on the city and it is a touristic delight
6.  Check out Abidjan's night life; it is insanely fun.

Hope you have a good trip!

Agriculture

Cocoa Beans

Cote D'Ivoire is the first world producer of Cocoa beans with about one and a half million tons of  cocoa beans collected. You can say the country is the heart of chocolate. That is 40 percent of the world production so you might have never been to the country but you have definitely eaten their product. Touristic circuits are set up for people to see the picking and drying of the beans. You can also buy them on the market and eat them. The dried bean might be sour but the white surface on a fresh bean is very sweet.

Other Resources

Sugar canes are also produced a lot in Cote D'Ivoire. The second biggest thing grown in the country however is Coffee. CI is the third biggest African producer of coffee and fifth world producer. Other things like rubber woods are grown a lot, for the good revenues. 

The Food

Ivorian Food

Plantains

Plantains are consumed a  lot in Africa; especially in Cote D'Ivoire. We mash them, fry them, boil them, male chips out of them etc... They can be eaten as a snack or meal depending on the way they are made. 

Attieke

Attieke is originally Akan (south region of the country). There are different types, depending on the ethnicity that made it. The basic ingredient is always the same: manioc; What differs them is the size of the grains and the methods used. It is eaten with fried chicken/fish or sauces. There are also different types or  colors based off what it is mixed with like red palm oil.

Culture

Culture

The national sport is Soccer. Cote d'Ivoire was the winner of the last African Cup. It's most famous player, Didier Drogba left the national team a few years ago because he felt the people were blaming him too much for the losses and not appreciating his skills. Oddly enough, the nation won the first African cup after his absence.

Fashion

Pagnes have been worn in African countries forever. However, there was recently a drastic increase in their use in the fashion world. Rihanna went to the white house wearing a paig outfit, Beyonce also did, they were incorporated in hundreds of fashion shows this year etc... Something that has been there forever and wasn't considered much is now very big. Just like nappy natural hair, the African pride and culture is making a big comeback. The African fashion industry is now making those traditional materials into bags, shoes, ties, vests, etc... 

We also have traditional clothing and about 64 ethnicities.

Abidjan, The two sides of the bridge

So Abidjan is the economical capital city Cote D'Ivoire. It is not only the biggest city in its country but it's also the second largest in all of west Africa. Its population is of 4 707 000 people making 20 % of the country's population. Abidjan Nord: This is the north side to the bridge. It is also the poorest side of the city. It has communes like Yopougon, Abobo, Adjame... but also contains the heart of the country: Plateau. This commune is our wall-street.

Abidjan Sud: This is the richer side to the bridge. Cocody is the richest commune . 

Touristic Places

The Basilica

It is the biggest church of the country and is located in the political capital city, Yamoussoukro. It's construction was ordered by Felix Houphouet Boigny, first president of Cote D'Ivoire, in his developing of the town. It is larger than the St Pierre Basilica in Rome.

The bridge of Man

The bridge was built hundreds of years ago by artisans and villagers. It is not alone however, many more were built in the west area of the country; precisely in Man. It is still used today by the people to travel over the huge bodies of water in the area. They are very scary but efficient when hiking to get from one mountain to the route of another mountain. There is an old wives tale about a curse on people building the bridges during the day so they are built overnight by villagers and only take one night; however, of their ages they often need reparations. They are built and repaired by on initiation night and are done by the next morning, made entirely of vines. In respect to the elders that built the first one, no one should walk on them with shoes on or  a dark curse should be the consequence.

Man Waterfalls

In the same region as the vine bridges, the waterfalls are located. The cascades were rehabilitated very recently ( on march 25th) to make this place as touristic as it used to be.

Foundation FHB,

It was built by FHB, the first president. It is where every president of the country has been given power, where political dinners or governmental balls are located. It is very touristic.

Caiman Lake

The reptiles were bred by FHB, the first president. He located them in the lake of the political capital city, .They live in liberty, and are fed daily by a trained person. The feeder has to go through lots of routines and training to be not be eaten. About three of their guardians were eaten in there.

Intro

So my Name is Aude-Marie, I'm from Cote D' Ivoire. I have lived there for most of my life but I have boon going to school overseas for the past four years. Right now, I am studying  in the United states and missing home more than ever. This blog is my way of presenting you home.

Here is some General information:

-Cote d’Ivoire is located on the west cost of Africa,bordering the Atlantic ocean.

-It’s surrounded by Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali,Guinea and Liberia

-The weather doesn't vary much but they are some seasons like rain season, or dry season…
-The most significant bodies of water are the Komoe, Bandama, Nzi

-There is also a Laguna called the Ebrie laguna.