Category Archives: Culture

Being with your people

Posted on October 17, 2018 by admin

Last month we were in France to witness the ‘soutenance’ (thesis presentation) of our eldest daughter. M has now spent five years at the University of Angers in western France, and she’ll be able to stay a little longer thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 2 Comments

Vive les vloggeuses

Posted on October 18, 2016 by admin

Just over a year ago, I wrote a blog post entitled ‘The Rise of the Female Blogger‘ about the explosion of a talented generation of women Ivorian bloggers, in what was a rather male-dominated sector in the early years. I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Web | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Decolonising Ivory Coast

Posted on August 28, 2016 by admin

I was interested to see a reference to Ivory Coast in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s classic ‘Decolonising the Mind’ from 1986: Speaking of the racist literature of Haggard, Huxley et al: “In such a literature there were only two types of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | Leave a comment

Film review, Bronx-Barbes (2000)

Posted on August 1, 2016 by admin

Many years ago I inherited a copy of the film Bronx-Barbes from a journalist leaving Abidjan. Sadly it was on VHS and I never manged to find myself in a place with a player (and the cassette). Two years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Ivorian cinema | Leave a comment

Taking a taxi in Abidjan

Posted on March 24, 2016 by admin

Last week I was chatting with a friend of mine who is about to move to Abidjan for a new job. She was asking lots of questions about taxi transportation, and I thought it might be useful to share some … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 9 Comments

Are Ivorians racist?

Posted on September 1, 2015 by admin

A reader of this blog asks ‘People say Ivorians do not welcome strangers. Is this true?’ More bluntly, a taxi driver in Freetown recently asked me: ‘Is it true that Ivorians are racist?’ The question is surprising when you consider that … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Leave a comment

The rise of the female Ivorian blogger

Posted on May 27, 2015 by admin

According to my Feedly RSS reader, I follow 279 bloggers in the ‘Ivory Coast’ category, and it’s a number I’m regularly adding to (of course many accounts are inactive). Sadly there isn’t an online directory of the Ivorian blogosphere, though … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Web | 4 Comments

A busy month in Abidjan

Posted on May 24, 2015 by admin

With hindsight, it was a bad move leaving Abidjan this morning, just hours before the latest TedX event. Then again, it seems to be generally a busy time in Abidjan so it’s hard not to miss things. In the week … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Leave a comment

What’s it like to live in Abidjan?

Posted on May 17, 2015 by admin

Around West Africa it’s common to meet expat aid workers who’ve spent time in Abidjan. I’m biased, but in all honesty, I’ve never heard anything negative and many people talk about the experience as one of the highlights of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Tourism | Leave a comment

Thoughts on Dakar

Posted on March 15, 2015 by admin

After a week with the family in Abidjan, I’m now in Dakar for a workshop. It’s my first proper time in the city; my only previous visit was passing through on the way to cover the Guinea-Bissau presidential elections in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Tourism | Leave a comment