Category Archives: Culture

Ivorian web-series: ‘Sa c koi sa enkor’

Posted on February 21, 2015 by admin

If there’s one thing that unites Ivorians, aside from football, it’s complaining about the state broadcaster RTI. Sometimes this is unfair (if you have CANAL satellite you can check out some of the other West African state tv channels, which … Continue reading →

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Letter to Daniella

Posted on December 12, 2014 by admin

My dear daughter, It is five in the evening in one of Africa’s greatest cities, Abidjan, and you’re dozing under a mosquito net in the next room just hours after you left hospital. Your tired mum is asleep too, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Diaspora | 7 Comments

Abidjan v Freetown – street edition

Posted on December 5, 2014 by admin

Abidjan and Freetown are two commercial capitals in West Africa that are a proverbial stone’s throw away, and to the untrained eye you could see a lot that they have in common. But here are a few differences I’ve spotted. … Continue reading →

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#‎ArtBidjan

Posted on July 25, 2014 by admin

If there’s one sector that’s buzzing at the moment in Abidjan, it’s contemporary art – so much so that some friends of mine have just started a hashtag dedicated to the scene – #‎ArtBidjan. During my few days in Abidjan, there … Continue reading →

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Ivorian Tycoons

Posted on July 24, 2014 by admin

I’ve just finished reading the latest issue of ‘Tycoon’ magazine – Ivory Coast’s magazine for the business-minded elite from the Voodoo communications empire. It has an unmatched level of professionalism from the superb photos of Ivory Coast’s elite managers in … Continue reading →

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No Ordinary Book

Posted on June 16, 2014 by admin

I’m getting a fair bit of reading done here in Bangui, where there’s frankly not a huge amount to do what with the security restrictions. One book I polished off yesterday was ‘No Ordinary Book’ by Phillip Saunders et al, … Continue reading →

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Waiting for the bus

Posted on April 26, 2014 by admin

There are certain scenes that get repeated in ex-pat writing about Africa. There’s the oh-so-fast sunrise, the trip to see a friend’s village, and of course the whole travelling-down-the-Congo-river-on-a-ferry-while-traders-canoe-alongside-on-seemingly-unstable-hollowed-0ut-tree-trunks. The classic scene of course, which most of us are sick … Continue reading →

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Abidjanito

Posted on September 21, 2013 by admin

I’m not sure I ever mentioned my Abidjanito project on this site. It was an idea I worked on for a number of years in Abidjan, interrupted by the post-election crisis, and delayed by a long and eventually fruitless path … Continue reading →

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Leaving the ex-pat bubble in Ivory Coast 2/2

Posted on January 12, 2013 by admin

After a little delay, here’s the follow-up post to last month’s first part of my little guide on how to leave the ex-pat bubble in Ivory Coast. The first part gave some advice on how to find out more about … Continue reading →

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In praise of…Meiway

Posted on January 2, 2013 by admin

As I listen to Ivorian artist Meiway’s M20 album in my studio flat, it’s hard not to reflect on one of Ivory Coast’s most unique musicians. In fact when you talk about Ivorian music you generally talk about three types … Continue reading →

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