FunTimes Celebrates Ivory Coast on Independence Day
Aug 07, 2020 09:00AM ● By Oga Africa
Happy Independence Day to Ivory Coast! On this day, August 7th of 1960, Ivory Coast declared independence from French colonialists. Join us as we honor the country’s vibrant culture, delicious food, rich soil and proverbial wisdom.
Ivory Coast, also known as Cote d’Ivoire, is found in West Africa. It has two capitals, the economic capital of Abidjan and the political capital of Yamoussoukro. Bordered by Liberia, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ghana, this country is the world’s largest producer of cocoa beans. Its soil also bears gold, diamonds, bauxite, iron, nickel and more.
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast)With over 60 ethnic groups in the country, the Akan, Kru, Mande and Voltaire or Gur tribes dominate the population. Other groups include the Senfo, Dan, Bete, Dyula, Krahn, Lobi and more. A small percentage of the population is made of Guineans, Lebanese and French. The official language of the country is French.
(Ivorian women carrying goods)
(Ivorian woman)Ivorian cuisine consists of many grains and tubers paired with soups and stews. The most popular Ivorian dish is grilled fish or chicken with Attieke or grated and cooked cassava and veggies. Other popular dishes include the national dish, Fufu or pounded tuber with soup, Aloko or fried plantain, Kedjenou or vegetable sauce with eggplant, peanut and tomato, Okra Stew and more.
(Attieke with grilled fish)Ivorians, like many other Africans, instill values in the community through proverbs. Some Ivorian proverbs are:
- Mutual gifts cement friendship
- Two flavors confuse the palate
- A bad son gives a bad name to his mother
- In the village you don’t know, the chickens have teeth
- No trees bore fruits without first having flowers
- The twig that falls in the water will never become a fish
- Taking water from the same well doesn’t make all the wives’ gravy taste good
- The death of an elderly man is like burning a library
- Until the snake is dead, do not drop the stick
Celebrate the country with us by posting a picture with an Ivorian proverb as your caption. Use the hashtag #FunTimesCelebratesIvoryCoastIndependenceDay to be featured on our social media!
Citations
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/articles/amazing-facts-ivory-coast/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13287216
https://proverbsafricanliterature.wordpress.com/country-profile/west-africa/cote-divoire/
https://www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/cote-divoire/history-and-culture
https://www.food24.com/typical-food-of-cote-divoire/
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-ivory-coast-cocoa-crop.html
https://proverbicals.com/ivorian
