Côte D'ivoire: a Crisis of Leadership from Houphouët-Boigny to Bédié
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Côte d’Ivoire: A Crisis of Leadership from Houphouët-Boigny to Bédié, Gbagbo and Ouattara By Jean-Claude Meledje A thesis in fulfilment of requirements of Doctor of Philosophy School of History and International Relations Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science Flinders University Date of submission of the thesis: 6 October 2015 Declaration “I certify that this thesis does not incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text.” Signed Jean-Claude Meledje Date: 6 October 2015 i Dedication and Acknowledgements This research is dedicated to my late father Lazare Meledje who was highly intelligent and provided me with guidance and advice about how to write my numbers when I was a child, although he had never been to school and was not an intellectual. This research is also dedicated to my wonderful wife Marrion Meledje because it would certainly not have been possible without her unconditional love, ongoing support, and patience. Thank you to my supervisors, Dr. Tanya Lyons, Dr. Gerry Pye and Prof. Martin Griffiths for supervising my work on international relations and politics. Your support has been invaluable and I look forward to a life-long friendship with you. Thank you to Frédéric Grah Mel for your advice on the Ivorian crisis. As a researcher I can pay Grah Mel no greater compliment than to say his work triggered new insights in my life. His three volumes on Houphouët based on primary research have provided comprehensive research and analysis for future scholars. I agree with Grah Mel and believe he overreached with his claims about Houphouët’s role on the crisis. Few have attempted to write about Houphouët and Côte d’Ivoire politics so vividly and clearly explain the origin of the Ivorian crisis. I also thank Professor Théophile Koby Assa, Dr. Martial Ahipeaud, and Dr. Maurice Fahé for their suggestions and direction. I would like to thank my academic editor Aaron Lunt, Dr. Erica Martin, and Dr. Martha Crone for their high quality services. I would like to thank Marrion who has been my strongest support. Marrion initiated the editing process, read part of the complete draft of the thesis and assisted in the formatting. Special thanks to my family in Australia for their various forms of support. Special thanks also to my family in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly for enabling me to carry out my fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire safely. Thank you all for your help. Without your support this project would not have been realised, although the responsibility for its contents remains mine. ii Thank you to Flinders University for providing the financial support that made my 2012 fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire possible. Merci infiniment à tous. (Thank you all very much). iii Contents Declaration .................................................................................................................................. i Dedication and Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... ii Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... vi Map of Côte d’Ivoire ............................................................................................................... vii List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. x INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology and Sources.......................................................................................................... 7 Research Limitations ............................................................................................................... 11 Literature Review..................................................................................................................... 12 Thesis Structure ....................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 1: CôTE D’IVOIRE .............................................................................................. 18 Geography ................................................................................................................................ 18 Name ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Ethnic Regions ......................................................................................................................... 19 Religion Divides ...................................................................................................................... 19 Political Regime ....................................................................................................................... 20 Official Language .................................................................................................................... 20 Local Language ........................................................................................................................ 21 Capital City .............................................................................................................................. 21 Official Currency ..................................................................................................................... 21 Personal Rule and the Politics of the Belly .............................................................................. 22 The Crisis of Legitimacy ......................................................................................................... 25 Background and Focus on the 2010 Elections and Post-election Crisis .................................. 27 The Current Situation ............................................................................................................... 34 The Causes of the Crisis .......................................................................................................... 35 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 2: HISTORY - FROM PRE-COLONISATION TO COLONIAL LEGACY ..... 38 Côte d’Ivoire’s Pre-Colonial History ....................................................................................... 39 Historical Analysis ................................................................................................................... 42 The Europeans Enter Present-Day Côte d’Ivoire ..................................................................... 44 The Slave Trade ....................................................................................................................... 48 The French Desire for Colonies and Influence ........................................................................ 50 The Franco-Prussian War and its Aftermath ........................................................................... 54 1885 Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference ............................................................. 56 French Colonialism in West Africa ......................................................................................... 58 French Colonial Rule and Style ............................................................................................... 60 French Policy of Assimilation ................................................................................................. 63 French Language Imposed ....................................................................................................... 67 The First Resistance to Colonisation and Taxation Systems ................................................... 69 Governor Angoulvand’s Method of Colonial Control ............................................................. 73 Second Wave of Resistance in 1940s and the 1944 Brazzaville Conference .......................... 74 The Loi Cadre of 1956 and the Road to Independence ........................................................... 78 The Colonial Legacy ................................................................................................................ 83 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 87 CHAPTER 3: HISTORY AND LIFE OF HOUPHOUET ...................................................... 89 iv The Family and Tradition ........................................................................................................ 90 The Formation .......................................................................................................................... 91 The African Doctor .................................................................................................................. 93 The President of the African Agricultural Union .................................................................... 97 Houphouët’s Political Debut .................................................................................................... 99 Confronting