Happy Independence...I guess - Ivory Coast

If I were a drinking woman, I would devour a sweet yet bitter cocktail that could capture my frustration and tattered expectations in honor of August 7^th, Ivorian Independence Day.

A little dated but there was this huge fan-fare about 50 years of independence. 

I never endured the denigration of colonialism, I was born 27 years after its symbolic end, instead I hopped and skipped around its close cousin neo-colonialism.  I don’t know what it feels like to be subjected to second-class citizenry in my own country; I can openly embrace and display my culture without fearing someone’s attempt to de-legitimatize and supplant it. And for that I am eternally grateful. But sovereignty encompasses more than cultural freedom, and I have to question the status of our economic autonomy.

Today, Côte d’Ivoire celebrates its 52^nd independence from France. Fifty-two years of independence and what do we have to show for it? One coup d’état, one civil war, a per capita GDP of $1,600, a literacy rate of 46.6% for females age 15 and over, and the list seems to go on. We can blame the allocation of resources and arbitrary borders that were constructed with little regard to ethnic tensions during the Berlin Conference, that topic alone warrants its own series on this blog. I know when it comes to African development, historical context is important, but just for a moment lets set it aside.

Like so many exasperated Africans, I have a hard time comprehending the conundrum African countries find themselves in, especially with regard to debt. Then again, I don’t when I see the ostentatious mansions our politicians own. Since independence Côte d’Ivoire has accrued a debt of $12.9 billion, not bad compared to the current US debt of $17.5 trillion, but we have a GDP of  $36.5 billion. They were spending nearly one-third of their revenue paying off debts. However, under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative through the IMF and World Bank, nearly $7.7 billion of that debt has been forgiven. Attaining loans from the IMF and World Bank is comparable to signing a pact with the devil, then to have them and other loaning agencies forgive your debts sounds too good to be true. I was hopeful this would give the government an opportunity to assess the reckless actions that lead to the original debt crisis. And once again, my dreams were shattered.  Two weeks after the debt cancellation, it was announced that China would be loaning $100 million for road construction. All in the name of development, right?

Nearly 43% of the population lives below the poverty line, and I’m sure the civil war and 10 years of stagnation contributed to that dismal statistic. I appreciate President Ouattara’s effort to eventually rebrand Côte d’Ivoire as an emerging market, but he’s been in the political game since independence along with a majority of his cabinet members. It’s the same story across the continent. A change of guards is overdue, one that can end the heavy reliance of loans and reduce the cyclical nature of borrowing.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a white paper ready...yet.  We can continue to blame all the –isms, conferences and other countries simple greed, but eventually that has to stop. Yes, they were looking out for their self-interest at our expense, it’s been acknowledged and disseminated countless times. Maybe it’s time for our politicians to prioritize the entire population’s best interest, instead of co-signing quick solutions with no long-term sustainability.  There comes a point where we have to relinquish our past and dismantle the culture  of victimhood in order to face the encounters of the present.

So today, I raise my imaginary glass to Côte d’Ivoire and other African countries, and I toast to your future emancipation. Cheers! 

  By Ahoua Koné