Artwork: Armand Boua, Portraire des shèguès 1 | Tar and acrylic on cardboard | 172 x 104 cm | 2016. © Armand Boua, courtesy of Ethan Cohen, New York.
The peoples of the Ivory Coast have inhabited the lush tropics of Africa for more than 12,000 years. The land was home to several independent states until the nineteenth century, when the imperialist forces of France subjugated its peoples for more a century as part of the European scramble to pillage the continent of Africa of its vast wealth of natural resources. Hence the country’s current name, which came from the voracious French and Portuguese merchants who divided West Africa into five “coasts”: ivory, gold, grain, pepper—and slavery.
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In 1960, Félix Houphouët-Boigny led the Ivory Coast to independence and ruled for land for 33 years. In 1999, a coup d’état took place, setting the stage for two civil wars in the new century. The upheaval has been devastating with human rights violations reported on both sides. The nation currently ranks 172 (0f 188) on the United Nations Human Development Index, a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators. As with many Africa nations post-independence, the struggles facing the peoples of the Ivory Coast are largely ignored by the world that continues to profit off its resources.
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