Ivory Coast Cocoa Industry's effect of violence within the farms and throughout the country

                 In the United States, it is common for nearly all holidays, birthdays, and other milestones of life to include some sweet treat for the event attendees to indulge in. Generally, anything from cakes, ice cream, brownies, or even a box of chocolates is supplied. However, what most people don’t know about the chocolate, in each of these desserts, is its origin. According to an article titled “Fair price for cocoa beans,” from the Korean Herald, “The Ivory Coast produces almost 50 percent of the world’s cocoa and derives 90 percent of its foreign earnings from the trade.” The Ivory Coast is well-known for its cocoa business; the owners of the cocoa factories have an efficient method which exports chocolate around the world as fast as possible.  Yet, there is a dark side to the cocoa business that not many people know about, due to the fact that it is kept under wraps. Many young children are bribed or sold from neighboring countries to the Ivory Coast in hopes of gaining a better life. In reality, the children become slaves, and live in poor conditions with little pay. This violence and abuse is just a part of the conflict the cocoa industry brings to the country. It is also the cause of the civil war of 2002 and the violence between the North of the Ivory Coast and the South.  The cocoa business is the tool that the Ivory Coast uses to continue its survival; ironic, however, because it is the cause of the country’s downfall and increase in violence within the past decade.

Young children work long hours and under poor conditions on
the cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast.

                According to an article by Carol Off, for the Canberra Times, “The Ivory Coast [is] reasonably affluent in comparison with other countries because of the cocoa.” The country depends upon the cocoas industry for survival. The one way they made their business successful was the introduction of cheap labor. Perhaps a better way to put it, is that the labor was, and still is, free. Young children from nearby countries come to the Ivory Coast voluntarily in hopes of work or are forced by their families who are living in poverty. According to The Straits Times, “some [children] are kidnapped by traders while playing outside their homes; others are sold by parents living in poverty.” For people in the Western world, this may seem a bit extreme for a parent to sell their child, but it is normal in this part of the world when parents are desperate for money. Cocoa farmers know that there is a need and demand for chocolate and are willing to supply the world with their exports at any cost to the children.

Usually, bags of cocoa produced by
Forces Nouvelle are re-bagged with a bag that says
the cocoa is produced in Ghana.

 In addition, a South China Morning Post article said, “some of the children working in the Ivory Coast [are] actually from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, desert countries where the economies are so desperate, parents [are] selling their children to farmers who sometimes paid their workers nothing, often leaving them malnourished and sometimes meting out beatings.” The name given to the chocolate produced by the hard work of the slave children is “blood chocolate,” and for a good reason. “According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, over 15,000 children are working on coffee and cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast,” (Cocoa Kids’). Further, an effect of this slave trade involves the education of children.  “Children are kept out of school and forced to work on farms to meet the world’s craving chocolate and profit drive by the multinationals. Some are sold as child slaves, but most are put to work because cocoa farmers are too poor to hire adult labor” (Hawksley).  Education isn’t the only basic right of children that is taken away. “…the children are imprisoned on farms and forced to work long hours in the fields” (Cocoa Kids’).  Young African children look to the cocoa farms as a place of opportunity; somewhere that money can be earned. However, this ends up being a false hope, leaving the children with no money, no food, and no strength.

The Forces Nouvelle are a group of rebels that control 10%
of the cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast.

The government, in a bigger picture, adds even more violence to the scenario.  A video produced by Al Jazeera shows that, “it was the government itself, the Ivorian Government, at the centre of this criminal world” (Off).  About 10 years ago, the Ivory Coast split into two different groups or regions. The North contains the rebels, Forces Nouvelle, while the Ivorian Government controls the South.  In 2002, a civil war broke out between the two groups, yet tension still remains throughout the country today. In addition, Forces Nouvelle control 10 percent of the country’s cocoa, even though it is illegal to export their cocoa. However, the process still happens behind closed doors. Emilie Serralta, of Global Witness, said “Forces Nouvelle makes 30 million dollars per year off of the cocoa trade. [They are] using a system of taxation on cocoa to make the movement survive and also enrich themselves as individuals,” (Hot Chocolate). In addition, in 2006, the rebels claimed that they exported more than 130,000 tons of cocoa each year, making the product essential to the survival of the Ivory Coast economy. Though, war isn’t the only option the rebels have considered.

In 2007, the rebels signed a peace deal with the Ivorian Government, yet Forces Nouvelle is still clinging onto its cocoa farms in order to keep some control, leading to inevitable conflict. The rebels decided to hold onto their land because they are comfortable with their current lifestyle. If they allow the Ivorian government to take over their farms, they would no longer be able to tax the buyers of the cocoa, which gave them a large profit. The cocoa, for the rebels, provides quick cash, making it a lucrative crop. This is the main cause of violence that is seen between the rebels and the government. Indigenous Ivoirians took it upon themselves to defend their native land from immigrants. However, the government deemed this unlawful. The UN intervened, sometimes firing guns at the Ivoirians, which makes their actions part of the 5^th largest peace keeping mission in the world for the organization. The Burkina Faso immigrants are now frightened to go anywhere near the indigenous people, fearing their lives and land.

In the meantime, chocolate consumption everywhere, is most likely supporting, “murder, forced recruitment of child soldiers, rape, torture, [and] the worst kinds of human rights abuses” (Hot Chocolate).  It is apparent that cocoa is the “life blood of the Ivory Coast,” and that both the Northern and Southern groups will do anything to keep their goals intact. While the North plans on illegally producing cocoa and exporting it, the South unsuccessfully tries to make peace with the rebels.  Meanwhile, the health of the children is in jeopardy. Many young children are forced from their homes and living under poor conditions. Only the government can help those who struggle, yet it seems as though the government is too weak to fight back. Between the violence within the cocoa farm or the violence surrounding producers of cocoa, the Ivory Coast’s main commodity has many issues that put the country in grave danger.  The one thing maintaining the Ivory Coast’s economy causes a ripple effect of violence throughout the country.
To learn more, watch this documentary made by BBC.

*Most of my sources came from LexisNexis and could not be linked to. Therefore, I made a works cited for those sources:

Works Cited

Hawksley, Humphrey. “Fair price for cocoa beans.” Korea Herlad 24 Aug. 2007: n. pag. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 1 June 2011.

No author. “Cocoa kids’ fate exposes growing trade in slaves.” The Straits Times 16 Apr. 2001: 14. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 1 June 2011.

Off, Carol. “The dark side of the sweet stuff.” Canberra Times 30 Sept. 2008, Final ed.: A4. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 1 June 2011.

Palmer, Karen. “Bid to prevent child labour in disarray; US-led plan to fight exploitation in West African cocoa plantations is in trouble.” South China Morning Post 14 Feb. 2007: 11. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 1 June 2011.

International Analysis of Bin Laden's Death

We cheered, we laughed, we cried. Yet, not every country around the world rejoiced the way we did upon receiving the news that Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist accused of plotting 9/11, was killed. Other countries around the world reacted to the news based on their relationship with al-Qaeda and the level they felt threatened after the events took place. Countries such as Kenya, Egypt, India, the Philippines, Chile, and Thailand all had their own individual reactions to the death. Some believed it marked an important moment in terrorist history while others didn’t even know or cared that it happened.

                In the United States, and even in San Luis Obispo, fireworks could be heard being set off in response to the late night breaking news that Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops.  “Crowds celebrated throughout the night outside the White House and at ground zero in Lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood. Thousands of students at Penn State University and in other college towns spilled into the streets and set off firecrackers to mark the moment,” said an article in the Seattle Times (Goldman).  There truly was a sense of pride and a wave of positive energy coming from everyone within those first few days. However, not everyone was so cheery.

Americans, unlike others around the world, rejoiced upon
hearing the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed.

                Upon hearing the news that Bin Laden was killed by a United States navy seal team, a majority of Kenyans congratulated the country. According to an article from Africa News, “Kenyans believe that Osama’s death has opened a new dawn in the fight against terrorism in the world and the country in particular.” Kenya was previously the target of two al-Qaeda attacks, therefore grateful that their bully was defeated. However, some believed the way the U.S handled the situation could have been better; they believe that Bin Laden should have been tortured into taking about his previous and future plans.  “It would have been better if he (Osama) was captured alive so that he could confess his sins to the world,” said Douglas Sidialo, a Kenyan citizen and victim of the 2002 terrorist attack (Wangui).  Meanwhile, others believe that Kenya is not safe quite yet. According to the article, an al-Qaeda network is still targeting Kenya for a future attack leaving the citizens in an unsafe environment. Similarly, the Philippines feel as though they are not completely safe now that Bin Laden is dead.

                According to a statement released by President Benigno S. Aquino lll, “the world must continue to consistently and courageously raise its collective voice against religious hatred, political intolerance, and terrorism of all kinds.” Aquino believes that the Philippines are not in grave danger, but that the world needs to unite and continue to fight the terrorists in order to be completely safe and peaceful. In addition, Benigno said, “one sword has been beaten down; we must continue to be dedicated to the principle of beating the swords of terrorism into the shares of progress and peace” (Aquino).  While the U.S. is still worried about future terrorist attacks, they did not worry about the immediate danger. Instead, the U.S. focused on their great accomplishment. "The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden," Obama said hours after the killing occurred (Goldman).  Celebrating was the U.S.’s way to show their approval. However, in Egypt, celebrating was the complete opposite reaction of citizens.

                The reactions in Egypt varied greatly; some believed Bin Laden’s death was insignificant, others mourned his death, while others were oblivious to the news. Egyptian citizen, Sherif Ahmed, was not happy upon hearing the news of Bin Laden’s death. “I am saddened [by his death]…he’s the only one who stood up to America,” he said. “Bin Laden is an important figure to us and he’s the only person who intimidated the United States.”  Another Egyptian citizen, Mohamed Omar mourned his death because of his religion. “As a muslim, it was sad to hear the news, may God bless his soul,” he said (Fahmy).  Meanwhile, an American student in Egypt at the time believed that this would only benefit Obama’s image and election campaign. According to a Fox News poll, pre-raid, Obama was at 47% approval; post-raid he jumped up to 52% approval from United States citizens.

Egyptians mourned the death of Osama Bin Laden claiming he was the
only person in the world who stood up to the United States.

  

                Even more mixed reactions came from Bollywood celebrities in India. Pooja Bhatt tweeted, “[I] Refuse to celebrate Osama’s death. Next we’ll all be screaming ‘throw him to the lions’ on a daily basis. Lust for blood is perverse.” Bhatt believes that just because Bin Laden was a terrorist does not give anyone the right to celebrate his death. He was still a human being who was cared about and loved by some.  Taking a different side, Anupam Kher tweeted, “Kudos to America’s intelligence and security forces for operation Bin Laden. It is important to pursue goals and then achieve them.”Kher, who highlights a majority of America’s feelings about the subject, looks more to the benefits of the government/military strategy that took place in order for the effort to succeed.  Other celebrities of India were skeptical about the whole situation. Dino Morea tweeted, “Strange feeling Osama still lurking somewhere, and planning something bigger” (IANS). Chile’s citizens also don’t quite believe the news.

                “A taxi driver in Puerto Montt said he really didn’t believe the news, ‘but it doesn’t really matter because there will be a hundred more to replace bin Laden,” an article from the Santiago Times said. In addition, student David Gomez said, “I was thinking to myself, really? Hadn’t they already got him?” It seems as though Gomez hits a key point that many Americans have come to realize: though Bin Laden has always been on our mind, he really hasn’t been the main focus of the news in the Western world for quite some time. Right after September 11^th, our main goal was to locate this man, however ten years later this mission was actually accomplished. What happened to the time in between? In 2008, an intelligence analyst told msnbc said, “"We don't have a clue where he is or even may be. We have had no credible intelligence on OBL since 2001." (Still Desperately Seeking Osama). To know if this is true or not, we may never know. However, uniquely, some Chileans felt that America had a right to celebrate and that they were not necessarily celebrating his death, but celebrating the relief of the whole situation (Ebergencyi).  In Thailand, there isn’t much of a threat of terrorism despite the death of Osama Bin Laden, however they are still taking precautions.

                According to an article from the Bangkok Post, the Deputy Prime Minister called on security to make sure that all places that enveloped an American image or were related to the United States should be carefully watched; even places such as McDonalds. In addition, he, “told security forces to be vigilant at border crossings to ensure no al-Qaeda members enter the country.” Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha , however, saw bin Laden’s death as significant, but not an end to the war on terror by any means. Overall, Thailand’s residents don’t seem to overwhelmed by the death of the number one terrorist in the world, yet they still are taking measures in order to ensure their peoples’ safety.

Each country portrayed Bin Laden in a different light, however,
he still graced the cover of most newspapers the day after his death.

                Each country has its own reaction to the news. However, many people throughout the world seem to believe that America could have handled the entire situation differently. We portray the killing as a feat and something to be proud of, while others are in mourning. The Western media may like to glamorize their events, but one has to wonder if the same would be done if troops from a different country got to bin Laden first.

Life in Cote d'Ivoire

Life in the Abidjan, the former capital of the former Ivory Coast, home of the Coupé Decalé, the French creole language Nouci and Didier Drogba. Told from the perspective of two young Ivorians. Music and film by Myles Tweedie
(Start @ 3:20)

Ivory Coast on Bin Laden's Death

 Ivory Coast Coverage:

http://news.abidjan.net/h/397985.html

A follow up story: Questions concerning Bin Laden's death:

http://news.abidjan.net/h/398111.html

Readers' Comments (one in broken english):

VS. The Western  Media

American Perception of the Ivory Coast

            While interviewing students on campus about the Ivory Coast, it intrigued me that no one had heard much about the current conflicts and political problems the country is facing. I’ll be honest though, before I was assigned the Ivory Coast as my country for the quarter, my knowledge of the land was very limited. However, upon research, I learned that the events taking place should not be ignored and need to be brought to the attention of the American audience.

Although most interviewees could name the location of
the Ivory Coast, no one could name it's capital: Yamossoukro.
(Picture taken from worldtravels.com)

            Thankfully, when asked the basic question, “what continent is the Ivory Coast on?” all but one person answered correctly. Yet, this was the only question my interviewees were confident responding to. When asked the follow up question, “what is the capital of the Ivory Coast,” only Kelly Russell, a 21-year-old Child Development major came close. “I think it starts with a Y,” she said. Most people seemed uninterested in even finding out the answer, which is Yamoussoukro. Although others, like Modern Languages and Literature major Suzanne Heller, gave humorous guesses such as “Djaraima.”

            I followed this question with another which I had hoped would show what stereotypes the Ivory Coast maintains. When asked, “what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear about the Ivory Coast?” I got many different answers. Mike Chang, an environmental engineering major, said he thought of his 11^th grade French class because that’s the language they speak in the Ivory Coast. Other answers I received included “hot,” “hunger,” and “where slaves come from to America.” It was surprising that no one even brought up their unstable government or the continuous violence taking place. It is clear that the news stories from the Ivory Coast don’t even make the pages of America’s newspapers.

Most newspapers draw readers in with stories about
celebrities or entertainment, rather than hard hitting news stories
(Picture taken from southbaymobilization.org).

 

This is why, while talking to people, I decided to add an extra question to the end of my interview: Why do you think the Ivory Coast is not covered in the news? One theory that many of the interviewees brought to light revolved around the fact that what’s happening in the Ivory Coast does not have an effect on the American people. Therefore, we are uninterested. “They don’t have oil. So we don’t really care. Obama isn’t shooting missiles at them, so no one is calling him out about it, so no one is covering the people calling him out for it,” Chang stated. Heller added to this argument by saying that the reason we don’t hear about the Ivory Coast is because, “the U.S. isn’t invested in them.” Russell mentioned the same idea. “It’s not a story that will make America money. If we help them, they don’t help us. When it comes to the cost-benefit scenario, we don’t get anything out of it,” she said referring to the fact that we hear about news based on the countries we are involved with. 

Hopefully, in the future, the Ivory Coast’s troubles will enlighten the American public. And, let’s just hope that this time it doesn’t come as a result of firing missiles at them, as Chang suggested happens with other countries America reports on. It would be great for the United States to learn more about the most recent conflict in the Ivory Coast; a dictator not wanting to give up his power, and the new president trying to smooth things over. However, it seems like it will be awhile before the ethnocentrism dies down in America and people focus on problems regarding other countries that we are not involved with. Until then, the students of jour470 will be the educators to the Cal Poly campus and beyond about the global issues concerning many people throughout the world. One day we will learn about other countries as they learn about the United States.

Interviewees:

1. Mike Chang, 21, male, environmental engineering major, Asian

2. Suzanne Heller, 21, female, modern languages and literatures major, Caucasian

3. Sara Shoff, 21, female, watershed hydrology major, Caucasian

4.  Guadalupe Alegira, 20, female, business major, Hispanic

5. Kelly Russell, 21, female, Child Development major, Caucasian

6. Vanessa Rodriguez, 21, female, Food Science and Nutrition major, Hispanic

Dictators Inside and Outside of the Ivorian Household

Though the Ivory Coast is considered a republic where men and women are given free reign to vote, it appears that the country has become susceptible to the cruelty of dictatorships within their governments and at home. This form of government first afflicted the Ivorians about 10 to 11 years ago when ex-President, Laurent Gbagbo came into power. However, there is more than one dictator in the Ivory Coast. Many women are oppressed and subjected to some type of control by their spouses in the West African country. The power that comes from the government is translated into the everyday lives of the people of the Ivory Coast and used to separate two genders.

Women and girls of the Ivory Coast are slowly becoming equal
to their male counter parts, starting with an education.
(Picture taken from Unicef).

Throughout history, it is plain to see that women have struggled to gain rights in the Ivory Coast. In the 1960’s, a family code was enforced which brought a substantial amount of inequality between the two genders. Yet, in 1983, the National Assembly amended the family code, eventually giving women back the rights they had lost twenty years prior. According to the Journal of Social History, the National Assembly, “granted women equity with their husbands within legal marriages as well as greater economic autonomy.” Women created profits for themselves off of services and crafts they made and sold to others.

In addition, throughout the country’s history, it is customary for women to get married at a young age. These girls, 11 to 14-years-old, are getting married to men twice their age. However, this is now illegal and has been since the first family codes of 1964. In the early 1990’s, the Washington Post wrote an article about the lives of these young girls post-illegal matrimony. The article states, “Constance Yai, a prominent women's rights activist in this West African country, sees only tyranny in the tradition. Her battle to eradicate childhood marriage is for her a struggle between an oppressive Africa tied blindly to traditions versus one urgently seeking to embrace the modern world.” An increasing amount of women are raising their voices in order to gain rights.

An Ivory Coast woman exercises her right to vote.
(Picture taken from Radio Netherlands Worldwide Africa).

Previously, Ivory Coast was considered a one-party state. However, today, as the Journal of Social History said, “it is now a multiparty democracy, and new, politically active women’s groups are now emerging whose leaders are not culturally based or politically dependent upon the nation’s leadership.” Women are coming out in numbers to vote and show their dominance, which could result in forthcoming government changes. In the future, Ivorian politics will create parallel changes in the family structure. As women have more influence, they will also gain more power  within their republic.

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