Student Number : 0415917E - MA research report - School of Social Sciences - Faculty of Humanities / The conceptualisation of Ivorian crisis as an ethnic conflict is misleading an strengthens Afro-pessimism. This study intends to show that by addressing issues of nationality and ethnicity, the Linas Marcoussis accord dealt woth symptoms rather than the disease of the Ivorian crisis. Moreover, the conflict has become a mode of accumulation. The conflict in Ivory Coast was ignited by contestation over resources. In other words, the conflict has its roots in the scarcity of resources and the absence or failure of institutions that guarantee equitable distribution. Taking cognisance of the fact that the lack of indigenous capital means control of the state is control of economic resources. Economic growth translated to political stability because the various demand-bearing groups were co-opted and rewarded. The advert of democratisation and economic crisis meant access to resources became hotly contested. Against this backdrop, ivoirite became a nationalistic rhetoric for political mobilisation in the absence of an economic alternative grounded in the contradictory nature of the Ivorian state.

Is there one or several French languages? What about African French language? The linguistic studies on French in Africa accentuate the uniqueness of the Ivorian popular French. Since Ivorians speak many different languages and as they have no real vehicular language, they appropriated the French which was implanted and imposed at the time of the colonization. Today, we witness the presence of various types of French (acrolectal, mesolectal, basilectal) that people use as a result of the effort to adapt this foreign language to local reality. The main purpose of this study is to classify some of the different characteristic features of the Popular Ivorian French according to previous studies, then to identify those features of Popular Ivorian French in Ahmadou Kourouma’s novel Allah is not obliged. We identified fourteen characteristics which particularize Popular Ivorian French. Most of these characteristics are present in Kourouma’s Allah is not obliged but some are not.  In conclusion, we can see that the Ivoirians have adapted and shapedFrench to create a language they feel at home with. They have added new expressions, neologisms and metaphors in order to better convey their messages and to better understand each others.

It has been over sixty (60) years since decolonization in Africa. In years gone by, a pattern has emerged of former French colonies being marginally worse off than their British counterparts. Britain and France as the two most dominant colonial powers in Africa allows for these comparisons in growth and development to be made. Using a case study of Cote D’Ivoire, this study argues the continuous existence of neocolonialism in former French colonies through cooperation agreements as an explanation to this divergence in growth. The research question posed is: “To what extent was the Cooperation Agreements signed between France and Cote D’Ivoire in 1960 a pivot from France colonial to neocolonial rule in Cote D’Ivoire?” In order to answer this question a conceptual framework focusing in particular on colonialism, extractive political and economic institutions, neocolonialism, dependency, and the structural theory of imperialism were chosen. The methods employed were secondary literature review, content analysis of the cooperation agreements signed between France and Cote D’Ivoire in 1960, and a conducted survey of Ivorians. This study concludes that these Agreements cede to France indirect and subtle control in all aspects of Ivorian statehood: economy, finance, military, foreign policy, diplomacy, trade, judiciary, education, natural resources, and even internal security. This has resulted in Cote D’Ivoire being politically and economically dependent on France. Arguably, the most detrimental to Ivorian growth and development is its lack of monetary control through the continuous use of the colonial currency of the CFA franc and membership in CFA Zone. As a currency, the CFA franc is pegged to the French franc and now Euro. This study argues that the currency is overvalued and incongruent to growth and development in an agricultural export-based economy like Cote D’Ivoire. And being political dependent on France renders Ivorian leaders reluctant to opt their country out from the CFA Zone, thus perpetuating a cycle of exploitation and inhibiting growth. The result of this study contributes to studies on growth divergence in Africa, and towards understanding relations between former colonies and colonizers, and its impact on global wealth divides and dependency.