IVORY COAST

Abstract

I d e o l o g i c a l Environment The i d e o l o g i c a l environm ent o f the I v o r y C oast , l i k e th a t o f o th e r sub-Saharan A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s , i s the product o f th e in t e g r a t i o n o f two d i f f e r e n t s o c i a l r e a l i t i e s : t r a d i t i o n a l r u r a l v a lu e s and modern in d u s t r i a l v a lu e s . B e fo r e c o l o n i s a t i o n th e I v o r y Coast was a t r a d i t io n -b o u n d r u r a l s o c i e t y . Most I v o r ia n s h i g h l y p r a i s e t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l A f r i c a n v a lu e s . The s o c i a l s t ru c tu r e is dominated by the ex tended fa m i ly system and e th n ic and v i l l a g e l o y a l t i e s , which p r o v id e a form o f s o c i a l s e c u r i t y and an e f f e c t i v e income r e d i s t r i b u t i o n system , one th a t goes beyond c la s s and u rb a n -ru ra l d i s t i n c t i o n . Such l o y a l t i e s can be found everyw here in the I v o r i a n s o c i e t y , but th e y a re more apparen t in p u b l i c a d m in is t r a t io n and some p r i v a t e e n t e r p r i s e s . T h is i s no c o in c id e n c e , f o r , as in many A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s , s o l i d a r i t y and h o s p i t a l i t y a re a way o f l i f e in the I v o r y C o a s t . Indeed , th e s p i r i t o f h o s p i t a l i t y and b ro th e rh ood is embodied in the I v o r i a n n a t io n a l anthem: ' . . . land o f h o s p i t a l i t y . . . the homeland o f th e genu ine b ro th erh ood . . . ' The t r a d i t i o n a l e th n ic s o l i d a r i t y , even though v a lu a b le in ess en ce , has gone f a r beyond a c c e p ta b le l i m i t s . In some companies, f o r example, the m a jo r i t y o f em ployees a re e i t h e r from the same or c l o s e l y - r e l a t e d e th n ic g roups . Th is b eh av iou r can be v iew ed as a way o f red u c in g unemployment in one g e o g ra p h ic a re a , but i t does in c re a s e d i s p a r i t i e s between r e g io n s , which can g e n e ra te r e g i o n a l s o c i a l upheava l. The ex tended fa m i ly system would be an e x c e l l e n t type o f w e l f a r e system i f the burden o f m a in ta in in g a f a m i ly or an e th n ic group d id not f a l l on theshou lders o f the few who have made i t t o the top o f the s o c i a l ladder in modern I v o r ia n s o c i e t y .