Travel guide Ivory Coast

Adopted at independence in 1960, L'Abidjanaise is the national anthem of Côte d'Ivoire, even though Abidjan is no longer the capital. The lyrics are by Mathieu Ekra, Joachim Bony and Pierre-Marie Coty. L'Abidjanaise begins as follows: "Salut ô terre d'espérance/Pays de l'hospitalité (...)". A phrase that perfectly embodies the Ivorian mentality.

You'll soon realize that this is an Ivorian passion, both in public and private institutions and in everyday words. The president is renamed PR, national pride FBI (Fier d'être un bon Ivoirien), smoked fish-attiéké PFA, prostitutes DVD (dos et ventre dehors) and so on.

Akwaba, which means "welcome"(Me ma wo akwaaba: "I welcome you") in Twi, an Akan dialect spoken in Ghana (from which the Baoule people originate), is the key word with which Ivorians, renowned for their hospitality, will open their doors, their hearts and their bars to you, although it's less commonly used orally than "welcome arrival".

The ambianceur is a party animal. From the tipsy sapper who hogs the microphone and shatters the audience's eardrums, to the trendy, branded faroteur (show-off), to the boucantier, aka champagnard, whose popularity is measured by the amount of money spent in clubs. By extension: the verbs "ambiancer" and "ivoiriser le coin".

Houphouët's "brown gold", at the heart of the economic miracle of the 1970s, which earned Côte d'Ivoire the nickname "Cocoa Republic" (better than banana republic). It has become one of the pillars of Côte d'Ivoire's dazzling development, making it the world's leading producer, contributing almost 40% of the world's bean production.

Coupé-décalé and its many musical offshoots are the lifeblood of every self-respecting club in Côte d'Ivoire, driven by their leader DJ Arafat, the "Zeus of Africa", a phenomenon in Côte d'Ivoire who died in a tragic motorcycle accident in 2019. He emanates from buses, markets and homes, thundering most of the time, he's omnipresent!

Côte d'Ivoire is a country "blessed with water". The lagoon network occupies 60% of its oceanic coastline, over a length of 350 km and a surface area of 1,400 km². There are thirty-two lagoons in all, including the Ebrié lagoon on which Abidjan is built. These ecosystems are home to peoples who devote themselves exclusively to fishing.

"Poil de nez" in Dioula is French Creole with Ivorian sauce, "parler Moussa" - mixed with Bambara and other Ivorian languages. Born in the ghettos ("glôglô") of Abidjan, this language is infinitely rich and differs from one neighbourhood to another. Popular slang, it conveys in truculent and evocative words the wisdom of the street.

A word that has been omnipresent since the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission - inspired by the South African model - after the resolution of the post-electoral crisis, succeeding the word "peace" and "never again". What remains to be done is to make it a reality in people's hearts, because, as Houphouët-Boigny once said, "it's not a word, it's a behavior".

In Côte d'Ivoire, there's reggae, and then there's all the other music. Here, we don't mess around with green-yellow-red, thanks in large part to the international renown of Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Ismaël Isaac. Abidjan is the African capital of reggae, which can be heard in many bars. Reggae lovers, don't abstain!

Refers to a white person, without being pejorative. You'll hear it often! The word toubab, would come from toubib, the doctor, derived from the Algerian Arabic "tbib", "the sorcerer", the doctors being then white. It would also come from the Mandinka word "tubabu", which means white. In Ivory Coast, "toubabou" is used.

A typically Ivorian expression of compassion, which has no equivalent in French. It is probably the one you will hear most often in Côte d'Ivoire, because Ivorians use it indiscriminately, in all circumstances: if you are seized, tired, angry, if you sneeze or if you have just lost a loved one.