Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Cǒte d'Ivoire became a French colony at the end of the nineteenth century through the French decree of March 10, 1893. The country is an arbitrary construction of French colonialism, which lumped together diverse populations living in territories still unknown to the French. The history of protest and resistance in Cǒte d'Ivoire started with the contact with French colonialists in 1840, and continued throughout the early twentieth century, until independence was achieved in 1960. Located in the western part of Africa, Cǒte d'Ivoire is surrounded in the northwest by Mali and Guinea, in the northeast by Burkina Faso, in the southeast by Ghana, and in the southwest by Liberia. The peopling of Cǒte d'Ivoire coalesced in the fourteenth century, although very little is known about that period. The major migratory movements of people, however, occurred between the fourteenth and eighteen centuries with the decline of the Mali Empire, among other defining historical events. Initial conflicts involved populations from the south opposing French colonialism, followed by conflict between French colonials and populations of the center. The first recorded act of resistance by the populations of Cǒte d'Ivoire against French colonials took place in 1849 (five years after a treaty made Cǒte d'Ivoire a French protectorate). The 1849 resistance represented the second defeat for French colonials ... log in or subscribe to read full text