Things are not very good in the West African nation of Cote d’Ivoire and that is putting it mildly. PV editor Gibril Koroma recently had an interview with Helene Dandi, an Ivorian social and community activist currently living in Washington DC. Here is part one of the interview:
PV: Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Helene Dandi: My name is Helene Dandi and I am from Cote D’Ivoire in West Africa. Between 1971 and 1978 I was a bilingual Secretary at Cote d’Ivoire’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations in New York.
Between 1978 and 1989 I was bilngual secretary at the law firm of Attorney Arthur Andersen in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
From 1992 to 1999, I was an employee for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as an official in charge of social services at the UNHCR office in Cote d’Ivoire. I was working in refugee camps in Tabou, Grabo, Tai, Guiglo and Danane.
From 1994 to 1995, during the Rwandan genocide, I was redployed by the UNHCR to Uvira (Congo) by the UNHCR as coordinator of community services as part of emergency measures in that country(which is close to the Rwanda border). There were 400,000 Rwandan and Burundian refugees in 25 camps. I also worked in refugee camps in Bukavu and Goma. I also took part in numerous
meetings and working sessions with UNHCR partners who were operating in Kigali, Burundi, Goma and Bukavu.
PV: When did you return to the United States?
HD: I returned to the United States in June 2007 and I am currently putting in place a structure to prevent conflicts and carry out humanitarian work. While seeking the means necessary to help vulnerable people on the ground in Cote d’Ivoire, I am temporarily working in the health sector in the Washington DC area.
Working for the UNCHR in Africa has changed my life. My experience on the ground in Africa has created a sense of responsibility and awareness when confronted with suffering and the agony of people in distress. Helping people in distress is an inexplicable joy for me. Also, I am currently writing a book on my experiences.
Helene Dandi in refugee camps in Africa.
PV: What is the current situation in Cote d’Ivoire and what are your plans for that country?
HD: As an Ivorian and due to my experiences with war victims, I think that country’s political leaders should have read the writing on the wall and avoided the senseless war that ravaged the country, but alas!
From 1999 to September 2000 and from 2002 to April 2007, I did all my best to help prevent war in that country by engaging political leaders and other actors but nobody would listen.
I had meetings with former president Henri Konan Bedie, Doctor Allassane Dramane Ouattara and the current president Laurent Gbagbo two months before the 2000 elections. I also met the late General Robert Guei.
I told each of them about my concerns about how fragile the political situation was and asked each of them to do all they could to save Cote d’Ivoire. I asked them to forget their differences and work together in the supreme interest of Cote d’Ivoire, but alas, they would not listen!
I was even a participant in the national reconciliation forum organized by president Laurent Gbagbo in 2001. I told the Ivorian people about the evils of war. I denounced the excesses of the politicians and urged them to promote tolerance, forgivenes and dialogue. I organized many public meetings, many programs on peace on television, on radio. I constantly talked about the dangers of war to save the country, but nobody would listen.
I issued many warnings but nobody would listen to me. War finally broke out in September 2002 and they have still not learned any lessons, even today. The political leaders still hate each other, still don’t trust each other, thus contaminating the social climate.
To reply to your question, the social climate is characterised by negative peace all over Cote d’Ivoire. Many peace accords have been signed and resolutions passed by various political leaders in Cote d’Ivoire but to little or no effect. They had signed but they still refuse to implement those resolutions and accords. The elections that were supposed to have been held in 2005 were postponed every year and we are now in 2009. When shall we have those elections? There are rumours flying around that the elections scheduled for November 2009 will be postponed again.
The current president, Laurent Gbagbo, was elected in 2000 for a period of five years; he is now in his 9th year in power. This situation is not good for peace in the country and things might soon get out of control if nothing is done now.
To be continued.
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