Although they left for their first World Cup with a heart “this big”, Didier Drogba and his team-mates did not achieved their objective of making it to the last 16. Although the euphoria
will have lasted for only a short time, the passion for football will remain intact among the fans, men and women alike.
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| The Elephants: A symbol of national unity in a country torn by ethnic, economic and political rivalries. |
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In their first-ever World Cup match, the Elephants unfortunately did not live up to their fans’ hopes. Crazy hopes, one is tempted to say, given the great passion for football among Ivorians, men
and women alike, both in the north and in the south of the country. Parties in the streets, in the squares, and on the terraces of the “maquis” – as the Ivorians call their pubs and cafés – were of
short duration, but delightful and intense.
Even more than the Italian “tifosi”, the Ivorian fans are prone to starting the party long before the match begins. And this is just as well, considering that Henri Michel’s men have now lost the
first two matches, missing their goal of qualifying for the last 16.
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| Melodies and dance rhythms in honour of Drogba & Co.: Soccer fans celebrating in the Côte d'Ivoire. |
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Already during the preparation phase for this World Cup – long before the matches against Argentina and the Netherlands – the young people of Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and many other cities were
dancing, singing and partying to tunes and rhythms created especially in honour of Didier Drogba and his team-mates. Numerous songs and dances inspired by the movements of football were invented for
the occasion, taken up, and interpreted by ten thousands of fans throughout the entire country.
Ivorian women, moreover, did not miss a minute of it all: the great majority of them are Elephant fans as well. They follow the matches with just as much ardour as their male team-mates; they voice
their well-informed opinions on decisive phases of the matches; and they know all the players, or almost all of them.
And this is no obvious matter in the case of the Elephants, given that the majority of the permanent members of the basic team of eleven live and play abroad – mostly in France or England, but also
in Tunisia, like the goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizié, or in Switzerland, like the midfielder Gilles Yapi Yapo (with the Young Boys). The women also know that the smallest player of this World Cup is
one of their own – the forward from Nice, Bakary Koné, whose highest point is 1 m 63 cm above his spikes!
The football team strengthens national identity
Drogba’s squad has another quality which is of no little significance in contemporary Cote d’Ivoire: it acts as national unifying force in a country that has been divided by ethnic, economic and
political rivalries, worsened by the interference of the old colonial power. The players come from all regions of the country, with most ethnic groups and cultures represented on the team. As such,
the squad constitutes one of the very real symbols of Ivorian national unity.
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World Cup Group C
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Argentina
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Netherlands
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Cote d'Ivoire
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Serbia and Montenegro
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In a country that is going through a crisis of identity and suffering an economic recession, and whose reputation in the international community has deteriorated over the past several years, popular
infatuation with the Elephants has been a welcome bubble of optimism. The Ivorians sincerely believed that their small team, which came out of nowhere and landed on the planet of international
football, would be able to produce miracles. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and the euphoria has been of short duration. But the Ivorians will recover: being good losers, they will continue to
passionately follow the exploits of their expatriate Elephants in the major European clubs.
Swiss commitment in West Africa:
SDC is present in various West African countries. Its chief goals include improving the work of government, in particular through contributions to decentralization efforts, and promoting effective,
diversified and sustainable national economies based on market-economy principles. |
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From 9 June to 9 July, 32 teams will be competing for the World Cup title in Germany, including Switzerland and several Swiss partner countries in development cooperation. This gave
us the idea of producing a unusual and surprising facts outside the World Cup media spotlight.
All articles  |
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Côte d’Ivoire
in Figures |
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Area in km2:
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322,460 |
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Population (2006):
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17.6 million |
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Male life expectancy (2006):
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46.2 years |
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Female life expectancy (2006):
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51.4 years |
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Male illiteracy (2006):
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42.1% |
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Female illiteracy (2003):
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56,4% |
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Gross domestic product (2004):
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US$ 13.6 billion |
| Gross domestic product per capita (2004): |
US$ 760 |
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Source: Worldbank Development Indicators 2004; CIA World Fact Book 2006
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| The Right to Sport: Games and Sports for Disadvantaged Children |
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Physical movement, games and sports play a central role in the socialisation, integration and development of young people. In Côte d’Ivoire, which has been torn by civil war, the “Droit au Sport”
(“Right to Sport”) project is doing something to address these important aspects of young life. The project currently offers approximately 2000 boys and girls an opportunity to engage in games and
sports. The young people, who meet 2-3 times per week, come primarily from slum areas and are street children and refugees.
The games and sports, in which the primary emphasis is on development-related and peace-building elements, are led by people studying sport at the National Institute of Sport in Abidjan. The children
are offered structured leisure time and activities that help them to cope with their circumstances – which are usually the result of the effects of civil war – and to develop self-confidence and
personal responsibility. “Droit au Sport” has been enthusiastically received by young people and by local officials. Above all, communities that have been heavily affected by the violence that has
plagued the country have shown a great interest in this educational project, which was initiated by the Swiss Federal Office of Sport together with the National Institute for Sport in Abidjan and the
SDC.
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