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Cote
d'Ivoire, West Africa back to normality
... by
Beatrice
Grandcolas Day to day life is
back to normal; Blaise Pascal School, the American
School and other foreign schools have closed for
summer break and are getting ready for the next
school year; programs and long-term plans are under
way. Funding and foreign aid are back: the
construction of a motorway has been approved by the
Islamic Bank of development on June 22nd; in the
central lakes area (north of the political capital
Yamoussoukro) the rural fishing development program
has been launched; likewise, the Chinese group
Tianshi (health) has elected Cote d'Ivoire as its
main regional base. Cote d'Ivoire Telecom monopoly
has been abolished. Late June, 26 Ivorian
corporations attended the Corporate Council on
Africa Summit in Washington, D.C. thus the first
delegation of African private operators at
it. Furthermore, basic
utilities are still there (and most of them have
remained undisrupted throughout the crisis),
electric lamps are still lit; water still flows
from the taps, cellular phones, mail services are
still operating. Buildings and plants are intact;
almost nothing has been destroyed or
damaged. And more
importantly, good people are still there;
determination, vivacity and hope are
there.
And even more,
Cote d'Ivoire and its people have recovered their
true face: welcoming and tolerant, genuinely kind
and smiling, joyful and humorous, courteous and
harmonious, friendly and
charming. The
region:
Sassandra
region is and has continually been a small haven,
all peace and luxuriance. Now clear of potholes and
roadblocks, the main East-West road mirror any
modern tar road, but for goats, chickens or wild
dog and pigs still ignoring pedestrian crossings.
Best of Africa 12 km dirt road has been widened and
leveled.100 km east of Dagbego, manganese, a non
polluting ore, is due to be extracted
soon. Air transport
& diverse:
Air France
daily nonstop flights towards France has continued,
Air Ivoire soon in Paris, SN Brussels has increased
its weekly flights to 3, Air Senegal in addition to
RAM, Pan African (Euralair), West African Airlines
and Corsair have resumed or started flying as well
as Kenyan Airlines, Ethiopian, South African·
Moreover, there are talks about Air Afrique
starting up again. Club Med as usual is opening at
fall (on October 5, 2 003). As usual, we are
not closing, furthermore benefiting from an
exceptionally mild and sunny July. Best of
Africa:
Work,
maintenance and investments have been resumed and
include:
2 additional
air-conditioned bungalows. Consequently, 12 out of
14 bungalows, including the 2 large ones designated
as "Family" and "Youth" bungalows are now provided
with air-conditioning. The roofs of the
office and of the beach bar have been replaced; all
other roofs have been checked and mended &
consolidated when needed.
Settees and
armchairs have been equipped with a foam of the
highest quality, fabrics have been changed,
etc. If a lot has yet
to be done, if economy is still very weak and
unemployment very high, if financial resources are
crucially lacking, and therefore foreign aid &
international assistance are mandatory to get Cote
d'Ivoire, the Sassandra region, the tourism &
hotel industries, and Best of Africa back on track,
the right signals are there. A few
shadows: Travel Advice
Websites, especially the French one, do not
reflect this new reality and tend to make some
confusion between the risks incurred by a wealthy
resident or deemed as such and those which a
mundane tourist is facing;
Media who
fancy appalling information and stereotyped
prejudice has not yet turned this dark page of
beautiful and amicable Cote d'Ivoire
history. Thank You English/French/Italian A three-hour drive
from Abidjan, the privately owned and managed hotel
restaurant A fantastic remote
hideaway. Best of Africa provides a complete escape
from day to day city life and radiates a charmingly
elegant atmosphere in a unique natural
setting. Located in 6
hectares of flowery, lush tropical
grounds, Surrounded by a
private white-sand beach lined with coconut trees,
a magnificent lagoon, and a rain forest. Family owned
and managed hotel Beatrice
Grandcolas Website:
www.bestofafrica.org Long-standing and
frequent travelers, professionals of the tourism
industry and more generally our guests all agree
that Best of Africa is one of the top places they
have ever visited, thanks to the beauty and the
diversity of its immediate environment (Atlantic
Ocean and rocks; rain forest ; tropical birds ;
lagoon and river ; tropical flowers, including
multihued bougainvillea, hibiscus and flame trees ;
coffee, cocoa, pineapple, and citrus plantations ;
traditional villages ; buildings exquisitely merged
into nature ; a fantastic place to catch rare big
fishes). At our home,
vacationers, especially just married and families,
enjoy peace, seclusion and romance, rest and
relaxation. This ambiance is also valued by
business people whether they are attending or
presiding board meetings, training programs,
including brainstorming sessions, or whether they
are rewarding their most valuable performers or
treating their best customers. your dream
place |
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Summer
2003: The
country first concluded a peace accord in January,
and has been progressively doing better and
considerably better for more than two months now:
the cease fire signed on May 3 has held well, war
zones have disappeared, the curfew has been raised
and the very notion of it has vanished, the western
region has been pacified and people have returned
to their home, mode and schedule of demobilization
and disarmament have been agreed upon and are due
to start as of August 1st. Cars, buses & trucks
traffic from Abidjan to landlocked Mali has
resumed. The road and railway to Burkina Faso will
reopen this July 15th. Both armed Forces have
formally announced the end of the war. The
Communications Minister also Secretary General of
the New Forces Group has followed suit. Popular
districts in Abidjan and youth all over the country
have immediately started celebrating this highly
symbolic proclamation.
The
reconciliation government has been working and
working quickly & efficiently. The Minister in
charge of Tourism lives up to his reputation:
active and personally committed to building up Cote
d'Ivoire Tourism which eventually will contribute
to the sustainable and peaceful development of the
country and its people.
