- Ivoirité
The word Ivoirité (sometimes translated into English as "Ivoirity") was first used by
Henri Konan Bédié in1995 . It initially referred to the common cultural identity of all those living inCôte d'Ivoire , especially foreigners inIvory Coast (who represent one third of the population).However, nationalist and
xenophobic ideas fanned by politics and the press changed it to mean population from the South and East of the country. Before the2000 elections, a law quickly drafted by the government and upheld by the Supreme Court required both parents of a presidential candidate to be born within Côte d'Ivoire. This led to the disqualification of the northern presidential candidateAlassane Ouattara , representing the predominantlyMuslim north, often poor immigrant workers fromMali andBurkina Faso working oncoffee andcocoa plantations.This word is associated with the current
civil war in Côte d'Ivoire .
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