Click button for Work Cited Page >
|
By: Education for Justice
God of justice and compassion,
We ask forgiveness for the widening gulf between rich and poor,
For the use of money as a measure of all things,
For the culture of self-gratification,
For the continuing disparities between those that have so much and those who have so little.
And for the suffering of those people who are excluded from the table of abundance.
Forgive us for our focus on material goods,
And our part in the worship of economic growth
In a world where resources are limited
and where we are already using more than our fair share.
Forgive us for going along with what is easy,
For failing to come to grips with the problems of change
And to engage in the complexity of social issues.
Fill us with a living faith that we may become lively seeds of your kingdom,
Continually growing in your way of love,
Instruments of personal and social reconciliation,
Vehicles for a new dawn when those in poverty
Are welcomed to the table where compassion and justice meet.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our Prayer.
The orange color on the flag of Ivory Coast is supposed to represent the color of the land, which is rich and generous.
|
The Ivory Coast is a sub-Saharan nation in southern West Africa located at 8 00°N, 5 00°W. The country is shaped like a square and borders the Gulf of Guinea on the north Atlantic Ocean to the south (515 km of coastline) and five other African nations on the other three sides, with a total of 3,110 km of borders: Liberia to the southwest (716 km), Guinea to the northwest (610 km), Mali to the north-northwest (532 km), Burkina Faso to the north-northeast, and Ghana to the east (668 km). In total, Côte d'Ivoire comprises 322,460 km2, of which 318,000 km2 is land and 4,460 km2 is water, which makes the country slightly larger than the U.S. state of New Mexico, or about the size of Germany.
Demographics
Today, Ivorian music mixes African and European styles. For example, Zoblazocombines hi-tech synthesized sounds with traditional dance rhythms and vocal singing. Reggae has also proved popular with the international fame of Alpha Blondy.
|
1300sMandinka (or Dyuola) people arrive in region, having migrated from the Niger basin.Mali Empire extends into northwest corner of Côte d'Ivoire, around present day Odienné.1600sPortuguese are the first Europeans to arrive along coast -- trading in gold, ivory and pepper. Slave trade starts up in small scale by local chiefs bring Africans from the interior.1637First French missionaries arrive in region.1750sBaoulé kingdom established around Sakasso by Akan group fleeing the Asante Empire.1830sFrench trading posts begin to develop along coast.1842Trading rights along coast are negotiated by French admiral, Bouët-Willaumez, with local chiefs -- coastal regions now under French protectorate.1871Following defeat in the Franco-Prussion war, France withdraws much of its military from Côte d'Ivoire, leaving it open to commercial exploitation.1881Samouri Touré's Wassoulou Empire extends into northern Côte d'Ivoire.1885France's interest in Côte d'Ivoire acknowledged by the Berlin Conference.1886France takes direct control of costal trading posts.1887Protectorate agreement reached between Lieutenant Louis Gustave Binger, for France, and local chiefs.1889Lieutenant Louis Gustave Binger completes a two year journey through the interior of Côte d'Ivoire . Additional protectorate agreements are reached with local chiefs.1892Border agreement reached with Liberia.1893Border agreement reached with British colony Gold Coast (now Ghana).10 March 1893France creates colony of Côte d'Ivoire. Captain Louis Gustave Binger appointed governor.The Ivorian government has historically played an important and constructive role in Africa. President Houphouët-Boigny was active in the mediation of regional disputes, most notably in Liberia and Angola. Ivory Coast is a member of the newly created OAU conflict resolution mechanism. In 1996-97 Ivory Coast sent a medical unit to participate in regional peacekeeping in Liberia, its first peacekeeping effort.
Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the African Mauritian Common Organization (OCAM), the Council of Entente Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Nonaggression and Defense Agreement (ANAD), INTELSAT, the Nonaligned Movement, the African Regional Satellite Organization (RASCOM), the Inter-African Coffee Organizations (IACO), the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), the Alliance of Cocoa Producers, African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP), and the Association of Coffee Producing Countries (ACPC). Ivory Coast also belongs to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the African Development Bank. |