Monday 15 July 2013

Corruption - is it ever acceptable?

The government of Ivory Coast has launched a hard-hitting campaign to crack down on corruption.  It involves billboards with the words, 'It took away my wife' and 'It killed my son' as well as dramatic adverts on state radio and TV.  They’re high quality, shot in black and white, and involve a lot of men crying…pretty emotional stuff.  But what do the public think of them?

The BBC’s Tamasin Ford spoke to a group of students in Abidjan to find out.  To listen to this report, please click on this link

Monday 8 July 2013

Pokou Princesse Ashanti - Ivory Coast's first 3D animated film







She’s sassy, courageous and she stands up to the ‘baddies’ who rule the kingdom. Princess Pokou of Ashanti was the young princess destined to rule the Ashanti kingdom of West Africa in the 18th century. Afrikatoon, a production company in Ivory Coast, has turned the story into a 3D animation - joining the small, but growing, number of African countries to produce 3D animated films. The BBC’s Tamasin Ford went along to the film première in Abidjan, the commercial capital.
(To listen to this report please click on this link)


(Image courtesy of Afrikatoon production company)

Thursday 4 July 2013

Women speak out against female genital mutilation

Women in the north of Ivory Coast, who have spent decades illegally circumcising women, are speaking out against the practice for the first time. 

Female circumcision, often known as genital mutilation or FGM, was outlawed in Ivory Coast in 1988 but the practice is still widespread. It can lead to infertility, problems during child-birth and even death. 

Latest figures show more than a third of Ivorian women have undergone FGM. Tamasin Ford reports from Seguela in the north of Ivory Coast.  (To listen to this report, please click on this link)