Yamoussoukro

17 JANUARY 2023

Today I was back on track and took a taxi to the Adjame Gare Routier. As I’d expected life does exist in this city - it’s vibrant and busy around this area. There are numerous market stalls, people traveling to many destinations and a well developed network of buses to take.

I travel with UTB bus company to the northern town of Yamoussoukro. The guide book says it’s a 1.5 hour journey - in reality double this. The road is in good condition and runs past forests, rubber and palm oil plantations. There is less traffic on the road and more buses.

Yamoussoukro is an odd town. It was built on the site of a former president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny’s ancestral village. The imposing Basilica can be seen as you arrive. Built to replicate the Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican, this construction stands alone on the outskirts of the town. It was built between 1985-1989, designed by the Lebanese architect Pierre Fakhoury and includes Italian marble and 7000 sq meters of French stained glass. One can only question who uses this place? How much did it cost to build? How was this justified?

Close by is the presidential palace where the body of this former president is now buried. At the main gate is a lake full of crocodiles which bask in the sun for all to see. A very strange sight in the center of a town, which has proved to contain huge contrasts.