Voices, Not Violence
Mobilizing youth through music in Côte d’Ivoire
The punchy beats of a pop song echo through a wide street in Abidjan, the economic capital city of Côte d’Ivoire, as families peek out from their homes and curious spectators gather to catch a glimpse of the commotion.
A video crew trails Coupé-Décalé singer Bamba Ami Sarah down the street while she lip syncs a tune. Nearby, well-known rapper Nash consults with her backup dancers. Onlookers sway to the beats as they steal a peek at the two famous Ivorian singers.
Post-election bloodshed claimed the lives of 3,000 people during the West African country’s most recent presidential election in 2010.
To unify young people across ethnic lines, several singers came together to create a music video encouraging peaceful election participation.
The chorus emphasizes their call. “I’m a youth, I’m a citizen / I’m giving my voice for my country, my future.”
The singers are using a variety of public media campaigns to spread the messages of nonviolence at concerts, on billboards and on popular TV shows across the country.
“As an artist, and as a woman, my role is to send a message of peace and bring calm to society and raise awareness,” said Nash, who grew up in a tiny village outside of Duékoué, the site of some of the worst violence after the disputed election.
“Politics is the business of politicians — it shouldn’t be a cause of clashes among community members.”
Engaging Youth
The lively “Youth, My Voice, My Future” song was a hit from the moment it went live on the Internet.
The video has been viewed more than 120,000 times on YouTube and Facebook in less than a month. A series of concerts featuring the song and civic engagement messages are also expected to draw as many as 10,000 people.
This music outreach is just one of more than 100 activities funded by USAID to promote a peaceful, inclusive and credible electoral process in Côte d’Ivoire.
Since August 2014, USAID has organized 107 election-related activities:
- training 97 community groups,
- supporting over 3,200 radio programs and announcements,
- creating over 240 community discussions, and
- engaging over 280,000 people in 61 communities.
In the 2010 election, political parties exploited youth to incite violence between ethnic groups. Universities served as recruiting grounds for militias and were the staging grounds for paramilitary violence. Through the music, campus debates, literary and arts competitions, sports events and peace marches, USAID is helping young people to identify the signs of political manipulation and choices for constructive participation in the election.
Taking the act to center stage
One actor is empowering community members to take their message of nonviolence to the stage to unite the factions that were involved in and affected by the violence five years ago.
Ivorian film star Bohui Martial is teaching participatory theater skits to community members from different villages and religious backgrounds as a channel for spreading an entertaining and educational message. Ahead of a recent concert starring Nash, Bohui and his new troupe of actors warmed up the crowd, gathered in a small, rural field. The crowd roared with laughter at the educational skits.
“I heard it said that a people without a culture are a people without a story,” Bohui said. “I embraced this and got involved in the (USAID) cultural activities.”
Engaging key stakeholders
F or Tiohozon Coulibaly, senior project development officer for USAID’s partner, this type of work is meaningful.
“Many youth aren’t interested in elections because they think the people who are elected aren’t sensitive to their needs,” he said. “The song says, ‘Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be silenced. There’s a need for you to stand up for something.’”
In addition to working on the video and concert project, every day Coulibaly engages electoral officials, women and other vital community stakeholders in potential hot spots around Abidjan.
“We still have a lot of challenges, a lot of outstanding issues, but there’s much progress that is happening with the contribution of international partners,” he said.
“In a nutshell, Côte d’Ivoire is a developing country where life is quite great. It’s teeming with many resources.”
For Coulibaly and the Ivorians he works with, investing in a peaceful election is about securing a safe environment and better future for their children and their country.
About the Author:
Kendra Helmer recently traveled to Côte d’Ivoire to document the work USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives is doing ahead of the country’s Oct. 25 presidential election. Prior to joining USAID, she worked as a journalist for newspapers in Japan, Italy and Illinois.
