The First Lady of Cote d’Ivoire visits the United States
BY LOU SIFA
The First Lady of Cote d’Ivoire, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, was on a private visit to the United States from January 28 to February 5. The primary objective of the visit was to attend a religious meeting – the National Breakfast Prayer held in Washington, D.C. However, Gbagbo, who is a political icon and the spouse of a veteran politician who was elected to the highest office last October, also used the occasion to meet with a White House official, business and congressional leaders in the nation’s capital and in New York where she also met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.The First Lady’s extremely tight schedule included meetings with leaders of the National Democratic Institute, with Congressman Edward Royce of California who chairs the House sub-committee on Africa, and with Eddie Bernice Johnson, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, among others. She also held talks with key business leaders, including officials of the Cargil Group – which has important stakes in Cote d’Ivoire – Sheila Moppin & Associates, and the chairman of the Exim-Bank, James Hanson. During a visit to Philadelphia, PA, Gbagbo attended several religious functions.
“There are still some Americans who believe in Africa and who believe in Cote d’Ivoire,” the First Lady told The African in an exclusive interview. “But,” she added, “many Americans have distorted views about Cote d’Ivoire these days. So, one of the objectives of my trip has to do with that – to meet with all those that I can meet, in an attempt to tell the truth about what happened recently in my country, and about my people’s and their leaders’ determination to work toward making their country a wonderful country, by building a true democracy and by allowing justice to take root.”
Indeed, the October 2000 presidential election that brought Laurent Gbagbo – until then the leader of the Front Populaire Ivoirien, FPI – to power, and the legislative election that followed in December led to violence, resulting officially in more than 200 deaths. The violence sparked controversy in Cote d’Ivoire and abroad. Brushing off the criticism of those who, she said, are “tarnishing Cote d’Ivoire’s image,” the Ivorian First Lady stated that “Cote d’Ivoire is a generous country, an important country in the West African sub-region, and called on Americans to “help with its efforts on the road to economic development.”
Simone Gbagbo, a lawmaker and chairperson of the parliamentary Group of the FPI – currently the ruling party – expressed her determination to play a key role by supporting the actions of the executive branch. Through negotiations with other groups of the now diverse legislative body, she wants to make sure that the economic, political and social agenda on the basis of which her husband won the election is adequately executed. “Every woman is an advisor to her husband, and, fortunately, men like to listen to their wives,” the First Lady said with a smile. She added: “On that level, I hope to do what I can, with guidance from the Lord.”
Clearly, religious faith plays a significant role in the Ivorian First Lady’s life, even in the political arena. In politics, she told The African, one has to have a compass and a pillar. She said she finds both of these in Christ. Gbagbo is of the opinion that one cannot succeed in politics unless one has a Power to talk to. Thanks to faith, she said, “one has the energy necessary to keep going forward and to cope with hardships and failures, and to savor victory within reasonable limits. Otherwise, one could behave like a superman. With faith, one remains humble and wise.”