Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko died in Germany on Wednesday. He was 56 years old and had been in his position for almost eight months. He died of a devastating cancer. In Abobo, astonishment and sadness dominate after the Prime Minister won City Hall in 2018.
With our special envoy to the town hall in Abobo, Francois Mazet
In this large cabinet, we have just celebrated a wedding. There are people talking, students gathered in front of the gate. While the surrounding boulevards experience their usual tumult. And everyone on the tip of their lips has the name Hamed Bakayoko. Municipal staff, police officers, spectators or administrators, they assure that he was extremely popular, that he had done a lot for the municipality, especially in terms of youth safety or social inclusion.
They confirm as closely as possible the portrait of a man – portrait painted since Wednesday night – of a benevolent, empathetic, generous personality … And they hope that the inhabitants of Abobo will be associated with the coming official ceremonies.
►Read also: Portrait – Hamed Bakayoko, the disappearance of a charismatic pillar of Ivorian politics
Taken as an example by young people
As we heard in the tributes, many young people identified with this Prime Minister. His career is highlighted: his popular origins, his social progress through hard work, and then he also made people dream of his charisma, his closeness to the music world, athletes … And finally, above all, he spoke to everyone, so all … And in a country that is still often divided, this allowed him to come out of a political class that was often discredited in the eyes of the people.
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