As Ivorians prepare to vote to elect their president this Saturday, Oct. 31, religious leaders are renewing their call for unity while artists sing in favor of tolerance. The country is still plagued by election violence in 2010. And hopes that this election will take place in peace.
The Alliance of Religions for Peace, which brings together representatives of several cults, Muslims and Christians in Côte d’Ivoire, issued a statement Friday afternoon calling for calm and inviting Ivorians to keep the peace.
“We think it’s a plus to make another call for peace just before the election,” Emile Kelignon Aka, spokesman for the Alliance, told our correspondent. Jenna Le Bras. We believe that it can have an impact, a positive result. It to calm hearts. ”
“Nothing is over the Ivory Coast,” continues the Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops. We, religious guides, we go to those in power, to the opposition, to the children of Côte d’Ivoire to tell them: disarm your hearts. After the deadline, after the vote, Côte d’Ivoire will be there and we need peace to start our business, to live. ”
“Like a call”
But it is not only religious representatives who are calling for peace. Four prominent artists, three singers and a comedian, have teamed up to produce a song called “Comme un Appel” in which they urge Ivorians to put their difference aside.
Reggae singer Kajeem recalls the violence of 2010 and worries about the tensions of recent weeks. “When conflicts break out, you get the impression that people have forgotten who they are, that they are used to living and sharing a certain number of things with the people around them, and that there is a kind of fleeting madness that grips. everybody. I do not really know what separates us, but what particularly unites us is the Ivory Coast. ”
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The song aims to reach as many Ivorians as possible with a message of tolerance, especially young people, especially those from disadvantaged neighborhoods who can be easily manipulated, rap singer Nash believes. So she decided to sing in nouchi, a local slang. “It is a language that is accessible to this population in so-called disadvantaged neighborhoods. We ask them not to be manipulated, not to attack their neighbor. Think about your future, do not get into politics, there is no point in using violence to express yourself. ”
A song sponsored by the ICRC and broadcast on social networks and local radios for more than a month, especially in Yopougon, the popular district on the outskirts of Abidjan, which has more than a million inhabitants, is reminiscent of our broadcaster. particular Alexandra Brangeon.
Artists mobilize in song
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