Friends, dear brothers of Bonoua, I greet you and thank you. I first greet the people of my generation, as I have just been integrated into a new generation. Before arriving here, I went to greet the king. To all of you, known and unknown, I extend my greetings.
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Amétier, I participated in a ceremony with your father, who did a remarkable job by pushing the authorities to repatriate the remains of Ivorian resistance fighters. During the anti-colonial resistance, two important figures were arrested in Côte d’Ivoire and sent to Gabon: Sam, arrested in Guemou in Yakuba country, and another fighter. Mr. Amétier’s father approached Houphouët-Boigny to obtain the return of these resistance fighters’ remains.
Mr. Amétier’s father undertook a similar effort to obtain the remains of Cadio Amangoa. For us, Abouré, and for all of Côte d’Ivoire, Cadio Amangoa is seen as a lion, and he acted accordingly. I told my comrades from the FPI that the return of Cadio Amangoa’s remains was not a party matter but a national one. I then arranged for Mr. Amétier to organize an official ceremony so that all Ivorians could honor this fighter.
Mr. Mayor, thank you for being here. I know many people in Bonoua, like Oba Albert, with whom I spent two years in prison. Although he was from the PDCI and I from the FPI, we were friends. I also know Venance and others that people like Cadio Amangoa must be honored and continue to be honored.
I am here on July 14, a date that those over 30 must remember. Here in Bonoua, my first podium was set up for an FPI meeting on July 14, 1990. It was the first meeting organized after multipartism was granted on April 30. The FPI, PIT, USD, and the Socialist Party of Mauritania Bamba decided to hold a joint demonstration in Korhogo. But after this joint demonstration, the first FPI-only meeting was held here, in Bonoua.
I salute Mathias, who is a brave man. The day we were tear-gassed here, he protected me by taking me to the home of the current deputy’s father, Écra, for shelter. The battle was tough that day, and I remember it as if it were yesterday.
Someone asked Écra if Gbagbo often comes to Bonoua. Although I am usually in Abidjan, I couldn’t come earlier due to my busy schedule. Écra asked me to come, and I told him that I had to first go to the West, where the suffering was more intense. What happened in the western region was almost genocide, with over 1,000 deaths in a single day. That’s why I am here now, to greet you.
My dear friends, we must organize ourselves so that this government is no longer in place in 2025. I use this platform to tell all politicians that I open my arms to those who wish for a clear and healthy coalition to defeat this government. However, loyalty and honesty are essential in this endeavor.
To succeed in the elections, we need identity cards. Between 2000 and 2010, I ensured that identity cards were free. I ask the State to make a financial effort for the poorest and provide them with free identity documents.
I know a friend whose electricity bill increased from 300,000 to 900,000 francs. This is the result of a bad government. Life is expensive, and even to come here, we had to pass through costly tolls.
There is also the problem of water poisoning by cyanide and mercury used in gold mining. This poisons rivers and kills children and women who wash clothes there.
In conclusion, I came here to greet you, not to campaign. I will return for that. In the meantime, I thank you all, and I especially thank Mr. Mayor and those who participated in this meeting. Never regret having fought, because those who fight are honored. May God bless Côte d’Ivoire.
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