Fighting fascism — Day Thirty-one — reflections from Côte d’Ivoire

I was on a personal visit to Côte d’Ivoire over the last week (just got home yesterday afternoon). It was fantastic to come back to Abidjan, where we lived for three years, and see old friends and colleagues. I loved rediscovering the rhythms, sounds and scents that carried us away while we lived here. It was great eating aloko, attieke, grilled chicken and fish, tasty mangos and papayas, eye-watering pepper sauce (pili-pili), and drinking ginger and bissap juice. Most everyone I know is ageing gracefully – although life remains hard for many.

What Ivoirians think about what is going on in the US might surprise you – it certainly surprised me. Of course, I did not do a formal survey. My observations reflect a smattering of conversations with people who told me what they think and/or what they think others think. So, take it as an impression rather than a generalized “truth”. Many seem to see Trump’s victory positively and this for four main reasons.

First, most believe that the new US administration could care less about Africa, and that is a good thing. That Côte d’Ivoire is considered a “shithole” country is just as well because Americans (and everyone else – as I will develop further) will then leave Africa alone and not use it for geopolitical advantages that have done Africans little good and a lot of bad. This conflates with the widespread anti-French sentiment that has increased considerably over the last few years. Ivoirians see Trump’s election as an embarrassment for the French. The argument goes something like this: the French are responsible for much that is wrong in Côte d’Ivoire; American policy has been to support the French in its oppression of Côte d’Ivoire; the Americans will no longer back France’s geopolitical strategy and Côte d’Ivoire will therefore benefit.

People are split about the second reason I will share here. Some friends adamantly believe that it is a widely held opinion, while others doubt that it is a significant factor. Basically, it consists of a negative narrative about development assistance. Money is stolen; ministers’ mistresses are driving around in 200,000 dollar cars (an actual scandal that filled pages here in Côte d’Ivoire); people’s lives are not getting any better even though lots of resources come here; there are too many strings attached (debt, being beholden to aid providers — again, a very strong anti-French discourse); and with no aid, governments will have to finally step in and do their job.

The third reason has to do with conservative social norms. Homophobia seems quite pervasive in Côte d’Ivoire. I don’t know what the legal status of LGBTQ+ is, but I’m assuming that it is not great. Trump is seen as some sort of return to morality, particularly defined by the rejection of the LGBTQ+ “agenda”. I have heard some resentment of the perceived push by the US (and the French) for African countries not to legislate against homosexuals, so the new administration’s rejection of LGBTQ+ protections is seen as some sort of redemption. Trump’s supposed religiosity has also been accepted by many here as genuine.

The last reason, is not really a reason, but rather a reflection on what contributes to the formation of the above ideas. Of course, it comes from social media – a social media that we know is often manipulated by government, outside powers, and those who cleverly express provocative opinions. People do not trust the mainstream media, and are attracted to the provocative unbridled style of influenciers. Also, I have heard that the Russians in particular are working hard to orient social media towards its anti-French rhetorical deluge.

I personally do not believe that America’s moral, diplomatic and strategic “abandonment” of Africa will allow a thousand flowers to grow. There are many others, within Africa and elsewhere, who are more than willing to take advantage of any void (China, Russia, Jihadists, and Rwanda, to name a few). Also, the drying up of development assistance will not be a positive for poor Africans. And moral indignation is always relative (the princely do often fall). However, the strategically organized rendition of social media does ring true. The question is why, in terms of content, form, and spirit is it so convincing. I don’t have an answer to that.

Taken together, the arguments are similar to the logical daisy-chains we have seen amongst MAGA supporters: government involvement (or that of foreign powers) in the lives of the every-person is both absent and too present; there is a “hidden agenda” that explains why there is so much suffering; money is leaking out of the government system and into the hands of the few; the fall of the outsider elite is a gleeful event; strongmen whose “hands are not tied” will set things straight (figuratively and metaphorically); and the “real truth” comes from dark, whispery corners (okay, some inordinately loud corners as well).

What does all this mean for the fight against fascism? Basically, we have formidable enemies when trying to win hearts and minds. They are organized not just nationally, but internationally. We must do better in terms of combatting the torrent of misinformation. I have written about the need for us to talk to people, even those we don’t agree with, as modest acts of anti-fascism. My short trip to Côte d’Ivoire confirmed for me the necessity of doing this.