"I don't know Giscard d'Estaing": Abidjan renames roads with French names

In recent years, several West African countries have decided to rename parts of their public spaces, denouncing the still too visible presence of the former French colonial power, such as Senegal, or more radically, such as the military regimes of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.

But Ivory Coast, one of Paris's last allies in the region, did not wish to participate in this process, the project manager at the Ministry of Construction, Alphonse N'Guessan, told AFP.

The country has simply "decided to modernize its system" of street naming, he says. The operation began in March and is expected to last several months. The new plates are in the country's colors, orange or green.

Street names "were not necessarily used by our people," whereas a name "must reflect our history, our culture," he insists.

On the emblematic "Boulevard VGE", which connects the city centre to the airport over a distance of around eight kilometres, the name of the French president from 1974 to 1981 has thus disappeared in favour of that of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first president of Côte d'Ivoire (1960-1993).

"Explain to our children"

Boulevard de France is now named after the first First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny. Boulevard de Marseille has been renamed after former National Assembly President Philippe Grégoire Yacé.

"The roads of Côte d'Ivoire must bear the names of Ivorian revolutionaries and Ivorian politicians. Then, in the future, we can explain to our children who is who," says Franck Hervé Mansou.

Jean-Bruce Gnéplé, a forty-year-old Abidjan resident, agrees: "It's a great satisfaction for us because President Félix Houphouët Boigny was and will remain in the memory of all Ivorians," he says.

According to urban planner Wayiribé Ismaïl Ouattara, "it is important for Africans to identify with the development of the city." This is particularly true for a "population that is becoming increasingly young" and does not have the same reference points as its elders, he believes. In Côte d'Ivoire, 75% of residents are under 35 years old.

"Collective memory"

But street naming "is not intended to erase collective memory," comments Wayiribé Ismaïl Ouattara. And for a young person, walking past the name of a colonial governor "will not create the same feeling as for someone who experienced colonization," he believes.

Not all the routes paying homage to French figures have been renamed.

The commune of Treichville, named after the colonial administrator and explorer Marcel Treich-Laplène, and that of Bingerville, named after the colonial governor Louis Gustave Binger, in the suburbs of Abidjan, have not been subject to any changes.

Of the approximately 15.000 roads in Abidjan, only about 600 had names until now.

Many streets were then named for the first time, in reference to political, scientific, artistic, sporting figures, or concepts: a choice made in consultation with civil society organizations or traditional leaders, Mr. N'Guessan specified.

By 2030, around fifteen Ivorian cities should do the same.

Beyond the practical aspect, street naming has an impact on tourism, according to urban planner Ouattara. "We really need to be able to name all these spaces, particularly for tourism, so that people can find their way from one place to another and so that the city can open up to the whole world," he believes.