(« IVORY COAST TURMOIL »):(6) JOURNALISTS JUST FREED IN (ABIDJAN)(THE ECONOMIC CAPITAL CITY)(IMAGE):(« COULIBALY VAMARA »- « CHIEF EDITOR » OF THE « FIRST PRESS TEAM » IN « IVORY COAST » (« OLYMPE PRESS TEAM »):(« L’INTER », « SOIR INFO », « STAR MAGAZINE »)
-(REMINDER OF FACTS AND BASIS):
WITH THE RECENT ARREST OF (6) JOURNALISTS IN( « IVORY COAST »)( WEST AFRICA), IT WAS THE CUP OF FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS,INCLUDING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS,WERE BARELY SACRIFICED IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL STABILITY AND PEACE REQUIRED TO SOME EXTENT BY FOREIGN INTERESTS IN A COUNTRY OF RECURRENT MILITARY REBELLION SINCE (2014)!
-(« SUITS STILL LATENT AGAINST THE (6) JOURNALISTS »)!
-THE (6) IVORIAN JOURNALISTS ARE FREE SINCE THE (14TH OF FEBRUARY) BUT THEY STILL HAVE GOT HEAVY LOADS CALLED « SUITS » ON THEIR BACKS AGAINST THEM, AFTER A SO CALLED SPEEDY TRIAL IN (« ABIDJAN »), THE ECONOMIC IVORIAN CAPITAL CITY!IN CONSEQUENCE, SUITS AGAINST THEM ARE NOT WITHDRAWN YET BY THE IVORIAN REGIME LED BY HEAD OF STATE »ALLASSANE OUATTARA »!
-(« SPOTLIGHT ON THE POST DEMOCRATIZATION PRESS IN « IVORY COAST »)!
THE PERIOD IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EASTERN WIND BACKED UP BY THE FALL OF « BERLIN WALL »(GERMANY) IN (1989), SAW A PROLIFERATION OF NEWSPAPERS WITH NEW REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT RELATED TO THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, NAMELY CLOSE TO LEFT- WING POLITICS PARTY ( » IVORIAN POPULAR FRONT ») (FPI) AND MANY MORE!IN THE SAME TREND, THOSE COMMITTED NEWSPAPERS TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE IVORIAN SOCIETY AND THE POLITICS LANDSCAPE AS WELL!
-(« PRESS UNDER SOFT MARTIAL LAW IN « IVORY COAST »)?
UNDER A SO CALLED SOFT MARTIAL LAW, IT IS EASY TO PINPOINT THE MOST URGENT DEMOCRATIC SHORTCOMINGS AND THE TRAMPLING ON HUMAN RIGHTS FACING THE BELEAGUERED IVORIAN PRESS TODAY:IN THE SAME WAY,THE RECENT ARREST OF (6) IVORIAN JOURNALISTS AND CLOSURE OF CRITICAL PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS:(L’INTER », « SOIR INFO », » LE TEMP », « NOTRE VOIE ») NOW FREED ON THE (14TH OF FEBRUARY-2017), DUE TO INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE, HAS NEWLY PLACED FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS,INCLUDING FREEDOM OF PRESS IN JEOPARDY IN « IVORY COAST » EVER SINCE !
-(« HISTORTY IS ALWAYS A GOOD TEACHER »)!
-MOREOVER, WHAT TOOK PLACE RECENTLY IN THAT FRENCH WEST AFRRICAN NATION, POINTS OUT THE FACT THAT SUCH BLATANT REPRESSION STILL EXISTS IN(« IVORY COAST ») TILL NOW IN (2017)!FINALLY, IT SEEMS TODAY THE THE IVORIAN PRESS IS UNDER A SO CALLED SOFT MARTIAL LAW!AS A RESULT, IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION AS INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS SOLELY ON THE RECENT FACTS AFTER ALL WHAT OBTAINS TODAY, REMAINS A CONSPICUOUS RESULT OF VARIOUS PROCESSES ROOTED IN THE PAST.AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE OUGHT TO INSTILL IN OUR MINDS THE FACT THAT « HISTORY IS ALWAYS A GOOD TEACHER » AND ITS « LESSONS MUST BE LEARNT » IN ORDER TO CORRECTLY FIND OUR WAY INTO THE EVENTUAL BRIGHTER FUTURE OF « IVORY COAST » RELATED TO THE EMERGENCE ECONOMIC STAGE!DEFINTELY, WE OUGHT TO LEARN FROM THE PAST OF « IVORY COAST » AND THE WHOLE OF AFRICA, JUST TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE LIGHT OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE!THINK ABOUT IT THE NEW AFRICAN ELITE AS A WHOLE!
(FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR AND MANAGING EDITOR)(YVES T BOUAZO)