Cartoonists and satirists enjoy relatively higher levels of freedom in Ivory Coast compared to their journalist counterparts who often live in fear.

By Selay Marius Kouassi

Physical assaults, arrests and illegal detentions of journalists and editors, kidnappings, torching of press buildings, revocation of press cards and banning of radio stations are part of the lives of news professionals in Ivory Coast.

In the midst of this repression, the cartoonists and journalists of Gbich, the country’s only weekly satirical newspaper, operate freely and avoid harassment.

Cartoons, that could easily be considered “insulting” elsewhere, do not seem to get Gbich journalists and cartoonists into trouble.

Some of the cartoons of Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara (in compromising positions with vulgar language) could not have been made of presidents Jacob Zuma, Goodluck Jonathan, Abdoulaye Wade or Robert Mugabe, and published in their respective countries. Yet in Ivory Coast, they are not only published but also quite popular among the readers.

Humour and derision
Gbich Cartoonist and Publications Manager, Lassane Zohoré, recalls the advice of former Communications Minister, SY Savané, when he told him about his intention to launch a newspaper: “Your paper will survive only if you manage to find a better approach within a year”

Zohoré has chosen satire to depict the daily life of the Ivorian people, a topic that brings everyone together through humour and derision.

More than a decade later, the newspaper is growing and freely tackles important questions in a distinctive manner. Has Zohoré found the right approach?

Gbich is by no means soft on politicians, including the President. Its slogan says it all: “The newspaper that strikes hard!” Yet the paper does not anger politicians or the soldiers they control or even their most passionate followers.

Endorsed by politicians
Gbich published its first edition in 1999, under the reign of former President Henri Konan Bédié, and was not bothered. In December 2004, the then President, Laurent Gbagbo, made a surprise appearance at the newspaper’s head office and declared he was “a fan” of the paper that never stopped “taunting” him.

Five years later, at the newspaper’s tenth anniversary celebration at the Palace of Culture of Abidjan-Treichville, Gbagbo was represented by his Special Communications Adviser, Sylvaire Nébout, who declared: “Your newspaper helps us unwind and relax, thank you very much! You ingeniously tackle political questions with an Ivorian flair […]”.

Already, the newly elected President, Alassane Ouattara, has appointed the Publications Manager of Gbich in a commission for the pacification of the population. “There is an appreciation for the role the newspaper played during the crisis”, explains Zohoré. Yet during the Ivorian crisis, the Gbich was tough toward both the Gbagbo and the Ouattara camps.

A bright future
Gbich is climbing the ladder of success, with an exceptional expansion of its reader base – which even includes illiterate people. The satirical periodical has recently introduced, Gbichton, for children and Go Magazine for women and Afrika Toon, which specialises in producing 2D and 3D animation movies. Gbich FM, a satirical radio station, will be launched in 2012.

Does satire guarantee complete freedom of press? It would certainly appear so.

The inherent jeering character of the Ivorian people inevitably draws it toward anything possibly funny.
Also, the Ivorian authorities believe, rightly or wrongly so, that if a message were passed through comical means, the average Ivorian would only remember the funny aspect and lose the essence if the message. This may partly explain the authorities’ ‘soft’ attitude towards satirical press.

As long as this belief persists, the satirical press will continue to flourish. The satire on which it relies seems to guarantee press freedom in Ivory Coast.