In certain parts of Africa, female genital mutilation (FGM) has been linked to religion, with Muslim communities mistakenly believing that the practice is a religious requirement. But in Côte d’Ivoire, religion is also being put at the service of fighting FGM — sometimes referred to as female circumcision.
Côte d’Ivoire is ending the year on a turbulent note, with protests against President Laurent Gbagbo’s decision to reinstate officials implicated in the recent toxic-waste scandal — and ongoing tensions between Gbagbo and Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny.
To get a sense of the problems besetting prisons in Côte d’Ivoire, look no further than Building C of the House of Arrest and Correction of Abidjan (Maca). The 115 detainees crowded together in this building share just one toilet, and barely manage a daily shower. Maca, the largest prison in southern Côte d’Ivoire, is home to more than 4 000 prisoners — even though the 26-year-old facility was built for just half that number.
As illnesses go, Buruli ulcer does not receive the attention given to conditions such as HIV/Aids or bird flu: the World Health Organisation has even termed it a ”neglected tropical disease”. In the conflict-torn nation of Côte d’Ivoire, however, matters are somewhat different.
