Ivory Coast: woubi, when homosexuality is frolic

The “woubi or homosexuality” phenomenon is giving rise to more and more debates in Ivory Coast. This term, popularized in urban environments, refers to men who adopt effeminate behavior or maintain relationships with other men. For some, this attitude is seen as an attack on African cultural values, where family and tradition play a central role.

“We have our traditions and customs in Ivory Coast. I am Akan, at home, our parents never showed us this path of homosexuality (woubi), and therefore I do not understand this practice on Ivorian soil”protests Gnamien DeBeoumi, mechanic.

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In Ivory Coast for some time these woubi who try to show their faces while strutting in the streets of Abidjan, have suffered the sentence of the population already visibly angry against this practice.

The tension around the issue of homosexuality in Côte d’Ivoire has reached a milestone with the campaign “No to woubi» or even «down with the woubi“. Launched last August, this initiative, which began on the web, saw thousands of Ivorian Internet users post messages to denounce and slow down the normalization of homosexuality in the country.

The results were not long in coming: homophobic attacks were reported in several communes of Abidjan and in a few towns in the interior of the country.

This mobilization was catalyzed by the broadcast of a controversial video in which young Ivorian homosexuals appear dressed in women’s clothing, an image perceived as provocative by many citizens.

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In Abidjan, the streets saw young people gather, notably in Yopougon in the Toits Rouges district, to demonstrate their disagreement during a peaceful march. This opposition also brought together Ivorians from different backgrounds, civil, political and social, around the same goal: to fight against what they perceive as a scourge. Debates have also intensified, whether online, on TV or in public panels, illustrating the scale of the phenomenon

“Never in the history of Africans, especially in Côte d’Ivoire, have we read somewhere that our ancestors practiced woubi. The funny thing is that they display themselves and proudly. Let this stop now. Our young people are the future of our country. I can’t wait for this practice to be banned.” wishes N’guessan Arsène, an economic operator.

Others point the finger at senior figures in the country for being at the root of this phenomenon, “the real woubi are in the government. We’ve been talking for months but the authorities say nothing concrete” gets annoyed Moro Frédéric, transport agent.

For him, this would explain the government’s inaction in issuing decrees banning woubi on Ivorian soil. Even when law 2019-570 of June 26, 2019 relating to marriage provides that marriage is the union of a man and a woman celebrated before the civil registrar. “Let the State take a closer look at this matter in order to put an end to it once and for all. The woubi phenomenon worries parents a lot. asks Traoré Sétou, a mother.

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Responding to the debate on homosexuality in Côte d’Ivoire, the deputy government spokesperson, Mamadou Touré mentioned “a misunderstanding”.

The anti-Woubi wave started on social networks at the beginning of August, after rumors denouncing a case of child abuse which allegedly involved a homosexual person.

While some call for firmer repression, others, more discreet, believe that each individual must be free to make their choices. But for now, it is an Ivorian society, torn between modernity and tradition, which is trying to defend its intrinsic values ​​in the face of this growing practice in a country that respects ancestral traditional values.

Note that on a legal level, the situation is complex. No Ivorian law clearly prohibits homosexuality, but none protects it either. This legal vacuum leaves room for multiple interpretations and silent tolerance.