BY WILLIAM J. FIGHTER

Gouza Nahounou, an Ivorian national who lives in France, is one of those members of the African diaspora who remain closely in touch with the mother homeland by traveling back and forth, and, more importantly, by making significant contributions. Nahounou, an activist and political analyst, hosts a regularly-scheduled show on Facebook that is watched and liked by tens of thousands of viewers.

Despite the passage of time and the government’s efforts to bring about healing, Côte d’Ivoire is still hurting from the wounds of the various outbreaks of violence that have shaken the West African nation since the demise of its founder father, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, in 1993. The violent rebellion of 2002, and later the post-election civil war of 2011 that claimed 3000 lives did not spare any region, but the toll on the western region is the heaviest, with innumerable orphans, widows, and handicaps. “I’ve always wondered how can I assist the people of this beautiful region, share a moment of joy with them, help them learn again to live together,” Nahounou told The African.

She found the answer this past holiday season. Acting under the umbrella of her non-profit organization, ID2P-IDÉES DE PAIX (Ideas for Peace,) which is officially recognized by the French government, Nahounou organized an event she dubbed “Noel Pour Tous” (Christmas For All) to put a smile on the faces of disadvantaged children in the area. The unprecedented, mega-event brought together more than 3000 disadvantaged children in the town of Duekoue, in the Guemon region. After a memorable, hours-long party, the children returned home loaded with Christmas presents. A content Nahounou told The African how thrilled she was “to turn the martyr town of Duekoue into a symbol of Peace and Living Together.”

A regular commentator on political events in Côte d’Ivoire for “The African,” Nahounou weighed in on the upcoming presidential election in her home country. Beforehand, calling herself a “die-hard republican fully committed to the values of peace and democracy,” she stated her presumed neutrality: “As a careful observer of the African political theater in general, and that of my country, Côte d’Ivoire, in particular, I belong to no political chapter, which enables me to have total freedom of speech.”

Stating that “Côte d’Ivoire is at a critical junction of its evolution as an independent republic,” and that “the upcoming presidential election of October rings a bell of warning,” Nahounou says “this is a time to show political maturity, or throw Côte d’Ivoire in a civil war.” In reaction to the controversy triggered by President Ouattara’s plan to run for a third term, she commended the president for “doing a good job” with the economy, and for showing his commitment to democracy by pushing the candidacy of his prime minister and long-time assistant, the late Amadou Gon Coulibaly. She then deplored the passing away of the prime minister and stated, emphatically: “Today, to succeed the candidate Amadou Gon Coulibaly, with one’s eyes closed, one chooses Alassane Ouattara.”

Nahounou is adamant both former presidents Henri Konan Bédié and Laurent Gbagbo have failed, on the ground that they “have depleted the country, brought along pillage and rebellions along ethnic lines.”

In an interview with The African, the political commentator and social activist who always calls it what it is, sometimes using undiplomatic language, commented on the arrest warrant issued last year by the government against former speaker/prime minister Guillaume Soro: “Soro likes to feel sorry for himself, as if everyone should feel the same way. He’s solely responsible for this s..t. He wanted to play with fire, like a bad and careless boy. It’s time for him to pay the price.”

Soro, a college drop-out, rose from obscurity and poverty to fame and wealth thanks to the 2002 rebellion against then-President Laurent Gbagbo. Being the official voice of the rebellion, he skillfully took advantage of it to secure the position of prime minister under Gbagbo, only to switch his allegiance to President Ouattara during the 2011 civil war.