Country Profile: The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire, pronounced "coat-div-whar"

History
Pre Colonial 
Historians have a hard time pinning down the first inhabitants of Côte d'Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast). What we do know is that West Africa had a plethora of emerging and declining empires, most notably the The Ashanti Empire, the Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Kingdom of Dahomey, and the Ashanti Kingdom. Islam was brought to western Africa by North African traders in the 11th century. This became a widely accepted and practiced religion on many parts of the region, including what is contemporary northern Côte d'Ivoire which by the 14th centruy was ruled by the Mali Empire. The Songhai Empire emerged from 14th-16th century followed by regional warfare which forced many people to move south to a natural boundary, a rain forest. This allowed people to avoid military and political conflicts as they began to make a living in villages by hunting and farming. 

More states and empires rose and fell throughout the ensuing centuries. The Juula (also Dyula or Dioula) established the Muslim Kong Empire in the early 18th century. The became the center for crafts and agriculture but were ultimately brought down because of conflics over ethnic and religious diversity. The Abron Kingdom of Jaman expanded to Bondoukou, a north eastern city in present day Côte d'Ivoire. Bondoukou and Kong (another northern city) became major centers of commerce and Islam, people came from all over West Africa to study at the Quranic schools there. Other Akan groups (an ethnic group in present day southern Ghana and adjacent parts of Côte d'Ivoire) fled the Ashanti Kingdom and established the Baoulé (ou Baule) Kingdom in Sakasso (a district in central Côte d'Ivoire), which is known for its remarkable blending of Akan and local traditions, and two Angi kingdoms called Indénié and Sanwi (both in the south easten part of the country). These kingdoms eventually split into smaller chiefdoms. But despite this breakup, its important to note that the Baoulé strongly resisted French colonization and subjugation.

Colonial
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make their way down the West coast of Africa followed by the French, both of whom came in search of slaves and ivory. However, because of its relative isolation, Côte d'Ivoire suffered much less from the slave trade than other countries in the region

Treaties were signed between France and many coastal chiefs which permitted them to begin building trading posts and forts in the 1830s. Establishing this early presence and infrastructure was critical in securing the exploitation of country's natural resources during and after the Scramble for Africa.

Then ensued the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884–85, when a bunch of rich white men sat down together and drew lines on a map of places they had never been putting claim on what was "rightfully theirs". To quickly show the absurdity of the way this continent was split up - I found a map that has national boarders in black and a variety of different colors to show the countless ethnic groups across the continent - something that was not taken into consideration when stealing and claiming this land. Another map I included shows colonial rule by western power.



As I already mentioned, there was much resistance against French imperialism, even in places that had previously singed treaties. One of the most notable leaders of the resistance was Samori Touré. Although his mother was captured and forced into the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, he went on to found and lead the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic empire that was in present-day south-eastern Guinea, north-eastern Sierra Leone, some of Mali and parts of northern Côte d'Ivoire. He was eventually captured by the French 1898 and deported. Sekou Toure, Guinea's first president, was his great-grandson. I found this ancient New York Times article from 1898 on his capture. This makes me think of the quote I saw for the first time inside the walls of Fort Prinzenstein which was used in the slave trade in Keta, Ghana:

In addition to imposing several head taxes that were met with strong opposition from the Ivorian people, France also launched several "pacification" campaigns in attempts to completely conquer the people and force them to assimilate through divide-and-conquer tactics aimed at the educated elite. During World War II, 40,000 Ivorians were forced to fight for the French army.


Post Colonial
Eventually, after years of subjugation, the French finally released its tight grip on their colonies, including Côte d'Ivoire. On August 7th, 1960, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire was born under President Felix Houphouet-Boigny who held power until his death in 1993. As president, it's said that Felix led many unifying actions between other African countries and focused on cooperation, and economic/political policies. However, he was seen as more conservative than many other African presidents during that time, meaning that he didn't have an anti-western stance and still let France meddle in their affairs. He opposed many great revolutionary leaders such as the late Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso and President Olympio of Togo – both assassinated by their successors with French support.

After Felix's death, Henri Konan Bédié, his deputy, became president. In 1999, Côte d'Ivoire experienced its first coup-d'etat by a former army commander named Robert Guéï, An economic downturn followed, and Guéï was defeated in the 2000 presidential elections. At first, Guéï refused to accept the results but after mass protests, he stepped down and allowed Laurent Gbagbo to step in as president. This is when things started to, as one may say, go down hill.

After a few years of disputes and mediocre attempts at power negotiations between President Gbagbo's mainly southern Christian supporters and followers of his main opponent Alessandre Ouattara (mostly Muslims from the north), the first civil war broke out in September of 2002 with an attempted coup led by northern army officers. More details and background here. These officers and theyr supporters gained control of the northern half of the country and the country plummeted into a 5-year civil war. Some say that the national football (American soccer) team actually played a huge role in securing a temporary truce when it qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as it brought opposing parties together. I think this speaks volumes to how important football is for so many Africans.

In 2007, President Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro (essentially the leader of the opposition) signed a peace agreement, the Ouagadougou Agreement, that but Soro as the Prime Minister. They also decided to hold fresh elections which were delayed until October 2010, 5 years after Gbagbo's term of office was supposed to have expired.

Alassane Ouattara had won the second round of elections against Gbagbo with 54% but these results were invalidated by the Constitutional Council (CC) who then named Gbagbo as the rightful victor and swore him in as the President in December of that year. Naturally, violence clashes erupted across the country despite the rhetoric of "reunification".  About 3,000 lost their lives in the violence that followed until Gbagbo was captured in April 2011. He is now being tried for crimes against humanity at the Hague. Here is a little article explaining more that is coincidentally written by my old Wolof and French professor from University of Florida Gainesville.

There is still ongoing peacebuilding work happening throughout the country. The first peaceful presidential election in more than two decades took place in 2015. Ouattara was re-elected with over 80% of the vote. The next elections will be held in 2020 and already have people talking. There is no clear successor that has emerged and the Ivorian constitution states there is a two term limit. Legislative elections were held in Dec 2016

Legislative elections recently took place (Dec 2016) and saw a very large number of independent candidates although the main party, The Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) and the party of President Ouattara, won the majority and most of the key figures kept or won their seats. As the new government was to take over, the new Constitution was being voted on and the President was preparing to appoint the President of Parliament, the Vice President and the Prime Minister - an unexpected (or maybe expected - depending on who you ask) mutiny took over several towns and cities in the country for several days demanding back pay. Things have since quieted down but only time will tell...

Government

Since we are all caught up on a brief history of CI (Côte d'Ivoire), I will attempt to explain the interworkof the government here, how things are supposed to work there.

Yamoussoukro, affectionately known as Yakro for short has been the official capital since 1983 but the bigger and busier Abidjan is the commercial and administrative center. The country's legal system observes a civil law system based on the French civil code. Similar to the US, Côte d'Ivoire has a legislative, judicial and executive branches of government.

Under the executive branch, the head of government (aka the Prime Minister) and members of the cabinet (aka the Council of Ministers) are all appointed by the president himself. The legislative branch is comprised of a 255 member National Assembly (elected by popular vote for 5-year terms). These were the elections from December 2016 I mentioned earlier. There is a Supreme Court which consists of four chambers: Judicial, Audit, Constitutional, and Administrative. Audit Chamber for financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases. There is no limit to the number of members and judges are appointed for life (by the Superior Council of the Magistratur)

Economy

Like many countries that were colonized by the French, Côte d'Ivoire uses the West African FCFA franc which is currently at 621 FCFA to 1 USD. This is good for Americans that travel there because its went up the last few years from just under 500 to $1 meaning, we get more bang for our buck! The ountries average real GDP growth is one of the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa with a rate averaging 8.5% annually from 2012 - 2015. This growth is mostly driven by agriculture, services, industry, increased domestic demand, and rising investment. Real GDP growth is projected to reach 7.8% and 8% for 2016 and 2017 respectively.

During the turmoil in the late 1990's and early 2000's mentioned above, the African Development Bank (AFB) had moved their headquarters from Abidjan to Tunis, Tunisia but in 2014, after seeing years of political stability and a promising economic market, they moved back.

Côte d'Ivoire has not only Africa's fastest growing economy but it is also the worlds largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans! In addition, it also significantly produces and exports palm oil and coffee. Although nearly 70% of the population engages in agricultural activities its not surprisingly that oil and gas production have become more important than agricultural activities due to its higher revenues. Côte d'Ivoire has a large amount of offshore oil and gas production, enough to provide natural gas to fuel electricity exports in Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Sadly, even with all of this great economic improvement, successful and peaceful political transitions, and expanding market opportunities - coacoa farmers are in a financial crisis (affecting more than 1/4 of the population), ex-military members participated in a mutiny earlier this year (another article here), and nearly HALF the population is living below the poverty line. A 2002 study estimates that at least 650,000 children are involved in the cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire - that is to say - child labor, much of which is reportedly forced child labor. So, although it appears the country is moving in the right direct and has a bright future, there are still many aspects that can be improved upon.

Culture

Like many other African countries whos boarders were decided by greedy clueless white men, Côte d'Ivoire is quite ethnically and religiously diverse with over 60 different ethnic groups. And although the official language is French, there are over 60 languages spoken in the country.

According to the CIA Word Factbook, 38.6% of the population is Muslim and 32.8% are Christian. I also saw other cites stating 27% and 34%, and 40% and 45% respectively. Alas, the exact religious make up is clearly a contended topic. Regardless of the exact number, I was plesently surprised to see double digets for ingigenous beliefs - something that I've rarely seen (only Togo and Benin, that I am aware of, pass this number). Makes me think that maybe their resistance to the French colonial powers had something to do with their grip on traditional and indigenous beliefs.

As I said, there are indeed over 60 ethnic groups but this number is sometimes reduced to seven different clusters that share several common cultural and historical characteristics. This can then be redued again to four major cultural regions: the East Atlantic (primarily Akan), West Atlantic (primarily Kru), Voltaic, and Mandé. These are all very different traditionally, cultural, etc. The four major branches of the Niger-Congo language are spoken among Ivoirians, including the Kwa, Atlantic, Mande, and Voltaic which all correspond to the four cultural regions previously mentioned. I was surprised to read that no single African language is spoken by a majority of the population. Which is contrary to many other countries I've lived in and research.

In my opinion, one of the most recent and internationally known cultural aspects of Côte d'Ivoire is their famous dace, Coupé Décalé which was actually banned in Cameroon while I was living there.

Military

Geography

12 districts and 2 autonomous districts*; Abidjan*, Bas-Sassandra, Comoe, Denguele, Goh-Djiboua, Lacs, Lagunes, Montagnes, Sassandra-Marahoue, Savanes, Vallee du Bandama, Woroba, Yamoussoukro*, Zanzan



Extra
CIA World Factbook
Insight on Conflict

اكل : Akel : Food

Today marks exactly thirty-five days 
since my arrival in Jordan!

Noted: Working from Arabic to English is extremely difficult because I dont know the Arabic alphabet and for me - I have to first find someone to transliterate a word from Arabic and then translate from the transliterated Arabic. Confusing right? This word was pretty new to me - "transliteration" but it makes sense and I like it - it makes reading Arabic easier, even though its not really Arabic anymore.

For example, the title of the post: اكل : Akel : Food

This goes from Arabic to transliterated Arabic to English.

My short lived hopes and dreams of taking Arabic classes while in Jordan were squashed with the reality of TIME. I have no time here. I came here to "recover" but like my Dad, I can't sit still.

The last couple of weeks I've been really trying to "dive" into Jordan. I only have a short time here and want to soak up as much food, culture, music, sightseeing, and tradition as I can.

I've always said the fastest way to learn about a new place/

group of people is through their food (and music). This is my 

culinary experience thus far:

Mezzes are appetizers and here in Jordan. They are a must before dinner or even as a snack during the day. They include foods such as hummus, baba ghanoush, kibbe maqliya, tabouleh, falafel, and za'tar. This list is not exhausted but are some of the most popular in the Levant (a region that generally includs Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey) and usually eaten with pita bread (a type of flat bread with a pocket)!

 

-Hummus, as many of you likely know, is a cooked/mashed chick pea base dip or spread made with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
-Baba ghanoush is cooked eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and various seasonings.

-Tabouleh, in addition to falafel and hummus, is another dish I had known before arriving here in Jordan. Its comprised of finely chopped tomatoes, parsley, mint, bulgur and onion. Then, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Sometimes people will substitute couscous for the bulgur and some people add garlic. It's so fresh, light and healthy!
-Falafels are everywhere and ridiculously cheap! The deep-fried balls made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans can be found on nearly every corner for less than 50 cents.
-Za'tar, the name of my boss's dog, is a powerful blend of herbs, sesame and salt that is usually put on bread. It sort of reminds me of the italian type herbs/spices they give you before the main course at fancy restaurants.
-Kibbeh maklieh, sometimes more commonly known as fried kefta, are fried balls of beef and crushed wheat that are stuffed with spiced ground beef and pine nuts.

Kibbeh Makleih!

Another "appetizer" or smaller meal is Al-Rashoof Soup which consists of coarse wheat flour, yogurt and lentils. I was told this is often times served before/with Mansaf.

Found this soup at Souq el Sodfeh (سوق الصدفة) Farmers Market in Jabal al-Weibdeh

Al-Kabseh (also written Kabsa), which Jordanians tell me is a Saudi dish, is red rice with chicken, vegitables, and lots of spices (cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, black lime, bay leaves and nutmeg). Apparently, Mandi is a type of Kabseh so I guess I have tried this type of dish after all. Mandi has probably been my favorite food so far - not including the mezzes! The word "mandi" comes from the Arabic word nada, meaning "dew" which reflects the moist 'dewy' texture of the meat (chicken or lamb) which is cooked special in a tandoor (a cylindrical clay or metal oven). In addition to the meat, there is a redish rice and, yup, a bunch of spices with a delicious red chili sauce to pour on top.

Another common food, both in Jordan, the Levant, and the US, is shish-kebab! Or taouk-kebab if it's chicken and kofta-kebab if it's lamb. Often times you will find that you can order a platter that has all three of these (beef, chicken and lamb) as well as kefta. Kefta. Is. Amazing. It's ground beef or lamb mixed with mixed with cumin, paprika, minced onion, coriander, mint leaves, and parsley. Sometimes people will add cinnamon, cayenne pepper - but it's optional.

Photo credit: Frédérique Voisin-Demery/Flickr

When I think of Maqloobeh I think of pineapple upside down cake but for dinner, and not sweet. You throw tons of chicken, rice, veggies, baharat spice and a few other goodies in a pot being careful as to not stir it while it cooks. After everything is done - you flip the pot over so its sort of like a layered casserole. Sadly when I tried this dish it was at a buffet and wasn't prepared as beautifully as it should of/could of been.  

Manakish, quick, delicious, found on the street everywhere, and in my opinion, quite similar to pizza. Ok, not really but they are shaped the same and sort of look the same. Its pretty much baked flat dough with toppings but no sauce. Toppings include za'atar, cheese (usually one called kashkaval), minced lamb, chili, spinach, fried eggplant and more.
 As they say, save the best for last. Mansaf is by far the most beloved traditional dish in all of Jordan. you haven't tasted Jordanian cuisine until you've tasted mansaf.  lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served with rice    served on a large platter with a layer of flatbread (markook or shrak) topped with rice and then meat, garnished with almonds and pine nuts, and then sauce poured over all

The next dishes that are on my "to eat" list (yes, I have one of those) are: Mlokhiye, Konafa, M'askhen, and Bamyeh!

But of course, no meal is complete without argeeleh (shisha) and limon wa nana (mint, sugar, and lemonade blended).

My first limon wa nana :)

Do you have a favorite Jordanian or Levantine food?

Did I miss any good ones?

Country Profile: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Motto:

الله، الوطن، الملك
Allah - Al-Waṭan - Al-Malik 

God - Country - The King

History

The history of Jordan is too dense and too long to cover in what I was hoping to be a handful of succinct paragraphs. Know that what I write here is by no means an exhausted and fully descriptive history of what is now known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. See the bottom of this post for some suggestions on Middle Eastern and Jordanian reads.

Pre-colonization

According to archaeologists, there have been inhabitants in this region as far back as the Paleolithic period (or 500000 - 17000 BC). Three kingdoms sprouted out during the Iron Age (c. 1200-332 BCE) and next was the rise of the Nabatean kingdom who's capital was Petra (in the south of present day Jordan). From approximately 661 until 750 CE the Arab-Islamic Umayyad Empire, which was the first Muslim dynasty, took over Jordan and were succeeded by the Abbasids (750-1258). Jordan was ruled by various powers and empires until finally the the Ottomans, who captured and ruled major parts of the Arab World from 1516-1918 CE.

After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was broken up and similarly to what happened in Africa - random white guys as part of the The Council of the League of Nations redrew lines on a map and called it the Middle East.

Colonialization

In 1922, Transjordan took shape and was recognized as a state under British "supervision". At this point, Britain also had mandates over Palestine and Iraq while France was given the mandate over Syria and Lebanon. Abdullah I was made Emir (title of various Muslim [usually Arab] rulers) and the country was split into three administrative districts (north, central and south). Slowly the British mandate began to loosen and the period between the two world wars became sort of like a consolidation and institutionalization in Transjordan. On March 22, 1946, Abdullah negotiated the Anglo-Transjordanian Treaty that ended the British mandate and allowed for full independence for Transjordan. Shortly after on March 25th, Abdullah I was proclaimed king and officially changed the name from the Emirate of Transjordan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan which was shortened in Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1949.

"A women's history can never be divorced from a nation's history of confrontation 

and struggles, especially in colonial contexts where women have been held prisoners to 

both the colonizer and the colonized, each of whom sought control oft er the other thought 

the control of women. The colonizer drew upon his Enlightenment universal ideal of female 

liberation as a means for subverting and dehumanizing the local male while the latter, the 

proverbial colonized and oppressed 'local' male, strove to control the female veiled body as 

means for holding on to tradition in the face of the modernizing efforts of the colonizer. " 

 - Salam Al-Mahadin in "Jordanian women in education: 

politics, pedagogy and gender discourses" (2004, p. 25)

Post-Colonialization 

In 1948, the British terminated their mandate over Palestine (which had been experiencing an influx of Jewish immigrants since the 1920s) and the Jews immediately proclaimed the independence of the state of Israel. The Arab Legion (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq) defended the Arabs of Palestine but lost. In the end, Jordan was left with the West Bank, over half a million refugees (whom received immediate citizenship) and the state of Israel remained. In 1951 King Abdullah I was assassinated and was succeeded by his eldest son, King Tala who only ruled for less than a year before his son, King Hussein took over in 1952.

Jordan saw another massive incoming of refugees in 1967 as a result of the Six-Day War. Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq fought against Israel who during the war took control of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Prior to this (in 1966) Jordan had a Palestinian refugee population of 700,000 - afterwards it increased by another 300,000. Subsequently, there was the Jordanian Civil War (aka Black September) that started in September of 1970 and ended in July of 1971. It was fought between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Armed Forces. Over the next decades the country experienced a couple of attempted military coups (all unsuccessful), several riots (usually over increased prices), numerous boycotted elections, a suicide bombing attack (leaving 60 dead) in 2005, and a handful of PMs appointed by the King.

Currently, Jordan is home to almost 1 million Syrian refugees in addition to 2 million Palestinian refugees, all of whom are fleeing either occupation or civil war in their country. Yes, it's true, the resurgence of Islamic militancy in the region does present a bit of a security threat in Jordan, particularly Amman. But as we have seen with the recent attacks in Paris, this heightened threat is worldwide.

"Traditional boundaries were separated in place of colonial distinctions, while strategic support of different ethnic and religious groups created imbalances and patterns of destructive behavior that continue to rock the region. Without this legitimacy and with often conflicting goals, the instability and conflict plaguing the region has led to the displacing of millions of people both within national borders as IDPs and outside as refugees." - Will Clifton in "Jordan’s Refugee Crisis and Regional Implications" (2015, p. 2)

Government   

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is officially classified as a constitutional monarchy that is comprised of an Executive branch, a Legislative branch and a Judicial branch, just like the US. Under the Executive branch you find the Chief of State who is the King himself, the head of the government (aka the Prime Minister) and the cabinet. This monarchy is hereditary, the PM is appointed by the King and the cabinet is appointed by the PM "in consultation with" the King. The Legislative branch is made up of the Senate (aka the House of Notables) which has 60 seats - all of which are appointed by the King and have 4 year terms. There is a Chamber of Deputies (aka House of Representatives) that has 150 seats of which 108 are directly elected by vote - 15 of these seats are reserved for women! Gee 10%, how thoughtful! I wonder if they realize women are 50% of the population? According to my co-worker, in the past there was actually more women but because "they talk too much" - the public decided not to vote as many in this time around. But hey, I can't say much coming from the United States of America -- it isn't much better there. Lastly, there is the highest court (aka the Supreme Court) which consists of 7 judges under the Judicial branch. The chief justice is appointed by the King and the other judges are nominated by the Higher Judicial Council and approved by the King.

So from the looks of this research...the King has his hands in everything. Their national anthem is even called "As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" which translates to "Long Live the King of Jordan", not too dissimilar to Britain's "God Save the Queen".

This is last years Christmas card from the Royal family.
The young man in the back left will be the next King.

After the 2010 elections, democracy was said to "still be far off". There was only 53% voter turn out in this election which is just enough to make it credible. Many called for a boycott of the 2013 Parliamentary elections to show that the citizens demand democracy. This article is written by a Jordanian political activists goes into detail on why he states that "Jordan's constitution is weighted in favor of King Abdullah's regime." Despite all of this, USAID and others believe that Jordan is slowly transitioning from a monarchy to democracy, due to both internal and external pressure.

According to Transparency International, Jordan is ranked 55/175 (175 is total number of countries) and scored a 49/100 (0=extremely corrupt/100=clean). TI uses their own index drawing on corruption-related data from expert and business surveys carried out by a variety of independent and reputable institutions to determine their ratings.

Since arriving here I haven't experienced all that much "corruption" as opposed to when I was in Cameroon. However, I am learning more about this thing they call wasta which many insists is not corruption... I'm skeptical. Once I learn more, I will write about this "wasta" thing which from what I can gather, is giving people money who do you favors who may later give you money when you do them a favor. It's more complicated than that, but I'm not totally aware of it yet.

 

Economy

According to the World Bank (of whom I'm not a fan but will resort to their data as I am far to lazy to collect and analyze my own), Jordan is classified as an "upper middle income" country with a total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of $5,422 per capita. To put this in perspective - the US is almost $55,000 per capita while Senegal is only $1,061 per capita. GDP per capita, in simple terms, is pretty much what the average amount of money a person makes in the country. Economists take the total income of a country (plain old GDP) and divide by the number of inhabitants. You can see how this number is totally off. How many people do you know who work in the US and don't make $55,000 and make way more?

Although Jordan's economy is among the smallest in the Middle East it is rated as one of the top 10 most competitive economies in MENA (Middle East and North Africa). But sadly, Jordan doesn't really have any natural resources of their own and their government relies heavily on foreign assistance.

66.4% of their GDP comes from services, 29.8% from industry and a small 3.8% from agriculture. Their agricultural products include citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, strawberries, stone fruits (like peaches or plums) and a few others. Their industries include tourism, information technology, clothing, fertilizers, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals and more.

According to the Jordan Economic Monitor (part of the World Bank), Jordan's economy is continuing to recover from the Arab Spring spillovers which include Egypt's gas disruptions, the neighboring Syrian and Iraqi conflicts and associated security incidents. Only 15% of their population falls below the poverty line and life expectancy is 74 years.

Looking past monetary figures (because we know this only paints parts of the picture), many professionals also use the Human Development Index (HDI). More recently experts have developed the Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index, the Gender Development Index (GDI), the Gender Inequality Index (GII), and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) which use a variety of means to attempt to determine what their title says. See the photos below for details on how they come up with these rankings and where Jordan ranks.

(Zoom in to read)

Culture

In terms of "ethnic groups", one may say Jordan is quite monolithic with 98% (this is debated - I've seen 97% too) being Arab and only 2% being Circassian, Assyrian, Chechen, Mandaean, Turkemen and Armenian. Approximately 97% are Muslim (predominantly Sunni) and just over 2% are Christian. There are also reports of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and others but a very small almost unquantifiable amount.

Don't forget this info graphic.
It puts things into perspective.

Looking the majority "Arab" population doesn't quite do justice for the small but various number of Bedouin tribes in the country. The name "bedouin" comes form the Arabic word badawi - which means "desert dweller". Traditionally, they live in tents and move from place to place in the desert, looking for food and water for their herds of camels, sheep and goats. Bedouins mainly live in the Arabian and Syrian deserts, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and the Sahara Desert. Total, they are about 4 million and share their lands with other cultural and religious groups. Like many others in Jordan, the majority speaks Arabic and practices Islam.

Map of where Bedouins are found

One thing I found particularly interesting is the 'classification' of Bedouins which depends on what animal species are the basis of their livelihood. First and most prestigious are the camel nomads, then come the sheep and goat nomads. Although many have 'transitioned' into a more modern style of life, many have remained nomadic but one thing that transcends lifestyle choices is their pride in their culture. Bedouins have their own music, dance, chanted poetry, and more.

Bedouin tribes and locations in Jordan

Military

The Jordanian Armed Forces, abbreviated as JAF, has an air-force, an army and a navy and/or coast guard (I found contradicting info) They are all under the control of the Commander-in-Chief who is none other than, the King himself. The main objectives are to: 1. Protect the Kingdom of Jordan borders from any invasion; 2. Protect the people inside the Kingdom and their rights; and 3. Protect the King of Jordan.

Jordan is the country with the 8th highest level of militarization according to the 2014 Global Military Index. Israel takes the cake on the most militarized country in the world, but to be fair, pretty much all countries Middle Eastern countries are highly militarized - with the exception of Qatar and Tunisia. This rating is created by looking at: Military expenditures as percentage of GDP; Military expenditures in relation to health spending; Military and paramilitary personnel in relation to population; Military reserves in relation to population; Military and paramilitary personnel in relation to physicians; and Heavy weapons in relation to population.

Recently, a Jordanian police captain killed five people (read the article) including two Americans. Also in October, Russia and Jordan decided to team up together to fight ISIS in the region. Another things - ISIS aka ISIL aka the Islamic State is called Da'esh here.

 

Geography

Nestled in the western middle of the Middle East (haha), Jordan borders Iraq, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. It's about the size of Maine (tiny bit smaller) and is a landlocked country. Although Jordan is home to the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, the Jordan River (where Jesus was apparently baptized) and some springs, the country often suffers water shortages that have been worsening with the influx of refugees.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth sitting below sea level, at 1,378 feet (420 meters)! The highest point Jabal Umm al Dami at 6082 feet (1854 meter) and right near the southern boarder of Saudi.

The country is comprised of 12 governorates (like regions): 'Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Al'Asimah, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba (FYI, "Al" is "The" in Arabic). Every governorate has a capital which has the same name as the govenorate - except for      Al Balqa whos capital is Salt. Ma'an, or so I'm told, is dangerous.

The 12 governorates of Jordan

The weather stays sunny here in Jordan, and according to this article, in one year Jordan sees over 310 days of sunshine! There are four seasons here but they are not extreme as they can get in some places, especially where I grew up in Wisconsin. In the winter months (December and January) temperatures can dip below freezing (and stay there for a little bit) and in the summer it gets quite hot, sometimes over 100F (38C) degrees, as it is a "desert". But the country is large and has a variety of elevations and climates so remember that this varies. For example in Amman right now (end of November) we are seeing a range of highs in the low to high 60s (once in a while dipping above 70 and below 60) while in the Dead Sea (only a couple hours away) its 70s and 80s most of the week.

Like almost ever corner of the world, desertification, drought and over-hunting have damaged the natural landscape. The Gulf of Aqaba has some of the best marine life in the Middle East and its coral reefs are "unmatched". 

 

Extra Information and Resources

This list is by no means exhausted.
It is my reference list for the information in this post (unless otherwise cited) and my reading list for continuing my learning on the region.

Colonial Effects: The Making of a National Identity in Jordan
History of Jordan
BBC Timeline
UNHCR
The World Factbook 
Building Democracy in Jordan: Women's Political Participation, Political Party Life and Democratic Elections

Country Profile: The Republic of Cameroon

Cameroon Flag
Photo Credit: CIA Factbook

Cameroon, Africa
Photo Credit: CIA Factbook

History

 

Pre-colonization
The Bakas (pygmies) were the earliest inhabitants of Cameroon and still inhabit the forests of the south and east provinces. The Portuguese arrived along the coast in the 1500s but malaria prevented significant European settlement and conquest of the interior until much later. In the late 1770s and early 1800s, pastoral Islamic people of the western Sahel known as the Fulani, took over most of what is now northern Cameroon. In doing so they displacing its largely non-Muslim original inhabitants.
Colonization
In 1884, all of present-day Cameroon and parts of several of its neighbors became a German colony with a capital first at Buea (where I will be living) and later at Yaoundé. After World War 1, this colony (and many other under German rule) was divided between the UK and France under a June 28, 1919 League of Nations mandate. A strip of land bordering Nigeria from the sea to Lake Chad was ruled by the British from Lagos (Nigeria) as British Cameroons. France gained a much larger chunk of land and ruled from Yaoundé as French Cameroons. An armed struggle for independence in French Cameroon began in 1955 by the outlawed Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), based largely among the Bamileke and Bassa ethnic groups. Death totals range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
Post-colonization
Finally gaining independence January 1st, 1960 the French Cameroons because The Republic of Cameroon. In 1961 the British Cameroons received their independence; both regions joined together to become the Federal Republic of Cameroon. A French-educated Fulani named Ahmadou Ahidjo was chosen President in 1961. He outlawed all political parties but his own in 1966 and suppressed the continuing UPC rebellion. The federation was replaced with a new constitution and a unitary state and the country began to set down the path towards a multi-party democracy. Ahidjo resigned as President in 1982 and was constitutionally succeeded by his Prime Minister, Paul Biya. There was a failed attempt of a coup to overthrow Biya in 1984. Biya won single-candidate elections in 1984 and 1988 and flawed multiparty elections in 1992 and 1997.

 

Government   

 

Cameroon, formally known as the Republic of Cameroon, is a multiparty presidential regime headed by one chief of state (President) and one head of government (Prime Minister). The legal system is primarily that of the French civil law but also includes some English common law and their own customary law. The government also includes a Cabinet (a group of high-ranking officials who representing the executive branch). Prospective Cabinet members are submitted by the Prime Minister to the President who makes the final decision and appoints all Cabinet members. The National Assembly has 180 seats and members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms. The president has the power to lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature. Note: the constitution calls for a Senate (an upper chamber for the legislature) but it has yet to be established. Cameroon also has a Supreme Court consisting of judges appointed by no other than the president himself. The Supreme Court highest court existing in the country and is subject to the oversight of only the High Court of Justice which consists of nine judges and six substitute judges and is elected by the National Assembly. Note: from the most current information I could find, all members of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Justice are male.

Paul Biya has been sitting as chief of state and President of Cameroon since 1982. The president is elected by popular vote for a 7 year term. Note: in 2008 there was a constitutional amendment which eliminated term limits for the President. The last elections where in October of 2011 so the next ones wont be until October 2018. In 2009 Philemon Yang was chosen to be the Prime Minister and head of government by, surprise surprise, the President himself.

The populatoin showed wide skepticism of the fairness and lawfulness of the election in general and many were hopeful that a new leader would be elected in 2011. But, evidently, Biya was able to defend his position with 78% of the vote in an election that had 'numerous irregularities'.

Economy    

Cameroon is classified by the World Bank as a lower middle income country and economically, is both a relatively poor country in terms of development and economic standing. However, Cameroon is a mineral rich country and depends a great deal on commodity exports and in a perfect world it would undoubtedly be classified as a developed country because of its wealth of resources. Note:  "The Resource Curse" as it has been called by scholars is a whole different topic and I won't get into that here.

Cameroon's largest exports are crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee and cotton and has a total export volume in excess of US $4.8 billions (2008). The nation's imports include machinery, transport equipment, fuel, food and electrical equipment. Cameroon's main trading partner is the European Union, accounting for 41.1% of total imports and 55.1% of exports.

The GDP (gross domestic product aka value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year) of Cameroon is $50.32 billion, which isn't bad for Sub-Saharan Africa. Cameroon boasts about having 'the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa' but its population has very little to show for this accomplishment. More than 48% of their population lives below the poverty line. One reason for this could be the rampant corruption throughout the country. Transparency International ranks Cameroon 144th out of 174 countries for transparency. Note: 174 = the most corrupt state: Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan tied for that prize. As for the 70% of the population that is employed (yes that's right, the unemployment rate is 30%) 70% of them work in agriculture, 17% in services and 13% in industry.

Although many economists and scholars prefer to use figures such as GDP to assess a countries development, I personally believe that the The Human Development Index (HDI) is a much more accurate depiction of development and progress. A major problem with looking at economic figures is that as a countries GDP and other factors are rising - the people in the country might not be getting the 'trickle down effect' of the economic progress. The HDI a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human  development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. It is used and recognized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Cameroon is said to have a low human development and ranks 151 out of 187 countries. Read more about the assessments used to calculate a countries HDI and Cameroon's HDI here. 

Side note: here is one of the most insightful and fascinating videos I have ever seen explaining global poverty. Please, take a look! It is a bit dated (2007) but without a doubt still relevant and interesting.

Because of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline and energy provider AES Sonel, the United States is now leading investor in Cameroon. China has recently become the number one importer of Cameroonian exports, especially unprocessed timber. There are many reports (just a few here: one, two, three, four and five) of massive clear-cutting in the northern region of Cameroon leading to major environmental degradation, deforestation and the threatened extinction of not only animals, but also of the pygmy tribes in Central Africa. There is more information on China's relationship with Cameroon and what it could potential lead to here. Thank you WikiLeaks.

 

Military

The Cameroon Armed Forces are under the responsibility of the Chief of Staff, Nkoa Atenga. The Armed forces, consisting of between 38,000-40,000 men and women, include three branches: the Army, the Navy (including naval infantry) and the Air Force. There is no compulsory enlistment, everything is on a volunteer basis but it is a four-year obligation and both male and females must have a high school diploma.

As confirmed by a US diplomatic cable that was made public by the beloved WikiLeaks, "China has an ongoing military-military relationship with Cameroon, which includes training for Cameroonian military students each year in China, technical advisors to assist in repairing Cameroonian military vehicles and naval vessels, and Chinese military sales."

Because Cameroon Armed Forces does not have operational experience against other forces, it is not possible to assess its ability to respond to changing threats, opposing tactics nor its willingness and capacity to use military force. The good news is, they have sent special forces to the North to protect against poachers entering from Chad and Central African Republic. Last year, over 200 elephants were slaughtered by poachers - Cameroon special forces are hoping to prevent a repeat.

Culture

There are approximately 250 different ethnic groups in Cameroon. The largest groups are Western Highlanders/Grassfielders (Bamileke, Bamoun) found in the Northwest making up 38%; Kirdi (non-Islamic Northerners) found in the Northern Desert/Central Highlands region making up 18%; Southern Tropical Forest Peoples  (Beti group: Ewondo, Eton, Bane, etc) located in the South making up 18%; Fulani (Islamic Northerners) found in the Sahel/Northern Desert making up 14% and Coastal Tropical Forest Peoples (Bassa,  Duala, etc.) found in the Southwest making up 12%.
[FYI: other statistics show: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%]

Cameroon Ethnic Make up and Location
Photo Credit: Stanford University

As reported by the , There are 286 individual languages listed for Cameroon. Of those, 278 are 'living languages' (meaning that there are continuously people speaking them), 3 are second languages (without mother-tongue speakers), and 5 have no known speakers (meaning it could be/probably is a dead language). Cameroon is officially a bi-lingual country with English and French as it's two official languages.

Jungle road from Nigeria to Cameroon

Paul on the jungle road.

There is no official religion of Cameroon and I found many reputable statistics to be conflicting. Cameroonians have a variety of religious beliefs, and many individuals combine beliefs and practices of world religions with those of their own culture groups. Between 40-50% of the population are members of Christian denominations, about 25-40% practice mainly "traditional" religions, and approximately 20% percent are Muslim. Most Christians live in the southern areas, and most Muslims in the north. This religious diversity hasn't caused violent clashes like in other neighboring countries. In many African countires, Cameroon included, Christian missions constituted an informal second layer of colonialism. They did quite a bit of brainwashing while doing their best to destroy traditional religious practices - I have witnessed people now have the mentality of "Pray and something will happen". Not saying its a good or bad thing, but after my experience at a church in Uganda, I am not a huge fan of the legacy that I see left by the missionaries.

Cameroon hosts some 104,000 refugees and asylum-seekers according to the United Nations Higher Commissioner of Refugees who keeps very up to date statistics. The refugees and asylum seekers are mainly from the Central African Republic and Chad with a handful from Nigeria and Guinea. Although there has been some rise in the prices of commodities, these number do not constitute a 'refugee crisis' and there are no major conflicts or issues arising from it.

Photo Credit: UNHCR

The value and moral system of Cameroonians is similar the rest of Africa - Family is number one. Extended family (grandparents, aunts, great-uncles, cousins, etc) are treated like the nuclear family. The idea of a nursing home or retirement home is a foreign concept and the young are expected to care for the elders in their family. In many family orientated cultures like Cameroon, nepotism (the practice of favoring relatives or friends) does not have the negative connotation. I'm sure you can imagine the problems that might arise from this but nevertheless that is the way of the land.  It is very common to hire relatives and is actually part of the cultural because it helps provide for the family.

There are different greetings in Cameroon depending on the region. Handshakes are most common but sometimes it is more than the traditional Western handshake many of us are accustomed to. One popular method of handshaking is followed by a snap of the other persons middle finger with their thumb as they pull back their hand. You get used to it after a while; it's actually pretty fun :) Also, you might find someone greeting you by a small embrace while brushing cheeks and kissing the air (like in France). Note: ALWAYS use your right hand - left hand is considered 'dirty' and used for the bathroom and other 'dirty' things. This goes for giving/handing things to others as well - always use two hands or only your right hand. Also note: some Muslims might not shake hand of a women.

Cameroon Market Day

When entering someones house, always take your shoes off outside (or follow the lead of the person who is entering in front of you). At meals, most Cameroonians eat with their hands. As a guest you might be offered silverware - its up to you if you want to use it, I personally always decline. Again: eat with RIGHT hand ONLY!

 When in doubt, just observe what others are doing and try to emulate their behaviors.

 

Geography    

Buea (where I will be living) is to the West of Douala
Photo Credit: CIA Factbook

The land mass size of Cameroon is just slightly larger than that of California in the US. Cameroon is considered to be in Central Africa but it is also sometimes considered West Africa. It is bordering the Bight (Bay) of Biafra/Bonny of the Atlantic Ocean and has over 400km of coastline. It borders Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the South, Central African Republic and Chad tot he East and Nigeria to the North-West.

The obvious low point is the Atlantic ocean and the highest point is Fako (4,095 m) on Mt. Cameroon which also takes the gold for the highest peek and the most frequently active volcano in West Africa. It last erupted in 2000. There is volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun. In 1986 lakes in Oku volcanic field released fatal levels of gas killing some 1,700 people.

Mount Cameroon

Cameroon is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" because of its huge range of diversity. In addition to the ethnic and cultural variation previously mentioned, this country is also home to an assortment of different terrains and temperatures. You will find it all in Cameroon: hot, cold, wet, very very wet, dry, tropical rainforest, desert, beaches and mountains.

Other Information and resources not linked in main article:
BBC's Timeline of Cameroon
Anthropological Study of the Pygmies (<--amazing work, very interactive/interesting)
CIA World Factbook: Cameroon
Michigan State University: Global Edge
Economy Watch