Grand Bereby, Côte d’Ivoire: A traditional beachside village
Although our excursions to Cote d’Ivoire have become somewhat routine to our family, it was my first time visiting Grand Bereby - a beachside village in the southwest of the country near the border with Liberia. We were there to reconnect with Sekou’s Krumen family on his mother’s side in the village of Bliéron. Sekou’s mother - Yadio Koin Dagbe Koné - married Sekou’s father when she was a teenager and left Bliéron for the big city of Abidjan, never to return to her village before she died in 2011. Sekou has dreamed of reconnecting with the Koin Dagbe’s for many years. The distance isn’t so far from Abidjan (about 470 km), but until recently the roads were so bad the trip was costly and could take several days, especially during the rainy season. We took a one-hour Air Côte d’Ivoire flight from Abidjan to San Pedro, about 30 minutes from Grand Bereby, and rented a 4x4 with a local driver.
Our hotel La Flotte in Grand Bereby, CI
The road to the village of Blieron was impassable even in our 4x4, so the villagers helped us find an alternate route.
Visiting a village for the first time is a process, if done properly. There are long-held tribal traditions related to welcoming (and vetting) visitors. First, it’s best to have a guide from the tribe to make introductions and explain the purpose of our visit. We were fortunate to have a Krumen guide - Mr. Capé - we met through a mutual friend. Second, you must bring gifts - in this case we were told to bring cases of wine, rum, and soda pop. Third, you must observe tribal hierarchy. On our way to meet the Bliéron village chief who could help us find our family, we stopped to greet Mr. Capé’s family chief, and the head chief of all 25 Krumen villages in the area. At each visit we engaged in a ceremony that included the offering of drinks (water, soda, or a liquor distilled from cane sugar), and then kola nut dipped in cayenne pepper, followed by the presentation of the gifts we brought for the village.
Nothing is hurried or rushed. Every step in the process is done in a certain way, and everyone knows the role they play. It is not proper to speak directly to the chief, so the chief’s deputies (usually sons or brothers) are summoned. Our guide relayed to the most junior deputy the purpose of our visit, and then each deputy, in turn, passed the news onto the next deputy above him in rank. The message is usually passed along three times before it is relayed to the chief. In a culture with an oral, not written, tradition, this ensures there are witnesses and clarity in the reporting of news.
The Blieron village chief (center) and his deputies.
The Koin Dagbe family, our guides, and the chief's son in front of the Koin family hut.
Once we arrived in Bliéron, we went directly to the chief’s house. After the welcome ritual was complete, and Mr. Capé’s explanation of our visit had been passed along the chain of command to the chief, he summoned two elder village historians to join us to confirm whether Sekou’s mother was indeed from there. Fortunately, both historians remembered Sekou’s mother and legitimized our story, adding more details we didn’t know. As a matter of fact, we learned that we are related to Mr. Capé! Finally, we were escorted to the Koin Dagbe family hut and were introduced to our relatives. It was a very deep and moving experience. Tears were shed, phone numbers were exchanged, and promises were made to work towards rebuilding a relationship between our branches of the family.
Bliéron is a small village on the coast right where the Cavally River that divides Liberia and CI meets the Gulf of Guinea. Before we left we were given a tour of the village, including the remains of a colonial-era home built by a German colonist in the late 1880’s, the place on the river where slaves were loaded onto ships during the height of the slave trade with the Americas, and the location on the oceanside where about a third of the village huts were washed away in a king tide combined with a storm last November. Yes, climate change is impacting even the tiniest and remotest places on the planet. Now that our connection to the village and our family has been validated and reestablished, we can begin to build relationships with the people to learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears, and explore ways we can contribute to the health of the community.
There’s so much to learn in this experience that applies to the consulting work we do at KC. Starting a new consulting engagement with a client we haven’t worked with before has parallels with visiting a West African village for the first time. There are rituals and hierarchies in organizations that are best observed if we want to start off on the right foot with our new client. It is easiest to do so if we have a guide - usually the client contracts or project manager - to help us navigate those rituals. Building relationships of trust with the people in an organization can’t be rushed, and trusting relationships between consultants and clients are key to successful projects. It’s also best if we don’t arrive empty-handed. Although we aren’t allowed to give our government clients alcohol, we will bring donuts and coffee to our in-person meetings!
Village of Blieron where the Cavally river meets the Gulf of Guinea on the border with Liberia.