** Ivory Coast








Ivory Coast: Religion


Figure 1.--This photograph was taken in Kong, a town in the northeastern Ivory Coast. It was the capital of the Kong Empire (1710-1895). Kong is located in the sub-Saharan Sahel Savanna belt. It is an area of grasslands with some trees. The photograph was taken in 1892 as France was formaly establishing colonial rule. Looking at the place and at the clothing worn by the men, we can assume that they are Muslims. Islam was particularly prevalent in the north. The child in the front is wearing some kind of tunic. The boy in the far right side is unclothed, but the girl wears only a cloth strip around her waist. That was common among African Muslim communities. Source: Geographical Society of Paris.

Islam gradually made inroads in the north of the Ivory Coast, arriving along trade routes connecting the area across the Sahara with Muslim North Africa (14th century). Christianity arrived with the Europeans. The first missionary arrived (17th century). Meanigful conversion only began later, espially after the French began the colonization pricess (19th century) The French ended the slave trade and promoted Christianity. There is some data, but are basically estimates. Islam is the dominant religion with Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group, but by a relatively small margin (nearly 40 percent). Christianity is the second-largest religion in the country (over 30 percent). Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination, reflecting the French colobial experience. Several indigenous religions are also practiced, especially in rural areas (about 10 percent). Most of the remainder express no religious preferences (15 percent). Both Islam and Christianity are practiced in various ways. Both have become mixed toan extent with traditional religion and cultutural beliefs. Islam is stringest in the north where it has been practiced for centuries. The devotion to Islam has shifted over time. Ivirians turned to it from their traditional religion because of its appeal as a world religion and its role in intriducing awritten language. With the arrival of the Europeans, it provided an alternative to European political contol and religion. Islam is not just a religion, but the Koran sets forwars a politucal order as well. With the arrival of the Europeans, Christianity appealed to those interested in education and advancement in the modern world. Christian holidays are officially celebrated in the country. Muslim celebrations are also observed. There is a high degree of religious tolerance in the country, in part because Muslims are not a majority of the populstion. Ivorian religious communities have a now well-established tradition of coexisting peacefully. Conversion is widely accepted as an individual matter in most cases. There are many families with Muslim and Christian menbers. The Ivorian Constitution mandates a secular state. This is not seen as requiring a strict separation of church and state. Goverment officials attend religious ceremonies as representatives of the state. Some mission schools receive government support. Missionaries are respected and welcomed by Ivorians, in part because of their role in education and health care. Religious tolerance is promoted by government policy. The president personally contributes to the cost of building both mosques and churches. He encourages both Muslims and Christians to assist in projects undertaken by both religious communities. Religious practitioners are respected for their role in community activities and the promotion of social harmony.








HBC







Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing national pages:
[Return to the Ivory Coast page]
[Return to the Main African page]
[Angola] [Burkina Faso] [Cape Verde Islands] [Democratic Republic of the Congo] [Ethiopia] [Gabon] [Ghana] [Guinea] [Kenya] [Lessotho] [Liberia]
[Mali] [Sierra Leone] [Somalia] [South Africa] [Uganda]




Created: 8:52 PM 10/25/2014
Last updated: 8:52 PM 10/25/2014