The surf is swell in C么te d鈥橧voire
| Assouind茅, C么te d鈥橧voire
Rokia used to be afraid of the water.
She鈥檇 heard the stories of people washed away by strong currents. The folklore deity Mami Wata was said to live in these waters, and children were taught to both respect and fear her.
So even though the beach, with its cream-colored sand and swaying palms, was just feet from her doorstep, the teenager would only put her toes in the ocean once in a while.
Why We Wrote This
C么te d'Ivoire has hundreds of miles of coastline, but many people there are afraid of the water. The country's surfers are trying to change that.
鈥淚 never knew how to swim,鈥� says Rokia, who lives in this coastal town one hour east of C么te d鈥橧voire鈥檚 capital, Abidjan. 鈥淢y parents told me, 鈥楧on鈥檛 go in the water, you鈥檒l drown.鈥欌��
But a year-and-a-half ago, things changed. She approached local surf star, Souleymane Sidib茅, and said she wanted to learn to surf, too. Now, she goes out a couple of times a week and says she has found a new passion.聽
The fear of the ocean that Rokia grew up with is not unusual here. Despite C么te d鈥橧voire鈥檚 nearly 300 miles of coastline, many people don鈥檛 know how to swim. The World Health Organization estimated that about 1,800 Ivorians drowned in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available.聽
Now, the country鈥檚 growing community of surfers is trying to change that, using their sport to help children learn to love the ocean. At the same time, they are hosting more international competitions and putting C么te d鈥橧voire鈥檚 waves on the map.聽
鈥淔or a long time, surfing in Cote d鈥橧voire was asleep,鈥� says
Sylvain Kouao, vice president of the Ivorian Surf Federation. 鈥淧eople here are starting to realize that surfing can be a way out, and offer kids something for tomorrow.鈥�
Making the world bigger
Without surfing, Souleymane Sidib茅 isn鈥檛 sure where he would be. He never excelled in school 鈥� he was always better at catching waves.
However, 鈥渋t took a lot of convincing to get my parents on board鈥� with a life built around surfing, says Mr. Sidib茅, on a recent weekday morning at Badro Beach in Assouind茅.
Now, Mr. Sidib茅 runs Souley Surf School, one of a handful of Ivorian surf schools that have opened in the last decade.聽
鈥淲hat is this part of the board called? Who wants to demonstrate how we paddle?鈥� Mr. Sidib茅 calls out during a group lesson. A 10-year-old girl in a hot-pink swimsuit flops down onto a long, blue board to mock paddle, her fingertips brushing the sand.
Although Assouind茅 and nearby Assinie-Mafia are top spots for wealthy tourists and weekenders from Abidjan, the rural villages that line the coast experience high levels of poverty. Many of Mr. Sidib茅鈥檚 students come from families who struggle to pay their school fees and give them enough to eat.聽
That鈥檚 why Mr. Sidib茅 gives his students free lunch every Wednesday after practice. They surf on boards donated by the Swiss-German nonprofit Provide the Slide.聽
鈥淢ost of the kids here don鈥檛 have easy lives,鈥� says surfer Nadi Saddy, with whom Mr. Sidib茅 founded the nonprofit Surf C么te d鈥橧voire in 2022. 鈥淲e teach them about surf culture and how to respect nature, but also, that surfing can help them earn a living.鈥�
The organization encourages children to use surfing as a way to see the world. If they鈥檙e good enough, they can travel to surf competitions abroad, or meet traveling surfers when C么te d鈥橧voire plays host. Surf C么te d鈥橧voire also teaches older students to become surf teachers themselves, so they can make an income offering private lessons to out-of-town visitors.聽聽
Putting C么te d鈥橧voire on the map
Still, obstacles remain to building a bigger surfing scene in C么te d鈥橧voire. There is only one manufacturer of surfboards in the country, The West Factory, which produces only 50-60 boards per year. The vast majority must be imported. Plus, many people still believe Mami Wata is watching.聽
The water spirit 鈥� often depicted with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a snake or fish 鈥� has a strong prominence in many West African cultures.
鈥淓veryone has their own interpretation of what Mami Wata represents, but it鈥檚 a big reason why people here don鈥檛 swim,鈥� says Mr. Saddy. 鈥淲e tell people, it鈥檚 OK, we鈥檙e here to guide you.鈥�
In February, The Africa Surf Tour was held for the first time in C么te d鈥橧voire. The competition, run by the African Surf Confederation, brought top-level surfers and visitors from across Africa to the small town of Assinie. Then, in March, Assinie played host to the C么te d鈥橧voire Surf Open, featuring athletes from seven African countries.聽
Mr. Saddy released a documentary on May 7, 鈥淭he Rising Dawn,鈥� about the burgeoning C么te d鈥橧voire surfing scene, the unifying power of surfing, and the communities that line the Ivorian coast.
鈥淲hen people think of surfing, they think Tahiti, Bali, Hawaii,鈥� says Mr. Kouao, of the surf federation. 鈥淏ut West Africa has some really great spots.鈥�
鈥淟ots of joy鈥�
Part of C么te d鈥橧voire鈥檚 attraction is the fact that its coast remains relatively unknown to surfers outside Africa.
鈥淭he other day when we went out, there were only four of us in the water,鈥� says Alexis Claustres, a French surfer visiting Assouind茅. 鈥淔or us, as Europeans who are used to these overcrowded spots, it was precious.鈥�
Even within Africa, most surfers think of South Africa or Morocco for surfing long before C么te d鈥橧voire.
鈥淏ut the young generation is starting to change this,鈥� says longtime surfer Badro Escobar, who runs a hotel in Assouind茅.
Out on Badro Beach, that excitement is palpable. As clouds roll in and drops of rain begin to dot the water, some of the students in Mr. Sidib茅鈥檚 surf class head toward the shelter of a nearby hotel. Then, in an instant, it begins to downpour.
But the weather doesn鈥檛 stop the group for long. As the rain kicks up foam and spray, Rokia coasts along on her board, standing up and coasting along a glassy wave. After a half-hour, two聽8-year-old girls run under the hotel awning, shivering but giddy.
鈥淪urfing brings me joy,鈥� says Awa, wrapping herself in a dry T-shirt and sharing a glass of hibiscus juice with her friend, Sali.
鈥淵es, me too,鈥� says Sali. 鈥淟ots of joy.鈥�
