Odette Ekra
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== '''Odette Ekra''' ==
=== Overview: ===
Odette Ekra (born Odette Yace) was a female anti-colonial activist in [[Ivory Coast|Cote d'Ivoire]] during the 1940-50s. She was involved in the women’s branch of the PDCI and participated in the [[Women's march on Grand-Bassam|Women’s March on Grand-Bassam]] in December of 1949.
=== Historical Context: ===
Starting in 1830, France began colonizing much of West Africa. Two federations were created: [[French West Africa]] (Afrique Occidentale Francaise/AOF) and [[French Equatorial Africa]] (Afrique Equatoriale Francaise/ AEF). France used heavy taxation, ''[[Native code (France)|indigenat]]'', [[Forced labour|forced labor]], and coerced military service to maintain colonial rule.Keese, Alexander. “Colonialism and Decolonization in French and Sub-Saharan Africa.” In ''Routledge Handbook of Francophone Africa'', ed. by Tony Chafer and Margaret A. Majumdar (Routledge, 2023) 27-28. Odette Ekra grew up with these policies, and her life was shaped by them. African resistance increased after [[North African campaign|World War II]]. Tensions in AOF came to a head after World War II as Africans who fought for France returned home to restrained economic opportunity. African workers organized into trade unions, to fight back against the poor wages and high inflation.Chafer, Tony. ''The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization'', (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2002), 75. The unions organized a strike of 15,000+ workers in different sectors in [[Dakar]] and Saint-Louis, forcing colonial authorities to respond. African political leaders began organizing one political party to unite the French African colonies. In 1946, delegates from AOF and AEF gathered and signed the manifesto of the [[Rassemblement Démocratique Africain]] (RDA).Cooper, Fredrick. “Claiming Citizenship: French West Africa, 1946-1956.” In ''Citizenship between Empire and Nation: Remaking France and French Africa, 1945–1960'' (Princeton University Press, 2014), 166. The Cote d’Ivoire branch of the RDA, the [[Democratic Party of Ivory Coast – African Democratic Rally|Parti Démocratique de la Cote d’Ivoire]] (PDCI) was particularly successful at anticolonial action. The PDCI drew support from [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] and local farmers. Odette Ekra and other educated women fought alongside men for the formation of the PDCI in Cote d’Ivoire.Viviane epse Adiko, Assemien. “Aproximacion comparada de la mujer marfilena y boliviana.” ''Humania del Sur'' 14, no. 27 (2019), 203. They appealed directly to Paris officials, putting pressure on local authorities to enforce reforms that passed.Chafer, Tony. ''The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization'', (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2002), 75. This successfully built deep connections in the French political system.
The women of Ivory Coast played a crucial role in the success of the RDA by acting as “public mothers.” “Public motherhood” describes the idea in Africa that women hold a unique form of leadership and power in their communities due to their “symbolic power of childbirth.”Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 351. Public mothers were meant to support men and help them make decisions. After joining the PDCI cause, women continued this role of mothering, caring for those in prison and raising money for the PDCI. Odette Ekra found her way into the PDCI through her marriage to [[:fr:Mathieu_Ekra|Mathieu Ekra]], a prominent member of the PDCI.Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 355. Women were kept at an arm’s length in the PDCI, but after the French started to jail RDA members the women began to “awaken” and in 1949, formed their own wing of the PDCI. Odette Ekra was one of the women who helped to form the women’s branch of the PDCI after her husband was imprisoned at [[Grand-Bassam]]. The women visited imprisoned PDCI members, held mass demonstrations, and traveled around Cote d’Ivoire recruiting, doubling the PDCI’s membership from 1948-1949. Odette Ekra was involved in spreading the message of the party in the language of native groups, instead of French.Quintana, A.S. Jurado. “El caso de la desnudez publica en Costa de Marfil (1949-2020).” ''accadaCRIS (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)'', 2026,https://accedacris.ulpgc.es/jspui/handle/10553/156201 One strictly feminine form of protest was ''adjanou''. ''Adjanou'' was a dancing ritual utilized by women to both shame men for their wrongdoings and also to support male allies in times of war.Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire,” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 352. During protests of colonialism, the women of Cote d’Ivoire used ''adjanou'' to both support their husbands and sons in their fight, but also to bring ridicule to colonial authorities.
=== Notable Events: ===
One of the most famous women’s protests in Cote d’Ivoire was the [[Women's march on Grand-Bassam|Women's March on Grand Bassam]] prison in December of 1949. After a year of imprisonment, PDCI members were no closer to trial or release. Odette Ekra’s husband was among the imprisoned. PDCI women determined they had to protest. Odette Ekra went along with 2,000 other women to protest at the prison in Grand Bassam. The women were bold in their action and went along “singing, dancing, and shouting vulgarities at the gendarmes, they fiercely defended their position. In the face of demands that they halt their protest, the women responded only with insults, calling officials names like ‘dirty white man, colonialist, bastard,’ and the like.”Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 361. This protest also included ''adjanou.'' Colonial authorities used violent tactics to break up the women, and they left after Félix Houphouet-Boigny negotiated with the guards. Women played a large role in gaining support for the PDCI and carrying on when the men were jailed and showing strength in the face of oppression.
=== Legacy of Odette Ekra: ===
Odette Ekra was the sister of [[Philippe Yacé|Phillippe Yace]], a PDCI leader, and was also married to another leader of the PDCI, yet little is known about her. Many of the other women who orchestrated and participated in the Women’s March on Grand-Bassam remain nameless or lack documentation of their lives beyond their names. The Women’s March on Grand-Bassam is celebrated as a show of Cote d’Ivoire citizens' refusal to give up and a statue of [[Anne-Marie Essy Raggi|Anne-Marie Raggi]], [[Marie Koré|Marie Kore]] and Odette Ekra is located at Peace Roundabout and depicts them on the march to Grand-Bassam.Madimba, Astrid and Chinny Ukata. ''It’s a Continent: Unravelling Africa’s History One Country at a Time'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2022), 163. Odette Ekra, along with the other women involved in the march, are celebrated as independence fighters and used as political references in Cote d’Ivoire.Maria, Ana DJE epouse Coulibaly. “El Feminism en Lucha: Casos de la Marcha de las Mujeres de Grand-Bassam en Costa de Marfil y la de las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo en Argentina.” ''Revue des Arts-Communication, Lettres, Sciences Humaines et Sociales'', 2022, 113. {{dashboard.wikiedu.org sandbox}}
=== Overview: ===
Odette Ekra (born Odette Yace) was a female anti-colonial activist in [[Ivory Coast|Cote d'Ivoire]] during the 1940-50s. She was involved in the women’s branch of the PDCI and participated in the [[Women's march on Grand-Bassam|Women’s March on Grand-Bassam]] in December of 1949.
=== Historical Context: ===
Starting in 1830, France began colonizing much of West Africa. Two federations were created: [[French West Africa]] (Afrique Occidentale Francaise/AOF) and [[French Equatorial Africa]] (Afrique Equatoriale Francaise/ AEF). France used heavy taxation, ''[[Native code (France)|indigenat]]'', [[Forced labour|forced labor]], and coerced military service to maintain colonial rule.Keese, Alexander. “Colonialism and Decolonization in French and Sub-Saharan Africa.” In ''Routledge Handbook of Francophone Africa'', ed. by Tony Chafer and Margaret A. Majumdar (Routledge, 2023) 27-28. Odette Ekra grew up with these policies, and her life was shaped by them. African resistance increased after [[North African campaign|World War II]]. Tensions in AOF came to a head after World War II as Africans who fought for France returned home to restrained economic opportunity. African workers organized into trade unions, to fight back against the poor wages and high inflation.Chafer, Tony. ''The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization'', (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2002), 75. The unions organized a strike of 15,000+ workers in different sectors in [[Dakar]] and Saint-Louis, forcing colonial authorities to respond. African political leaders began organizing one political party to unite the French African colonies. In 1946, delegates from AOF and AEF gathered and signed the manifesto of the [[Rassemblement Démocratique Africain]] (RDA).Cooper, Fredrick. “Claiming Citizenship: French West Africa, 1946-1956.” In ''Citizenship between Empire and Nation: Remaking France and French Africa, 1945–1960'' (Princeton University Press, 2014), 166. The Cote d’Ivoire branch of the RDA, the [[Democratic Party of Ivory Coast – African Democratic Rally|Parti Démocratique de la Cote d’Ivoire]] (PDCI) was particularly successful at anticolonial action. The PDCI drew support from [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] and local farmers. Odette Ekra and other educated women fought alongside men for the formation of the PDCI in Cote d’Ivoire.Viviane epse Adiko, Assemien. “Aproximacion comparada de la mujer marfilena y boliviana.” ''Humania del Sur'' 14, no. 27 (2019), 203. They appealed directly to Paris officials, putting pressure on local authorities to enforce reforms that passed.Chafer, Tony. ''The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization'', (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2002), 75. This successfully built deep connections in the French political system.
The women of Ivory Coast played a crucial role in the success of the RDA by acting as “public mothers.” “Public motherhood” describes the idea in Africa that women hold a unique form of leadership and power in their communities due to their “symbolic power of childbirth.”Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 351. Public mothers were meant to support men and help them make decisions. After joining the PDCI cause, women continued this role of mothering, caring for those in prison and raising money for the PDCI. Odette Ekra found her way into the PDCI through her marriage to [[:fr:Mathieu_Ekra|Mathieu Ekra]], a prominent member of the PDCI.Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 355. Women were kept at an arm’s length in the PDCI, but after the French started to jail RDA members the women began to “awaken” and in 1949, formed their own wing of the PDCI. Odette Ekra was one of the women who helped to form the women’s branch of the PDCI after her husband was imprisoned at [[Grand-Bassam]]. The women visited imprisoned PDCI members, held mass demonstrations, and traveled around Cote d’Ivoire recruiting, doubling the PDCI’s membership from 1948-1949. Odette Ekra was involved in spreading the message of the party in the language of native groups, instead of French.Quintana, A.S. Jurado. “El caso de la desnudez publica en Costa de Marfil (1949-2020).” ''accadaCRIS (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)'', 2026,
=== Notable Events: ===
One of the most famous women’s protests in Cote d’Ivoire was the [[Women's march on Grand-Bassam|Women's March on Grand Bassam]] prison in December of 1949. After a year of imprisonment, PDCI members were no closer to trial or release. Odette Ekra’s husband was among the imprisoned. PDCI women determined they had to protest. Odette Ekra went along with 2,000 other women to protest at the prison in Grand Bassam. The women were bold in their action and went along “singing, dancing, and shouting vulgarities at the gendarmes, they fiercely defended their position. In the face of demands that they halt their protest, the women responded only with insults, calling officials names like ‘dirty white man, colonialist, bastard,’ and the like.”Jacob, Elizabeth. “Militant Mothers: Gender and the Politics of Anticolonial Action in Côte d’Ivoire.” The Journal of African History 63, no. 3 (2022): 361. This protest also included ''adjanou.'' Colonial authorities used violent tactics to break up the women, and they left after Félix Houphouet-Boigny negotiated with the guards. Women played a large role in gaining support for the PDCI and carrying on when the men were jailed and showing strength in the face of oppression.
=== Legacy of Odette Ekra: ===
Odette Ekra was the sister of [[Philippe Yacé|Phillippe Yace]], a PDCI leader, and was also married to another leader of the PDCI, yet little is known about her. Many of the other women who orchestrated and participated in the Women’s March on Grand-Bassam remain nameless or lack documentation of their lives beyond their names. The Women’s March on Grand-Bassam is celebrated as a show of Cote d’Ivoire citizens' refusal to give up and a statue of [[Anne-Marie Essy Raggi|Anne-Marie Raggi]], [[Marie Koré|Marie Kore]] and Odette Ekra is located at Peace Roundabout and depicts them on the march to Grand-Bassam.Madimba, Astrid and Chinny Ukata. ''It’s a Continent: Unravelling Africa’s History One Country at a Time'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2022), 163. Odette Ekra, along with the other women involved in the march, are celebrated as independence fighters and used as political references in Cote d’Ivoire.Maria, Ana DJE epouse Coulibaly. “El Feminism en Lucha: Casos de la Marcha de las Mujeres de Grand-Bassam en Costa de Marfil y la de las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo en Argentina.” ''Revue des Arts-Communication, Lettres, Sciences Humaines et Sociales'', 2022, 113. {{dashboard.wikiedu.org sandbox}}
