Ivory Coast local press is so abundant and diverse that the readers are overwhelmed by the many choices of publications. And the contradicting headlines feed day-long debates among the ‘titrologues’.

"Titrologue"

The word ‘Titrologue’ was coined from a popular French saying in Abidjan. It refers to readers who are very passionate about printing press but who never buy a newspaper; those who just read the title page and then comment elaborately on the story.

Bah Paul, a self-proclaimed independent political analyst asks people to be wary of 'titrologues'. “They only read newspapers by the titles and pretend to know what goes on.

During the whole day, they would endlessly spread rumors that can break down the fragile situation we are trying to preserve”, he said.
Extremely partisan

Djika Marcel has become a 'titrologue' because he thinks Ivorian press is organized from now on along party lines.

“It can happen that there are close links between newspapers and political parties. It happens everywhere in the world. But I can’t accept that a newspaper becomes just the mouthpiece of a political party. That’s why I no longer buy newspapers here” says Djika Marcel. “They are no longer impartial as they used to be. They now have a two-fold objective: sell the maximum of copies to get the coin out of readers’ pockets and misinform us. It’s unfair,” adds Marcel.

‘Blues’ vs ‘Greens’

Those politically-backed newspapers are commonly referred to in Ivory Coast as “Blues” and “Greens”. The “Blues” are those supportive of Gbagbo’s camp while the “Greens” stand behind Ouattara.

"The pro-Ouattara and the pro-Gbagbo newspapers are deliberately trying to manipulate and misinform people. We are in a crisis period, and in such a period, information is like a tool that should be skillfully handled,” explains Bah, the independent political analyst.




The alternative

Cartoons offer an alternative to readers who want to escape the Blue vs Green conflict.

"From now on, I read only cartoon publications. They know how to use humor to depict people’s suffering in a way that it makes you laugh instead of getting you sad. The other media are no longer attractive, be it radio or television, I mean RTI -the state broadcaster”, says Yaogni Bonfils, a B.A. student at Cocody-Abidjan University.
Boring television

”I have stopped watching RTI since the beginning of the crisis. For me, it is a TV made for Gbagbo and his supporters,” says Bonfils.

"The RTI Sation has been beaming programs calling on people to erect barricade to prevent UN staff from moving up and down so as to force them to leave the country or to call for Ivorians to drop the CFA franc and contemplate a new national currency,” he adds.

"Ghost Radio"

On the other hand, RHDP Radio, a Pro-Ouattara radio, has been able to broadcast until now even without having been given a frequency by ATCI - the State media body. The many attempts to prevent RHDP FM from broadcasting have failed until now. And RHDP FM is still broadcasting Ouattara’s statements, his calls to civil disobedience and exposés by members of his government.

Why the silence?

There are so many media regulatory bodies in Ivory Coast, namely ATCI, CNP, CNCA, MP to name but a few. But paradoxically, these bodies remain silent over local press scandal. Didn’t Ivorian journalists and populations learn from the Rwandan drama? Didn’t they learn a lesson from how the ‘sadly famous’ radio ‘Thousands Hills’ of Rwanda triggered the Rwandan genocide?
Are the heads of these media regulatory bodies just afraid of retaliation or have they become partisans? It is about time they get a grip!