Who will be Next?

July 18, 2010 | U. Roberto Romano

In the Ivory Coast, the cocoa sector has long been known to be one of the most corrupt and abusive in the global commodities market. Controlled by the government, a small coterie close to the presidency and a handful of multinational corporations, the industry has long been dogged by charges of slavery, the worst forms of child labor, corruption and even murder.

In 2004, Canadian journalist Guy-André Kieffer disappeared without a trace while working on a story about money laundering and illegal currency transfers allegedly involving the Ivorian government. Much evidence suggests that the order to kidnap Kieffer came from the highest offices of the Ivorian government in an effort to prevent him from publishing. Six years later, we still know nothing about Kieffer’s fate. The authorities say they have no suspects, the only witness has vanished without a trace and the police investigation is stalled.

Now three Ivorian reporters – who have attempted to pick up where Kieffer left off – are in jail after they published a document concerning government corruption in the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC). Le Courrier Nouveau Managing Editor Stéphane Guédé, News Editor Théophile Kouamouo, and Editor-in-Chief Saint-Claver Oula are accused of stealing secrets as they refuse to reveal their source. This is a dangerous situation: journalists who reveal cocoa corruption in the Ivory Coast are often threatened by cocoa officials and sometimes killed. There is freedom of the press in the Ivory Coast, except when it’s inconvenient to the massive and influential cocoa industry.

The people of the Ivory Coast have waited five years for a fair and democratic election; Guy-André Kieffer’s family and friends have waited six years for justice to be served. Now three journalists have been jailed.

Who will be the next?

The Ivory Coast is the largest producer and exporter of cocoa in the world. Dedicated journalists have worked tirelessly to expose corruption, child trafficking, labor abuses, price fixing and allegations of criminal behavior by multinational corporations for many years. What can their future be after this? What protections will be afforded them as they to continue to do their job?

Today, when you eat a chocolate bar, think about the journalists who have worked in the Ivory Coast to stop corruption, child trafficking and labor abuses, Journalists who have been jailed, beaten and killed. Consider that with each bite, you eat away at their freedom.

For background news stories on Managing Editor Stéphane Guédé, News Editor Théophile Kouamouo, and Editor-in-Chief Saint-Claver Oula click here and here (in French).

See also The Dark Side of Chocolate

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U. Roberto (Robin) Romano is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker and human rights educator. His work has been seen in theaters and museums around the world and on national and international television. His film projects include Death of a Slave Boy, a two-hour special shot in Pakistan for European broadcast, Globalization and Human Rights, hosted by Charlayne Hunter Gault for PBS and Stolen Childhoods, the first theatrically released feature documentary on global child labor. He was also a contributor to the NPR and BBC specials on slavery in the Ivory Coast and has contributed to films as diverse as In Debt We Trust and Darfur Now.