Wednesday, March 18, 2020

A Brief History of Cote DIvoire

A Brief History of Cote D'Ivoire Our knowledge of the early history of the region now known as Cà ´te dIvoire is limited- there is some evidence of Neolithic activity, but mush still needs to be done in investigating this. Oral histories give rough indications of when various peoples first arrived, such as the Mandinka (Dyuola) people migrating from the Niger basin to the coast during the 1300s. In the early 1600s, Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to reach the coast. They initiated trade in gold, ivory, and pepper. The first French contact came in 1637- along with the first missionaries. In the 1750s the region was invaded by Akan peoples fleeing the Asante Empire (now Ghana). The established the Baoulà © kingdom around the town of Sakasso. A French Colony French trading posts were established from 1830 onwards, along with a protectorate negotiated by the French Admiral Bouà «t-Willaumez. By the end of the 1800s, the borders for the French colony of Cà ´te dIvoire had been agreed with Liberia and the Gold Coast (Ghana). In 1904 Cà ´te dIvoire became part of the Federation of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Franà §aise) and run as an overseas territory by the Third Republic. The region transferred from Vichy to Free French control in 1943, under the command of Charles de Gaulle. Around the same time, the first indigenous political group was formed: Fà ©lix Houphouà «t-Boignys Syndicat Agricole Africain (SAA, African Agricultural Syndicate), which represented African farmers and landowners. Independence With independence in sight, Houphouà «t-Boigny formed the Parti Dà ©mocratique de la Cà ´te dIvoire (PDCI, Democratic Party of Cà ´te dIvoire)- Cà ´te dIvoires first political party. On 7 August 1960, Cà ´te dIvoire gained independence and Houphouà «t-Boigny became its first president. Houphouà «t-Boigny ruled Cà ´te dIvoire for 33 years, was a respected African statesman, and on his death was Africas longest-serving president. During his presidency, there were at least three attempted coups, and resentment grew against his one-party rule. In 1990 a new constitution was introduced enabling opposition parties to contest a general election- Houphouà «t-Boigny still won the elections with a significant lead. In the last couple of years, with his health failing, backroom negotiations attempted to find someone who would be able to take over Houphouà «t-Boignys legacy and Henri Konan Bà ©dià © was selected. Houphouà «t-Boigny died on 7 December 1993. Cà ´te dIvoire after Houphouà «t-Boigny was in dire straits. Hit hard by a failing economy based on cash crops (especially coffee and cocoa) and raw minerals, and with increasing allegations of governmental corruption, the country was in decline. Despite close ties to the west, President Bà ©dià © was having difficulties and was only able to maintain his position by banning opposition parties from a general election. In 1999 Bà ©dià © was overthrown by a military coup. A government of national unity was formed by General Robert Guà ©i, and in October 2000 Laurent Gbagbo, for the Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI or Ivorian Popular Front), was elected president. Gbagbo was the only opposition to Guà ©i since Alassane Ouattara was barred from the election. In 2002 a military mutiny in Abidjan split the country politically- the Muslim north from the Christian and animist south. Peacekeeping talks brought the fighting to an end, but the country remains divided. President Gbagbo has managed to avoid holding new presidential elections, for various reasons, since 2005.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Preventative vs. Preventive

Preventative vs. Preventive Preventative vs. Preventive Preventative vs. Preventive By Mark Nichol When you wish to refer to something that serves to prevent, which is the correct adjectival or noun form, preventative, or preventive? The latter word is more commonly cited, appearing by a ratio of three to one, but the longer variant is also widely employed, and with increasing frequency. Might, however, does not necessarily make right. So, which one is better? Both words date back to the 1600s, and the latter predates the former by a mere several decades. It retains the upper hand, however, for two reasons: First, the extra syllable is superfluous, and second, it is supported both by quality as well as quantity: The most respected publications favor preventive, while preventative is more likely to appear in print and online sources with less rigorous editorial standards. That’s a good enough reason to favor preventive. What about similar word pairs such as exploitative and exploitive, which both refer to underhandedly using someone or something to one’s advantage? Like preventative and preventive, the first attestations of these words are only a few decades apart, though they are much more recent coinages; exploitative goes back only to the late nineteenth century, and exploitive is less than a hundred years old. But there’s a significant difference between this word pair and the previous one: In this case, the longer form is widely considered the standard, and exploitive is the inferior alternative. Fortunately, the correct form of most words ending in -ive is obvious, as with cumulative, formative, and representative. But other endings can confuse, such as with the question of whether to use orient or orientate as a verb. In this case, each refers to facing the east, though only orient correctly applies to other references to setting or directing. Likewise, there is the case of systematic and systemic, both of which are valid terms, but with mostly distinct senses: Though both terms obviously pertain to systems, only systematic also refers to classification and to coherent, methodical, thorough procedures. Systemic generally connotes only biological systems and is neutral in value, as opposed to the qualitative senses of systematic. In summary, as a careful writer, research proper usage for word endings in order to avoid employing the incorrect of two similar words or a less favored variant. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant NamesLoan, Lend, Loaned, Lent50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)