Chronology

Félix Houphouët-Boigny took the lead of the African political revolution from Bamako. He was the undisputed leader of intellectuals and cadres as well as of the numerous and ardent masses of grassroots activists. He directed the great electoral battles of 1946 which everywhere victorious, a crushing victory of the RDA. Hundreds of thousands of members of the RDA threw themselves into battle with an ardor that is still amazed today. He paid for himself. On the roads, in the villages, in the countryside, in the towns. In direct and often brutal action, in the company of peasants, rural people, women, intellectuals. He took everywhere the measure of men, of their resistance, of the deep reflexes which animated them. Towards him, from all over Africa, the ardor of the masses flooded in struggle against the repression organized by the colonial apparatus. Also flooded to him the immense plight of the whole of Africa, wounded in his soul, but also in his body and in his flesh. He organized the resistance of the whole world, surprised by the cruelty of the colonial agents. He hired his own person, his family, his community, his country. These years were decisive in his life. Around him his principal friends and companions of struggle mounted a guard of honor, and the fraternity of those moments inspired the most disinterested devotion.

1918
  Success in the claim of the 3rd class on the liner of Bassam for the benefit of the Ivorian Students joining Dakar and Gorée.
1921
  Organization of the quest for solidarity for the defense of the expansion of the medical student, improperly imprisoned in Dakar.
1925
  Organization of a club of the African agents of the health service of Abidjan to defend themselves from the abuses of authority of their hierarchical leaders.
1927
  Social actions in villages and creation of industrial plantations in the region of Guiglo.
1930 - 1932
  Fight against the abuse of alcohol and organization of the strike of the cocoa planters against the abuses of the Chamber of Commerce.
1934
  Political education by conversations and examples of good citizenship by his example in Dimbokro.
1936
  Social action, agricultural education for industrial crops in Toumodi and Yamoussoukro.
1944
July 6 Creation of the African Agricultural Union, source of conflicts with the European planters of Cote d'Ivoire.
  Recruitment of voluntary workers and organization of sharecropping on plantations;

Suppression of the use of the African planter as a maneuver by his European counterpart.

1945
October 21 -November 3 First legislative elections in the country and African Agricultural Union (Syndicat agricole africain, SAA)
1946
April 5 Abolition of forced labor in French-speaking Africa (Houphouët-Boigny Act).
June 2 Abolition of the judicial Indigenate and granting of citizenship of the French Union (theoretical equality between nationals of the French Union).
July 5 Report of Mandate Étoile du Sud Treichville.
Juillet Creation of the first Inter-African Journal "La Voix de l'Afrique".
October 18 Creation of the African Democratic Rally (RDA), the first inter-African political movement.
April 5 Transformation of the SAA Electoral Committee into a political party known as Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI)
  Organization of teams of logging operators to supply the RAN.
December Support for the election of 45 General Councilors.
1947
January Election of the Councilors of the Republic (Senators).
February 1-7 Incidents of Abengourou about the chieftaincy.
March Organization of the Coordination Committee in Abidjan by d'Arboursier.
April 5 Implementation of the Statutes of the PDCI-RDA
  First administrative provocations and first serious incidents: Touplepleu's miners.
October 10 Strike of the French West Africa Cheminots 
October 27-31 First Congress of PDCI-RDA
November 3 Difficult election of the 3rd Councilor of the French Union by PDCI-RDA (benefit of the age).
1948
February Reconstruction of the Upper Volta territory at the Palais Bourbon.
October Visit by Raymond Barbé, Counselor French Union, Head of the Central Committee of the French Communist Party in Abidjan, Bouake, Banfora, Bobo-Dioulasso;

General rage against the RDA and provocation by the Commander of Bobo-Dioulasso nicknamed "Mr Double meter" by order of the Government of Upper Volta.

October Meeting of the Coordinating Committee RDA in Dakar, and withdrawal of the parliamentary mandate of Djaumemt Etienne.
December 2nd Congress of PDCI Transformed into Federal Congress in Abidjan, After refusal of the Governor of the Upper Volta to authorize the holding of the Federal Congress in Bobo-Dioulasso.
December 25 Armed provocation of the Governor under the pretext of depositing Russian arms on the shore;

Propagation of false rumors of the threat of extermination of Whites on Christmas night in Abidjan.

1949
January Colonel Lacheroy's military marches with the stateless Alawites of Syria following the Governor's agreement through the cocoa loop to loot and steal the peasants on the eve of the slave trade.
January Colonel Lacheroy's provocation to the Bouaké Ambulance, Deputy Félix Houphouët-Boigny visits the sick.

Attempted arrest in Yamoussoukro of deputy Félix Houphouet-Boigny and massive intervention of the militants of PDCI

January 30 Attempt of the former Senator's public conference to vilify the R.D.A and its President.
  Second attempt of Public Conference of the former Senator to the cinema Comacico and incidents offering the pretext of arrest of all the direction of PDCI Present in Abidjan.
  Walk of the women of PDCI on the Governor's Palace, and then on the Civil Prison of Grand Bassam: Battle of the Water.
6 Février Hunger strike of members of the Steering Committee held at the Grand Bassam Civil Prison since the incidents.
December Strike of purchases triggered by unanimous decision of the National Council in solidarity with the political prisoners.
December Provocation organized by the Territorial Administration by order of the Governor and multiple incidents, often bloody, throughout Côte d'Ivoire, the day after the Congress:

  • Agboville, Afféry: Looting and arrests.
  • Bondoukou: Maneuvers and intimidation shots.
  • Férké: Plaka shootings (Sikali incidents).
  • Tiémé: Tests of the water basin against the militants of RDA
  • Daloa: Arbitrary arrests.
  • Bouaflé: Incidents of Sinfra and Bouaflé shootings; Assassination of Senator Biaka Boda by order of the Commanding Officer of the Circle and his deputy.
  • Séguéla: Shootings causing 3 dead on the spot including a pregnant woman and a child.
  • Dimbokro: Shootings killed 13 on the spot, after arrest of the Secretary General of the Subdivision of P.D.C.I. Samba Koné Ambroise.
  Voluntary fire of his hut by the chief of Canton at Zuenoula; Arbitrary arrests of the leaders RDA: murder of the hunter by the religious and the weaver by the gendarme in Kouénoufla.
  Attempted indictment of Deputy Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Bouaflé by the Deputy Prosecutor.
  Forest incident at Kétékré-Bonikro, between PDCI militants and local political opponents.
  Removal and spectacular arrest of the Bondoukou Religious Leader and the Koulango Chiefs in Bondoukou and Bouaké.
1950
  The process of disuniting the elected representatives of the Communist parliamentary groups in the three metropolitan assemblies.
  Publication of false resignations of traditional chiefs, at the instigation of the Governor in order to demoralize the activists of PDCI-RDA
  Parliamentary inquiry into incidents in Côte d'Ivoire
  Spectacular altercations between the Governor and the Secretaries-General of the Sub-Sections of Touba and Boundiali.
  Campaign to inform the activists of RDA in the French West Africa and the French Equatorial Africa on the necessity of the communist disappearance.
  Press articles aroused by the Director of Cabinet of the Governor to accentuate the political quarrels between PDCI and his opponents Ivorians.
September Vain attempt to dialogue with the cartel of the governmental political parties of Cote d'Ivoire.
  Dissociation officially announced at the Palais Bourbon
1951
February 6 Inauguration of the Port of Abidjan.
June 15 Legislative elections in the French West Africa and the French Equatorial Africa to eliminate massively the RDA deputies 

Criminal attempts against the life of the President of RDA, during the election campaign in Sinématiali.

October 6 Appeal to the union of the Ivorians, launched at Stade Géo-André, now Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, by the President of RDA.
  Information campaign across Cote d'Ivoire on the communist disaffiliation and to confirm the call for the union of the Ivorians, launched from the Geo-André Stadium
November 3 Difficult partial cantonal elections in Odienné, heralding the end of oppositions to PDCI-RDA in Côte d'Ivoire.
1952
March Beginning of the dislocation of the front of the local opposition in the cantonal elections.
March Cantonal elections: effective dislocation of the Coalition coalition of the Ivorian anti-RDDA coalition

Election of former political opponents on the lists of PDCI-RDA.

April 2 Incidents of Tabaski in Treichville.
  Difficult confrontation between Muslims of Bouaké aroused by the Governor.
1953
October Difficult choice by the Ivorian Socialists of a Socialist candidate in the Assembly of the French Union co-opted by PDCI-RDA
1955
  Sporadic assaults by abused customary leaders: incidents of Zan-Hounie, Toulépleu (1951); Napoléon, Kouto.
1956
January 2 Early elections: end of the multi-party system in Côte d'Ivoire; Punitive expeditions of RDD militants in the Man area against political opponents: Man, Danane, Logouale, Bangolo, Duekoue, Toulepleu, Tai.
  1st African Delegate in the French government: Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
1957
March Latest electoral criminal incidents: ambushes of Mahidio village (Gagnoa).
  Framework Law and Local Governments in Francophone Africa.
  Municipalities in the French West Africa and the French Equatorial Africa
  MUTACI in Bouaké
  Unique colleges in the French West Africa and the French Equatorial Africa
1958
  Projects of federal executives (Dakar and Brazzaville).
August 28 Referendum and opening of the vote to independence.
October Incidents Daho-Togo.
  Constitutional Review and Franco-African Community
December 4 Proclamation of the Ivorian Autonomous Republic
1959
  1st Congress of JRDACI.
March 3rd Congress of PDCI And the birth of the Daily Fraternity
  Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
  Ivorian officials strike
1960
August 7 Proclamation of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.