No African nation boasts a more elegant capital or a more mellifluously named ruler than the Ivory Coast. President Félix Houphouet-Boigny dwells in a $12 million palace resplendent with 52 types of marble and an air-conditioned wine cellar. The French government spends $50 million a year in aid on its former colony in order to make Abidjan a showcase of French influence but it remains a showcase for much else besides. At a hastily called meeting of foreign diplomats and government officials, the President last week revealed that he had come...
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