My name is Pascal Dago KOKORA. With Laurent Gbagbo, Abou Drahamane Sangaré, Simone Ehivet-Gbagbo, and Emile Doudou Boga, I am one of the five founding members of the FPI (Front Populaire Ivoirien) which was created in early Spring 1982. Also with the friendly precious assistance of René Degni-Segui I set up the Lidho (la Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l'homme) as a human rights advocacy group in Côte d'Ivoire. 

Former Associate Professor of Linguistics at the National University of Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan, I was fired on the 15th of January 1988, without any hearing whatsoever, from my tenured professorship by a presidential decree issued in the name of the late president of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Félix Houphouët-Boigny. 

In October 1991, I was appointed by Mr. Laurent Gbagbo as the Representative of the FPI in the United States of America. In that capacity, I have been a staunch political activist on behalf of this major Ivoirian political organization here in the U.S. In that context, I created three chapters of FPI in the Washington metropolitain area (DC, Maryland and, Virginia), in the New York metropolitain area (New York City and New Jersey) and in the Delaware Valley (Delaware and Pennsylvania). 

I organized two visits to the U.S. of Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, an member of the Ivoirian Parliament and the current President of the FPI. During his latest visit in June 1997, the leader of FPI forcefully declared at the National Press Club that basic human rights violations, micro-management of the judiciary branch, and attempts at gagging the private press have lead to perverting the whole democratic process in Côte d'Ivoire where the ruling party is both judge and judged (Excerpts of his address).

The greatest achievment of my tenure as the US-FPI Representative occurred after the 18th of February 1992, when Laurent Gbagbo, several officials of Ivoirian opposition parties, human rights organizations advocates and, leaders of teachers' unions were harsely arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison for having organized and actively participated in a peaceful demonstration to protest against human rights abuses that occurred on Abidjan University campus, where female students were raped. 

With the precious assistance of some Washington and New York-based human rights agencies my organization lobbied the US Congress and succeeded in obtaining a letter of support for the political prisoners. The letter endorsed by 6 U.S. senators and 7 U.S. representatives was mailed to Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara of Côte d'Ivoire, on the 29th of April 1992. In this letter the U.S. Congressmen expressed their grave concern about the government actions to intimidate peaceful opposition parties and damage the overall climate for free political participation in Côte d'Ivoire. This action on the part of the U.S. Congress put pressure on the Ivorian Government to release immediately the convicted political leaders from prison. 

Since January 9, 1998, I am an American citizen. But, as a former Ivorian citizen, I do have first-hand knowledge of the socio-political situation of Côte d'Ivoire that is supported by the credentials I have just spelled out in the previous two paragraphs and mostly by my book entitled: Le Front Populaire Ivoirien: de la clandestinité à la légitimité, le vécu d'un fondateur (Paris, L'Harmattan, 1999: 240p. ISBN 2-7384-6219-7). Therefore, I do solemnly declare that the above statement is fair, well balanced and not biased.

Outreach endeavor :

-- In South Florida NEWSWEEK, December 2004, No 11 Issue 12, pages 9-10: Other voices by Pascal D. Kokora.

-- Keynote Speaker at the International Academy of Business and Economics (IAEB)-2004 Annual Conference at Las Vegas, Nevada, October 17-20, 2004 at the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, talking about “Assets of Economic Globalization for Developing countries: the Case of Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa”.

-- First Meeting of the Board of Directors  of the US-Côte d’Ivoire Trade and Economic Council, Inc. (USCITEC), October 6, 2004.

-- Establishment of a US-Côte d’Ivoire Trade and Economic Council, Inc. (USTEC) to foster business relations between the United States and Côte d’Ivoire, August 5, 2004.

-- Prospects for Peace in Ivory Coast, Hearing before the SubCommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations House of Representatives, 108 Congress, First Session, February 12, 2003, Serial No 108-2 with a prepared statement from HEM Pascal D. Kokora.

-- Quoted by Mervyn Dymally, Former U.S. congressman in Washinton Times’ Editorials-Letters “Another Rwanda in the making?”. Page A18/Friday, January 3, 2003.

-- Article by Pascal D. Kokora (Ivory Coast’s ambassador to the United States) in the Washington Times Op-Ed, Monday, December 23, 2002/Page A23. “A teetering Ivory Coasst, Friends in the West must help preserve freedom”.

-- Report on Ambassador Kokora’s Nov. 21 lecture, which recounted the struggle of Côte D’Ivoire to reshape its government after the death of 33-year ruler Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1993. The report was done by Susan Maddocks and was entitled “Turmoil in the Ivory Coast: West African nation’s US ambassador outlines attempts to open economy, stave off rebels”. In the December 10, 2002 Northeastern Voice, on page 6.

-- As Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to the United States, led Education Officials from Côte d’Ivoire to visit Springbrook High School, In Silver Spring, MA, on Wednesday, November 28, 2001. After discussing the school’s signature program with Principal Michael Durso and his administrators, the guests visited a Digital Art classroom, the school’s media center, and witnessed the administration of the Maryland Functional Writing Test.

-- The Department of African-American Studies of the Northeastern University of Boston, MA, hosted Côte d’Ivoire’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Pascal Kokora, for lunch and a presentation on campus on November 21, 2002. His address, entitled “Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire: The African Implications” was delivered to the campus community, including about 100 students and focused on attempts to open the economy and the country’s struggles with rebel factions intent on toppling the administration of President Laurent Gbagbo, who favors “deregulating” the economy. The program is part of an outreach effort on the part of the Department, to bring national and international dignitaries to campus to participate in addressing issues of world importance.

-- Meeting with the Editorial Board of the Washington Times on Thursday, November 14, 2002 to address the issue of the terrorist attacks launched on Côte d’Ivoire on the night of September 18-19, 2002, that was a failed coup orchestrated by two groups of disgruntled soldiers with the assistance in heavy weapons of internal as well as external forces which wish to topple President GBAGBO’Ss democratically elected government of October 2001. The November 15’s Op-Ed featured an article by the Chief Editor, Tony Blankley, entitled “Accusations from the Ivory Coast”, Page A22/Friday, November 15, 2002.

-- United Nations Special Envoy for West Africa Ahmedou Ould Abdallah and Côte d’Ivoire’s Ambassador to the United States, Pascal Kokora, joined the US diplomat, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mark Bellamy, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event. Discussion centered on how to peacefully resolve the rebellion that broke out against President Gbagbo’s government on September 19, 2002. In Weekly Special Report of October 31, 2002, report by Jim Fisher-Thompson, entitled “US Against Force of Arms Solution to Cote d’Ivoire Crisis”.

-- As Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to the United States, was a special guest at the Friday Awards Luncheon, sharing remarks with the MFLA regarding teaching, learning and the Ivory Coast at the Holiday Inn South, Lansing, MI, October 17-19, 2002.

-- In Washington,DC, on Thursday, the Ivorian Ambassador to the United States, Pascal Kokora, speaking at a luncheon in honour of Madame Ottro Zirignon Touré Sarata, a senior member of President Gbagbo's team who is currently visiting the US, noted rumours that Interior Minister Emile Boga Doudou was assassinated by "a commando unit from a neighbouring country to the north". In AllAfrica.com, September 20, 2002. Posted to the web September 20, 2002 by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton from Johannesburg.

-- Organized activities to reach out to the African community, particularly the West African and Ivorian communities in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 1990-2001.

-- University of Pennsylvania-African Center: “Ivory Coast: Élection critique” Distributed on 10/17/95 on behalf of Ivorian Popular Front, by Pascal D. Kokora.

-- Taught a summer French language and Francophone African cultures course to American diplomats preparing to take a post overseas, Foreign Service Institute, Arlington, VA. Summer 1990 to present

-- Presented West African countries to Immersion School students, Montgomery County Public Schools, 1993, 1994.

-- Led an NEH institute on teaching Francophone West African cultures for teachers of French, Grades 6-12, Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD, Summer 1994.

-- Led an NEH institute on teaching Francophone culture for teachers of French, Grades K-8, Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD, Summer 1993.