Ivory Coast 'prophets' promise Gbagbo's return

Laurent Gbagbo's supporters may be vexed that the ex-president is under house arrest with criminal charges looming but, according to some evangelical pastors in Ivory Coast, there is no need to fret. "It's not over," said Elie Ayeri of the Wonders of God Church, who is just one of many evangelical Christians promising that Gbagbo, a devout Christian, will be liberated by divine intervention. Ivory Coast plunged into a deadly political crisis after Gbagbo refused to accept defeat after a November election. As world leaders urged him to stand down, several prominent conservative Christians, notably in the US, remained supportive. But that faith-based support did not, in the end, save him. In April, he was pried from power and arrested by fighters loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, the current president, who is a Muslim. Ouattara has promised domestic prosecutions against Gbagbo for his role in provoking post-election clashes that left some 3,000 dead. Gbagbo may also have to answer to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which Ouattara has asked to investigate potential war crimes committed during the five-month standoff. Gbagbo no longer has the public backing of international players like US Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, an evangelical Christian who, according to the New York Times, wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March to appeal for fresh elections. But perhaps Gbagbo can take comfort in a CD released by a self-proclaimed Ivorian prophet named Mamadou Kone, which promises in Biblically-themed beats that Gbagbo will rise again. In the pro-Gbagbo Abidjan neighbourhood where he lives, Ayeri proudly waved the CD cut by Kone, who goes by the Old Testament-inspired alias of 'Malachi'. In his most recent prophecy, Malachi, a shadowy figure known only through a handful of photographs, promised no less than a new "war", a "great wind of destruction" and a"catastrophe" that would spring Gbagbo from prison. The 'revelation', published online and in local media, earned Malachi an arrest warrant, and sent Abidjan's residents of all religious persuasions racing to stores to stock up on supplies ahead of the coming tempest. "I filled my fridge for three months," recalled Victoire Golly Yaba. Malachi's prophecy was, however, undermined by the passage of time, as August moved into September with Ouattara still firmly entrenched in the presidency. But, according to apostle Yves Agnimel, a pastor at the Delights of Autumn Evangelical Chapel, Malachi's forecast "partly came true." He cited as evidence a series of deadly traffic accidents that struck the country in recent weeks. To Jean Assemian, who founded the Mission of the Kingdoms of God Evangelical Church, prophets who "take their dreams and fantasies for reality, discredit the faith." Sociologist Nestor Anidie Dakaud argued that Ivorians are increasingly taken in by the fanatic spoutings of some pastors because, after a decade marred by conflict and political instability, Ivorians "are without their bearings." He pointed to the "problem of education at the level of children and of parents, (which has created) a fertile ground for the spread of beliefs and prophecies of all kinds." The evangelical community remains a minority in Ivory Coast, where 40 percent of the population is Muslim, 20 percent are animist, and the remaining 40 percent are split between a series of Christian denominations. But through the Gbagbo era the evangelicals flourished, as new pastors emerged modelling themselves after US 'televangelists' like Pat Robertson, a 1988 US presidential candidate who founded a prominent Christian television station. Robertson, in early April, also weighed in on Gbagbo's behalf, suggesting on "The 700 Club" show he hosts that Gbagbo should stay in power to protect Ivory Coast from being overrun by Muslim fanatics. Gbagbo and his wife Simone seemed to favour the rise of US-style evangelism in their country, but Ivorian religious leaders from various corners voiced unease about the mix of religion and politics that is now common in the US. Some argue that the new regime must now act decisively against the likes of Malachi and other prophets of doom. It's time to punish "the liars", "these charlatans", these "peddlers" of "nonsense", meaning the media, leading rights activist Alphonse Soro told AFP. For him, the emergence of Malachi and others like him is "a facet visible in the Machiavellianism of Laurent Gabgbo." The country, he argued, should dispense with such prophets, like it did with Gbagbo.