The City of Newark will host a flag-raising ceremony to observe the 56th anniversary of Cote d’Ivoire gaining its independence on Friday, August 5, at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall First Floor Rotunda, at 920 Broad Street.
The City will join with the African Diaspora community in the Newark region to recognize the 56th anniversary of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) gaining its independence from France at the ceremony. The West African Coast nation’s history dates back to the 11th century, consisting of several empires. The French colonized the land in the 1800s, and achieved independence under the leadership of Felix Houphouet-Boigny in 1960. The nation’s economy is based on coffee and cocoa production, and the nation has a population of approximately 15 million.
The ceremony is being hosted by Deputy Mayor of International Relations and Diaspora Affairs Ugo Nwaokoro and the African and American Alliance, a Newark-based non-profit organization that encouraged economic empowerment, social mobilization, and ethnicity through intercultural dynamics within people of African and African-American descent. The event will recognize the contributions of Newark residents of Ivory Coast descent.
