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Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Born Dia Houphouët on October 18, 1905, died December 7, 1993), also known as The Sage, Nanan Boigny and Nanan Houphouët, is the father of Côte d'Ivoirian independence.

Orignally a village chief, Félix Houphouët-Boigny became in succession a doctor, the administrator of a plantation, a union leader, the Ivorian député in France, a French government minister, the President of the Côte d'Ivoirian National Assembly, the mayor of Abidjan, the Ivorian Prime Minister and finally the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Serving as head of state from 1960, Houphouët-Boigny played a highly important role in the process of African decolonisation and dominated the political scene of his birth country until his death in 1993.

A proponent of françafrique - the policy of close cooperation with France - he succeeded in developing Côte d'Ivoire's economy, in particular its agricultural sector, making his country an oasis of prosperity in a continent largely mired in poverty. This period of economic growth is referred to as the Ivorian miracle. However, the prosperity won through the exportation of cocoa and coffee was shattered in the 1980s by a dramatic fall in raw goods prices. His dictatorial regime, generally moderate but undermined by rampant corruption, became more and more unbearable to a population hit hard by the economic crisis, whose effects are still being felt in Côte d'Ivoire today.

Cooperation with France was not limited to the economic sphere. Houphouët-Boigny's regime collaborated with the former colonial master's secret services to practise a controversial style of African politics typified by unconditional and mutual solidarity between the two countries in whatever new "adventures" they involved themselves in. As France's man in Africa, he carved out for himself a special place on the African scene, especially amongst the region's francophone countries and in the Gulf of Guinea, where he held great influence.

Childhood and education
According to his official biography, Houphouët-Boigny was born Dia Houphouët on October 18, 1905 in N'Groko. Some doubt exists over the veracity of this date; the Baoulé people of whom he was a part do not maintain a birth register. It is highly probable that he was born prior to 1905.

Born into the Akouès, an animist tribe, he is the son of one Houphouët who gave him the first name Dia, meaning prophet or magician. Dia Houphouët was the great-nephew of Queen Yamousso and the village chief, Kouassi N'Go. When N'Go was murdered in 1910, the young Dia was called on to succeed him as chief. Due to his young age, his stepfather Gbro Diby became regent (his father having already died).

Recognising his place in the hierarchy, the colonial administration decided to send him to school at the military post of Bonzi, not far from his village. In 1915 he was moved to the école primaire supérieure (secondary school) at Bingerville despite reluctance on the part of his family. The same year, at Bingerville, he converted to Christianity as he considered it a modern religion and an obstacle to the spread of Islam. He baptised himself Félix.

A brilliant student, in 1919 he was accepted into the École William Ponty where he obtained a teaching degree. In 1921 he attended the École de médecine de l'AOF (French West Africa School of Medicine) in Senegal, where in 1925 he came first in his class. However, he never completed his studies in medicine and could only aspire to a career as a médecin africain, a sort of poorly-paid doctor.

Medical career
On October 26, 1925, Houphouët began his career as a doctor's aid at the hospital of Abidjan where he founded an association bringing together indigenous medical personnel. However, this undertaking was short-lived - the colonial administration viewed unsympathetically what it considered to be a union group and decided to move Houphouët to a hospital in Guiglo where conditions were particularly unsanitary. This occurred on April 27, 1927. However, when he proved his considerable talents he was promoted to Abenbourou on September 17, 1929, to a post until that time reserved for Europeans.

At Abengourou Houphouët witnessed the exploitation of indigenous cocoa farmers by the colonists. Deciding to act, in 1932 he became the head of a movement of farmers hostile to the major white landowners and to the economic policies of the colonisers which favoured them. . On December 22 he had published, under a pseudonym, an article titled On nous a trop volés (They have stolen too much from us) appearing in the Trait d'union, a Côte d'Ivoirian socialist newspaper.

The following year, Houphouët was summoned by his tribe to assume the responsibilities of village chief, but, preferring to pursue his medical career, he stood down in favour of his younger brother Augustin. However, wishing to live closer to his village, he got a transfer to Dimbokro on February 3, 1934 and then to Toumodi on June 28, 1936. If until that point Houphouët had displayed real professional qualities, his attitude had come to displease - in September 1938 his clinical director demanded that he choose between his job as a doctor and his involvement in local politics. The choice was quickly made for him - in 1939 his brother died, and Houphouët became chief.

Canton administrator and union boss
In becoming chief Houphouët assumed responsibility for the administration of the Akouè canton, which comprised 36 villages. He also took charge of the family plantation, at the time one of the most important in the country, and worked to diversify its rubber, cocoa and coffee crops. He soon became one of Africa's richest farmers.

On September 3, 1944, he established, in cooperation with the colonial administration , the 'African Farm Workers' Union (Syndicat agricole africain, SAA). Under his presidency the SAA brought together African farmers who were dissatisfied with their lot. Anti-colonialist and anti-racist, the organisation demanded better working conditions, higher wages and the abolition of unfree labor. The union quickly received the support of nearly 20,000 plantation workers, its success irritating the colonisers so much that they took legal action against Houphouët.