Grand-Bassam · Traditional Celebration
The King Listens, the People Dance: Grand-Bassam Closes Its Abissa and Aims for UNESCO
From October 25 to November 8, the Quartier France of Grand-Bassam lived the Abissa, the new year of the N'Zima Kotoko people: a week of silence, then celebration, dances and free speech before King Amon Tanoé. Côte d'Ivoire wants the tradition inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
Grand-Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire), November 10, 2026. First the silence, then the dance. The 2026 Abissa closed on November 8 in the Quartier France of Grand-Bassam, at the end of a full cycle: the silent week of the Siedou, then the festive phase of the Gouazo, celebrating the new year of the N'Zima Kotoko people, placed this year under the theme “universal values and sustainable development”.
The king listens, the people speak
The Abissa is no ordinary festival: there, the king listens to his subjects' criticism. On the public square, speech flows freely, grievances are spoken, forgiveness is asked — then the community moves together into the new year. The King of the N'Zima Kotoko, His Majesty Amon Tanoé, made his first official appearance on the public square, a highlight of this edition.
Heading for UNESCO
Côte d'Ivoire wants the Abissa inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. A recognition worthy of this centuries-old tradition, which turns Grand-Bassam, every year, into the capital of a celebration where criticism, forgiveness and dance seal a people's cohesion.
In practice
Event : Abissa 2026 — new year of the N'Zima Kotoko people, closed on November 8, 2026
Venue : Quartier France, Grand-Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire)
Theme : “Universal values and sustainable development”
Highlights : The silent week of the Siedou, the festive phase of the Gouazo, King Amon Tanoé's first official appearance
Ambition : Inscription of the Abissa on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list
