ALL WASHED UP IN ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST

October 29, 2008

Although the guidebook called it a launderette, it was not listed for reasons of personal hygiene. It was billed as the largest outdoor launderette in Africa, and although I have not seen any others for comparison it was not difficult to believe the boast.

The launderette is situated at the northern edge of Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, amongst its outer, shanty-like suburbs. Laundry is collected from all over the city and washed in a small stream at the edge of a forest reserve called the Parc du Banco.

The hills were alive with the sound of drying. About twenty hectares of washed garments, bed linen and tablecloths were laid out to dry on the bare and dusty ground. I have no idea how they kept track of everything; the site should have been a contender for a world record in odd-sock production.

We had been wandering around for a while when we were met by a young man. He explained that the owner of the laundry would like to meet us and to offer us a guided tour.

We were happy to accept the offer. We were shown the various aspects of the washing process that even included the on-site manufacture of the soap. This is made from local palm oil that is boiled up in old 44-gallon drums. The new football-sized cakes of soap are placed in rows to dry in the sun. The washing process involves hundreds of men, women and children pummeling the clothes against old tires in the soapy water of the stream. The youngest boys have the job of swimming after any clothes that float away from the washers. Piles of wrung out clothes are bundled onto the heads of women and carried away to dry on the surrounding hills.

“Take lots of photos, John,” said Laurence, “He thinks that we are a couple of journalists.”

I grudgingly obeyed. While I do not speak French and so cannot confirm what was said, I was convinced that we looked just like the backpackers that we were.

Our guide then offered us a walk in the rain forest. The cool dankness under the trees was a relief after the heat of the sun, but I did wonder why four well-built lads were needed to help show us the way. After walking straight into the forest for about fifteen minutes I began to feel quite uneasy.

“Let’s head back,” I said.

“Just a little bit further,” came the reply from one of our minders.

There was no point arguing so I turned around and began to walk out on my own and fortunately the others followed. It was a relief to leave the gloom of the forest and burst again onto the bustle of the laundry.

As the tour was wound up our guide asked us to come back down to the stream to thank the owner for his hospitality.

It seemed a fair request.

The owner waved to us as we approached. We had a quick chat and Laurence and I in turn shook his hand and thanked him. As we turned to leave we realized that something was wrong. The cordial atmosphere of a few seconds before had evaporated.

A scowl crossed the owner’s face and with a flick of his head, we found ourselves surrounded by eight very large and fit looking laundry men.

The owner said something and Laurence hissed a translation through clenched teeth, “They are threatening us. They want fifty dollars to guarantee our safety out of here.” Fifty dollars to avoid a thrashing.

This seemed excessive for a half hour tour and I was sure that a more reasonable sum could be agreed upon. As I began to protest I caught sight of some furious activity from Laurence. His hands were moving so quickly that I could hardly see his fingertips. I was just beginning to say, “Can’t we negotiate…” when I saw Laurence’s wallet snap shut and the owner with a smug smile slide a fistful of large denomination notes into his pocket. The threatening circle evaporated and we were free to walk away.

We felt cheated by our apparent friends and I was annoyed that there had not been a chance to bargain. But it was only our pride that was bruised and in hindsight, I am sure that Laurence’s haste was wise. It had cost fifty dollars to avoid confrontation with eight, dark skinned, industrial-sized washing machines. Who knows what it would have cost to avoid trouble with a similar number of wringers or tumble dryers.

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