Last week, President Obama gave a video address on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, much of which was directed to the people in the area. Did his message reach the Ivory Coast? and what media did people use to watch it?

“They eyes of the world are on Côte d'Ivoire,” President Obama says in a video message to the people if Ivory coast posted on the White House website on March 25. “You deserve a future of hope, not fear.”

 

“Now Côte d'Ivoire is at a crossroad,” the president says. “Two paths lay ahead: one path is where Laurent Gbagbo and his supporters cling to power, which will only lead to more violence, more innocent civilians being wounded and killed, and more diplomatic and economic isolation. Or Côte d'Ivoire can take another path.”

 

“You deserve a future of hope, not fear,” the president said. “You deserve leaders, like President Ouattara, who can restore your country’s rightful place in the world.  You deserve the chance to determine your own destiny.  It is time for democracy in Côte d'Ivoire.  And those who choose that path will have a friend and partner in the United States of America.”

 

Côte d'Ivoire is not exactly Palo Alto, so I wondered just how many citizens would actually see the president’s message on their computers.

 

The White House tracks these things rather closely, I was told. First off, the message was used on television and radio, and the Ambassador reported back that the message had an impact through those more traditional media. In terms of views, the White House says there were 6,476 views in Côte d'Ivoire; 6.592 in France where there’s an Ivory Coast diaspora community, and 14,147 views in the US.

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