ROSARY BEADS AND THE FRANC: HOW RELIGION AND BUSINESS OVERLAP IN THE YACOUBA SYLLA ORGANISATION IN THE IVORY COAST (1935-1988)

Abstract

This article explores the link between religion and business using the Yacouba Sylla organisation in the Ivory Coast as an illustrative example. The eponymous founder of the organisation in question, Yacouba Sylla, had an atypical career that spanned the colonial and post-colonial eras. He was a follower of a religious movement called hamallism and opposed French administration in Nioro, his native land. As a result, he was deported to the Ivory Coast where he became a successful businessman. Yacouba Sylla’s business success is considered to be the result of his ability to leverage three resources. He learned how to adapt and prosper within the shadow of the colonial experience. He developed a process of cultural, linguistic and religious homogenization that allowed him to motivate his workforce. Finally, he managed to transform the concept of work into an act of worship of God. As a martyr of colonization, Yacouba Sylla transformed his heritage to build a religious community in a foreign land. Business and religion thus overlapped intimately. The analysis of these dynamics allow us to appreciate the unique destiny of Yacouba Sylla who represents a very idiosyncratic case in the history of political deportees in the Ivory Coast as well as in French-speaking West Africa in a colonial context.