By Dikeledi Molobela – Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire <\/P>
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Chief \u201cDwasaho\u201d which means \u201cThe Great Warrior\u201d is the name President Cyril Ramaphosa was given by Ivorian Traditional leadership during his state visit on Thursday, in the Republic of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. <\/P>
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The President arrived to a warm reception and loud cheers by the locals who held huge banners of his face at the City Hall in Abidjan where he was given the status of a Chief. <\/P>
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Overcome with emotion, President Ramaphosa was handed over the Key of the Autonomous district of Abidjan and presented with and robed in Ivorian traditional garb by Traditional Leadership during the handover ceremony. <\/P>
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He said the gesture of honour of traditional recognition was unbelievable as he never expected this type of honour being bestowed on him. <\/P>
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\u201cI am truly humbled by this honour, it is impressive in many ways, because it is a demonstration of the rituals of our African people and ancestors. You started off with three greetings and I immediately thought about home but this is my new home now,\u201d the President said. <\/P>
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Filled with gratitude and humility, the President said that he\u2019s always wanted to be a Chief and now the Ivorians have given him the \u201ckey to the city as well as traditional title of being a chief amongst Ivorian people\u201d. <\/P>
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\u201cThe rituals that you have, connected us between the present and the past and they also give us a pathway to the future. I am delighted that the people of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire are not only focusing on the past and present but they are also focusing on the future. That future for us was clearly represented and demonstrated in the important agreements that we signed with the government of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire,\u201d he said. <\/P>
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Reacting to the ceremony, the President said that \u201cthis ceremony has given me this wonderful robe. I never thought in my life that I would wear a crown. I never thought I would also wear a necklace with an elephant, an elephant is a totem for my family\u201d. <\/P>
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The statesman said the gesture by traditional leaders also proves their common ancestry and he feels very connected to the local people in Abidjan. <\/P>
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Speaking at the ceremony, governor of the Autonomous District of Abidjan, Robert Beugr\u00e9 Mamb\u00e9 said that C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire is now the President\u2019s home second to South Africa. <\/P>
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\u201cYou are our family. (Our ancestors) they are there for you for whatever you may need in the future\u2026we will pray for you and South Africa to be supported for whatever you need in the future,\u201d he said. <\/P>
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Later in the evening, President Ramaphosa was hosted by President Ouattara and Mrs Ouattara at a State Banquet in his honour and was bestowed with C\u00f4te d’Ivoire’s distinguished Order of the Dignity of the Grand Cross.<\/P>
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Today, he will tour the Autonomous Port of Abidjan before addressing the C\u00f4te d’Ivoire-South Africa Business Forum and later on proceed to lay the foundation stone for MTN’s new headquarters in C\u00f4te d’Ivoire.<\/P>
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Source: South Africa Government News Agency<\/P>
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By Dikeledi Molobela – Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire Chief \u201cDwasaho\u201d which means \u201cThe Great Warrior\u201d is the name President Cyril Ramaphosa was given by Ivorian Traditional leadership during his state visit on Thursday, in the Republic of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. The Pr…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n