Christmas was a while back, but cleaning up the pictures in my computer before starting the trip back to Cote d'Ivoire after the holidays, I found some that I had forgotten to post. Here are some of the gifts from Abengourou that I bought for various relatives, which I thought might be interesting for those lacking ideas for future gifts:

This is a traditional Akan claypot used to serve dishes with sauces (such as chicken kedjenou). The lid is, of course, to keep annoying flies or other bugs away, and is my favorite part. In this particular case it represents the royal seat that is the symbol of the Indénié Kingdom (and I think also of other Ivorian kingdoms as I've seen it often representing more than just this region). This type of pottery work, with the dark colour and all, is very typical in Abengourou and is commonly used in daily life. Even the simplest plates or kitchen containers are made with this style.

Now, this was my favorite gift but nobody in the family has yet dared to drink it. Supposedly, it's a type of whisky with coffee flavor, but what really made me buy it was the description underneath its name, 'Black power': it provides strength, energy and aphrodisiac vitaly. Is this supposed to be the first thing that comes to mind when you see the Obama picture? Ahem.

Oh yeah, the coffee packages in the background come from a coffee plant right outside of Abengourou. When I went to buy them they were just finishing roasting the beans and they ground them in front of me, and although I'm not a coffee expert (I'm more the tea-drinking type) I hear it's really good.

Although not pictured here, I also brought some delicious Mambo Ivorian chocolate and some local fabrics that are always a winner.