Why Abidjan? A Home-Adjacent Heartstring

• July 14 - 19, 2025
• $1,250.00

Abidjan has always lived quietly in the background of my childhood, like a beloved relative I never got to meet but heard stories about endlessly.

Back when I was much younger, my dad and his siblings would ship us and our cousins off to my grandma’s house for the holidays—a house full of noise, love, and the kind of chaos only big families know. My aunts, who were fierce entrepreneurs even back then, often made trips to Abidjan to buy goods and bring them back to sell. It always felt like Abidjan was this magical place just beyond the horizon—full of markets, style, snacks, and stories.

With Togolese roots on my paternal side and French being a familiar sound in our family, Abidjan felt natural—like a part of our extended cultural DNA. Francophone West Africa is so slept on, yet it holds a charm, elegance, and warmth that deserves to be celebrated.

I’ve longed to visit the place I heard so much about as a child. The place where many of my gifts came from. Where couscous and attiéké were staples before I even knew they were distinctly Ivorian. The place that smelled like spices and mystery, and where sneaking a bottle-cap full of Dubonnet from grandma’s cabinet with my older cousins felt like the height of rebellion.

This trip is layered—with nostalgia, family ties, and a quiet longing to walk the streets that once only lived in stories.