"Assinie Mafia, a iya iya hiya", sang Alpha Blondy in 1998 in his album Yitzhak Rabin, which helped popularize this chic seaside resort in Côte d'Ivoire. In France, under the direction of Patrice Leconte, it is the small troupe of the Splendid who helped to export the fame of Assinie outside the borders of Côte d'Ivoire in the late 1970s by shooting the Bronzés and its hit "Radio Galaswinga. Assinie was the first destination where Club Med opened a village outside Europe. In 1994, the resort even hosted the very first (and only to date...) African water skiing championships. But after the coup d'état in 1999, the security situation led to the closure of Club Med (where a new hotel complex is now under construction) and Sporting Club Valtur (Hotel des Palétuviers, whose remains can still be seen not far from the O'Sole Mio hotel in Assouindé). Since the mid-2000s and despite the various turbulent areas crossed, the sun-drenched peninsula has recovered its health, facing the craze of Abidjanese to spend sunny weekends by the ocean. In recent years, with the economic boom of the country and its wealthy class, a tourist surge is taking place in Assinie. New luxury hotels are opening on this long strip of land on the lagoon side in addition to the hotels already established, while boats provide connections to the beach where there are other rooms in addition to these hotels, as well as private houses for rent. The construction of a new 2x2 lane road, currently being finalized, promises a bright future for tourism. The main obstacle to its development today is transportation. The gbaka are non-existent and the cars drag on in monstrous traffic jams every weekend. During the week, on the other hand, Assinie is quiet and deserted like a wilderness retreat for the privileged. If only the wealthy class of Abidjan can afford a weekend in one of these expensive hotels, many motorized families come here during the day, on the beach or by the pools, before returning to Abidjan in the evening. The beach here is very long (20 km long), and has kept its wild and enchanting aspect on many unbuilt sections, probably because of the narrowness of this strip of sand between ocean and lagoon Almost privatized, this coastal strip sees on both sides of the lagoon and on its beaches a multitude of residences competing with a luxury out of step with the surrounding villages. Political leaders, wealthy businessmen, senior officials, artists, public figures and jet-setters on the go: all want their own cottage "out of sight". This residential craze, which is reflected in the proliferation of hardware stores and cement wholesalers on the outskirts of the village, has earned the part of Assinie between kilometers 3 and 19 the nickname of "Saint-Tropez of Africa", or "billionaires' point", a seaside echo of the "billionaires' bay" on Boulay Island. However, between two exuberant villas, one also comes across small fishing villages linked by red laterite tracks. Mafia, which spreads the seductive luxury of its lodges along the lagoon and across the sea, is answered by Terminal on the Assouindé side, where bungalows, roots camps and hotels offer a more affordable quality-price ratio. The two worlds rarely meet, but live at the same rhythm: soft whisper of the wind and caress of the sun during the week, animation on the beach at the weekend, and even boom boom on the Assouindé side, more youthful and festive

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Assinie, coté lagune. Jean-Paul LABOURDETTE
Assinie Mafia : coucher de soleil côté plage. Elodie VERMEIL
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