Les grandes phases de la prostitution en Côte d’Ivoire (1894-1957)

As in all human societies, prostitution was a very real practice in colonial Ivory Coast society, despite the numerous repressive actions of the colonial authorities against prostitutes. This article, which is part of the historiographic field of history from below, proposes to explore the phenomenon of prostitution in the colony of Côte d’Ivoire. More precisely, it questions the evolution of prostitution in the colony of Côte d’Ivoire. The objective here is to highlight the major stages of prostitution in Côte d’Ivoire from 1894 to 1957. The study is based mainly on archival and oral sources, as well as scientific works. The methodological approach consists of cross-referencing these different sources and scientific works. The exploitation of the sources made it possible to identify three (3) major stages in the evolution of prostitution in Côte d’Ivoire from 1894 to 1957: a phase of clandestinity (1894-1909), a stage of officialization (1909-1951) and a stage of intensification (1951-1957).