AFCON2023: Cameroonian female social media influencer faces repatriation threats

By Stephen TADAHA

Ivorians have been mounting pressure on authorities for the repatriation of Francine Mayole, a popular Cameroonian Tik-Tok star currently in Côte d’Ivoire for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Francine is accused of criticising the state of the country’s capital Abidjan.

In a video going viral on social media, Francine makes a laughter of Cocody, a locality in in Abidjan, mocking at the dusty nature.

“Wasn’t I told there was no dust here in Abidjan? Where are we?” Francine can be heard questioning.

” Is this not Cocody? Is this not dust?” she mockingly questioned.

This gesture from the Cameroonian has raised controversy among Ivorians who feel they are being insulted, thus requesting her repatriation as was the case with an Algerian who was repatriated for racist attacks on ivorians.

The Algerian YouTube star, Sofia Benlemmane had in a video taken in Côte d’Ivoire, made some racist declaration on the Country and the African continent.

“Algeria should normally have been located between Spain and Portugal instead of Africa. Because here in Africa they live a life of misery and I have a video recorded at night in a train station that shows it. Less than prehistory is better than here” Sofia declared

After the declaration, Sofia was reportedly arrested by Ivorian authorities and repatriated.

Worthy to note is the fact that both Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire considered as brother countries and both citizens have been used to jokingly mocking each other on social media handles.

Some of the mockeries have recently been in development, economic, beauty, sports and others.