RIDING THE WAVES

Waxing down his board at the beach where he grew up, Souleymane Sidibe is determined to show the judges in Cote d'Ivoire's first surfing competition that he's a future champion.

The west African country is best-known internationally for its cocoa. With its 570-kilometer (355-mile) coastline and its impressive waves, it now wants to make a name for itself as a surfer's paradise, alongside South Africa, Morocco and Senegal.

In late February, Assinie beach, 80 kilometers from Abidjan, hosted the Africa Surf Tour, a continent-wide competition.

"Over the past few years, more and more people have taken up surfing," Sidibe said.

The 30-year-old athlete has created an NGO to open up access to the sport and started his own Souley Surf School, a new addition to the handful of surf clubs that have appeared since 2017.

Among the dozens of supporters at the competition that day were young amateur surfers draped in the national flag, who, like Sidibe, had had to teach themselves the art of the wave by imitating the most experienced board riders.

"I've come along to watch and learn stuff," said 22-year-old Kouadio Daniel Koffi, on the lookout for take-offs, rollers and other moves practiced by his hero, one of the only professionals of his generation in Cote d'Ivoire.

Oumar Seye, the Senegalese head of the African Surfing Confederation and organizer of the Assinie competition, said it was crucial to "give a boost to African surfers".

"We have great waves and a lovely coast. We've got everything we need for the sport to take off," he said.

Sidibe said he knows he will need to travel abroad to advance his skill.

He nonetheless lauded the merits of Assinie, where the waves break close to the sea's edge, encouraging surfers to develop their technique.

There are still obstacles though, in Cote d'Ivoire as well as in neighboring Ghana and Liberia.

Making a living

"It's very hard to get visas for competitions in Europe or elsewhere because we don't have sponsors," said 29-year-old Guy Constantin Bouillaud from Cote d'Ivoire as he emerged from the water.

Carlos Watson, a 21-year-old Liberian waiting his turn nearby, nodded in agreement.

"My goal for this African tour is to put Liberia on the map," he said, " (even if) it's really difficult for a Liberian to be part of an international surfer league, to be a champion."

Everyone in Liberia, one of Africa's poorest countries, has to be "a self-supporter", he said.

The cost of the equipment is another hurdle.

In Cote d'Ivoire, The West Factory is the only company that manufactures surfboards.

The business, which opened in 2014, is a symbol of a sport that attracts growing interest but is still one where the equipment is only accessible to the richer echelons of society.

The West Factory workshop in Abidjan produces around 50 to 60 boards a year that sell for between 350,000 and 500,000 CFA francs ($555-$790). That's five to seven times the average minimum salary.

Some elements are imported from South Africa, like the resin, foam and fiberglass.

Amateur surfers train on donated secondhand boards.

Of the 46 participants in the Africa Surf Tour in Assinie, only five are able to make a living from their passion — South Africa's Paul Sampson, the winner, and four Senegalese surfers.

One of the latter, Cherif Fall, who now lives in California, said his ambition was "to qualify for the Olympics".

"If you're a champion in Senegal or Cote d'Ivoire, you need to get some travel under your belt to gain experience because there's competition out there," he said.

AFP