ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Henri Konan Bedie's jinxing the country's soccer team would lead to a jail term and ultimately to a measure of international fame for its author, Roch d'Assomption Tieti, who writes under the nom de plume Freedom Neruda. He chose the name because he found inspiring the work of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The chapter shows that the jailing of Freedom Neruda appeared in La Voie in December 1995. A companion piece suggested the president should have stayed home the night of the soccer championship match. Freedom Neruda, Kore and the newspaper's publication director, Abou Drahamane Sangare, were arrested, quickly brought to trial on charges of insulting the head of state, pronounced guilty and sentenced to two years in prison. Ivorian officials sought to justify jailing Freedom Neruda and his colleagues by insisting that the head of state is the embodiment of national unity and dignity and must be insulated from unflattering and objectionable commentary.
