Zacharie Séry Bailly, or Séry Bailly, (13 March 1948 – 2 December 2018) was an Ivorian academic, politician and short-story writer, born in
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
,
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
Born in Abidjan, on March 13, 1948, Bailly after his secondary and higher education embraces an academic career. He entered Abidjan-Cocody where he teaches English. He became Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Civilizations of the University of Cocody.
In 1993, he became a member of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and joined the Government on 4 January 2000 as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and was elected on Dec. 10, 2000 ,as representative for the riding of
Daloa
Daloa is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Sassandra-Marahoué District and the Haut-Sassandra Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast, sub-prefecture of Daloa Department. Daloa is also a Commune ...
in the FPI banner. It will be reappointed as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and will keep the same position in successive governments before being appointed on 5 August 2002, the Minister of Communication. Zacharie Séry Bailly leaves the Government on March 13, 2003, by giving the chair to Guillaume Soro.
He was a figure of the Ivorian left and has been revealed to the Ivorian public by his columnist activities. His "Chroniques de notre temps", published each Wednesday at the latest coverage of the Ivorian weekly newspaper "Notre Temps" (1991-1994), helps build his image of an intellectual. He depicts the Ivorian society sores with a writing style too poetic and sarcastic.
He was the author of two essays Hommage à Tiagouri Tapé "Vraiment" and Deux Guerres de transition : Guerres américaine et Guerre ivoirienne. He produced also numerous scientific publications in the field of art and civilization.
The general public discovered Séry Bailly in the early 90s but he was already known in the 70s as belonging to the protesters circles which should generate the Ivorian left. In 1971, while a student, he was arrested following a protest on campus and forcibly taken to military service. Deported from March 1971 to January 1973 in
Séguéla
Séguéla is a town in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Woroba District and the Worodougou Region. It is also a Communes of Ivory Coast, commune and the seat of and a sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast, sub-prefecture of Séguéla Depar ...
-more than 500 kilometers from Abidjan- He will have
Laurent Gbagbo
Koudou Laurent Gbagbo , FPI website . ( Zouglou, he considered it "music of the low self-esteem".
Notable work
* 1976 : ''Le désenchantement dans les romans des écrivains africains anglophones de la deuxième génération (A. K. Armah, K. Awoonor, W.T. Ngugi, W. Soyinka)'' (Université de Paris III)
* 1999 : ''Hommage à Tiagouri Tapé "Vraiment"'' (PUCI)
* 2003 : ''Deux guerres de transition : guerres civiles américaine et ivoirienne'' (EDUCI)
* 2005 : ''Ne pas perdre le nord'' (EDUCI)
* 2005 : ''Réflexion sur la crise ivoirienne : vivre en paix dans un Etat-nation souverain'' (L'Harmattan)
* 2009 : ''Ecrits pour la démocratie : la roue tourne'' (Editions du CERAP)
* 2009 : ''Regards culturels : que tombe la pluie diluvienne !'' (PUCI)
* 2010 : ''Des paroles de Côte-d'Ivoire pour Haïti, notre devoir de solidarité'' (Ceda/Nei), Collectif.