Ivory Coast King Pledges Donation Towards Notre-Dame Restoration

Amon N'Douffou V, king of Sanwi in southeastern Ivory Coast has said he is in consultation with the elders of his kingdom to make a donation towards the restoration of the historic Notre Dame cathedral.

He told AFP: "I am in full consultation with my elders - we are going to make a donation for the rebuilding of this monument."

"I couldn't get to sleep because I was so disturbed by the pictures" of the fire, he said.

The king cited the strong ties between his kingdom and France dating back to the 17th century when French missionaries visited the kingdom. In 1687, after French traders had established a foothold in the kingdom, the king sent a son named Aniaba, aged about 15, to Paris as a token of his bona fides.

The boy was taken to Notre-Dame where the sight of the cathedral is said to have driven him to religious ecstasy.

News of his encounter reached the ears of the Sun King, Louis XIV, who was to become his godfather and protector. A relationship that was to shape history considering the racial relations at the time.

The prince was baptised, adopting Louis’ name as his Christian name, and joined the king's cavalry regiment, reputedly becoming the first black officer in the French army, and was given a handsome pension from the royal purse.

Sanwi became a French protectorate in 1843, and merged into Ivory Coast in 1959, a year before independence.

The prince returned to Ivory Coast in 1701 after the death of his father, but what happened to him next is unclear.

Some accounts say that he was sidelined by the new king and went to live in modern-day Togo, acting as advisor to the local monarch. Others say he went blind, or returned to France.

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