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The African Agricultural Union (French: Syndicat agricole africain, SAA) was the first quasi-political party in Côte d'Ivoire, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny throughout its existence. It was established on 3 September 1944 by Houphouët-Boigny and the colonial administration.
The SAA was established on 3 September 1944 by Houphouët-Boigny and the colonial administration at an inaugural meeting in Abidjan.[1] Under his presidency, it brought together African farmers who were dissatisfied with their paychecks and worked to protect their interests against those of European settlers.[2][3] Anti-colonialist and anti-racist, the organisation demanded better working conditions, higher wages, and the abolition of unfree labour.[1] The union quickly received the support of nearly 20,000 plantation workers.[1] Its success irritated the colonists to the extent that they took legal action against Houphouët.[4] However, the SAA increased his popularity as the voice of the Africans.[3]
When elected to the assemblée constituante on 4 November 1945, Houphouët-Boigny worked to implement the wishes of the SAA. He proposed a bill to abolish forced labour, the single most unpopular feature of French rule,[3] on 1 March 1946 which the Assembly adopted in 1947.[5] On 9 April 1946,[6] Houphouët-Boigny, with the help of the Groupes d'études communistes d'Abidjan, recreated the SAA as the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI),[7] the first effective party in Côte d'Ivoire[8] and the Ivorian section of the African Democratic Rally.
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