A bright, monumental building rises 30 meters into the sky of Yamoussoukro, the strangely quiet capital of Ivory Coast, far from the hustle and bustle of the economic metropolis of Abidjan, transmits dw.com.

A white dove symbolizing peace adorns the globe in the geometrically laid out park in front of the main entrance. The institution’s name is almost as impressive as the architecture: Felix-Houphouet-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research.

A 20-meter-long fabric printed with the portrait of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel decorates the side of the building. It is an exceptional setting for Merkel’s return to Africa, just over a year after she left office as chancellor.

On Wednesday, Angela Merkel received the Felix Houphouet-Boigny UNESCO Peace Prize in the self-proclaimed “world capital of peace.”