What does the death of Yacou le Chinois, bank robber, ex-rebel and head of the informal government of MACA, Côte d’Ivoire’s largest prison, teach us? Using the tragic fate of Yacou le Chinois during a prison mutiny as a narrative, this paper shows how the power structure inside the prison is strongly linked to the ethos of the ghetto. It reveals how Yacou’s criminal career is closely related to the Ivoirian national trajectory. This discussion of an African carceral experience highlights the relevance of carceral studies for revealing wider social issues.