GABON: Visit Gabon, Originally Land Of Pygmy People

Gabon is a country in Western Central Africa. It lies on the Equator, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, between the Republic of the Congo to the south and east, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest and Cameroon to the north.

A small population, as well as oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries. The country has generally been able to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples. They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes as they migrated.

In the 15th century, the first Europeans arrived. The nation's present name originates from "Gabão", Portuguese for "cloak", which is roughly the shape of the estuary of the Komo River close to the capital of Libreville. French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza led his first mission to the Gabon-Congo area in 1875.

He founded the town of Franceville, and was later colonial governor. Several Bantu groups lived in the area that is now Gabon when France officially occupied it in 1885.

In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. These territories became independent on August 17, 1960.

Since independence, Gabon has been one of the more stable African countries. Autocratic President Omar Bongo was in power from 1967 until his death in 2009. Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions.

A small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous sub-Saharan African countries. Despite being made up of more than 40 ethnic groups, Gabon has escaped the strife afflicting other West African states.

Climate

Tropical; always hot, humid. During the months of June to September, the climate is a little cooler (20-25°C).

Terrain

Narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savannah in east and south. Highest point is Mont Iboundji at 1,575 metres.

Holidays

Independence Day: 17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)

Regions

- Coastal Plain (Libreville, Gamba, Loango National Park, Kango, Mayumba, Tchibanga)
flat riverplains and lagoons with dense rainforest on the Atlantic coast as well the capital city and majority of the population

- Central Highlands the Cristal Mountains and Chaillou Massif with huge tracts of highland rainforest

- Jungle Interior (Franceville)the eastern region mostly bordering Republic of the Congo; more rainforest.

Cities
- Libreville - Capital

- Cap Lopez

- Franceville

- Gamba

- Kango

- Lambarene

- Mayumba

- Owendo

- Port-Gentil

Attractions

Akanda National Park — mangroves & tidal flats are home to migratory birds and turtles.

Banteke Plateau National Park — savannah crossed by rivers with rope bridges for the locals; home to forest elephants, buffalo and antelope.

Crystal Mountains National Park — misty forests rich in orchids, begonias, & other flora.

Ivindo National Park — two of Central Africa's most magnificent waterfalls; gorillas, chimpanzees, & forest elephants gather around its rivers and waterholes.

Loango National Park — a 100km stretch of virgin beaches and adjacent rainforest, both scenic and a place to view leopards, elephants, gorillas, & monkeys on the beach.

Lope National Park — mix of savanna & dense forest along the Ogooue River; float along the river in pirogue, view ancient rock engravings, or track gorillas or mandrill monkeys with a pygmy guide.

Mayumba National Park — sandy peninsula home to the world's largest population of nesting leatherback turtles.

Minkebe National Park — highland forest with large sandstone domes, home to elephants and forest-dwelling antelope and giant hogs.

Visiting Gabon

Nationals of Morocco, Mauritius and Tunisia may enter Gabon visa-free. Nationals of South Africa may obtain a visa on arrival. All other nationals must apply for a visa before travel.

The fee for a visa to enter the country is typically €70 via the e-Visa website from one (1) to three (3) months single entry, €185 for six (6) months with multiple entries. Both have a €15 processing fee. Fees can also be paid in XAF.

Payments are made on arrival at the delivery of the e-visa sticker.

The visa usually takes 72 hours to be issued. This can only be issued when visit Gabon by air via Leon Mba International Airport in Libreville.

By Air

Air France and Gabon Airlines fly from Paris to Libreville, and Royal Air Maroc flies from Casablanca to Gabon. Air Service also flies to Douala (Cameroon), and Ethiopian Airlines flies from Addis Ababa. There are also on occasion flights to Brazzaville, Congo.

"Interair" flies from Johannesburg (South Africa) to Libreville on Monday with a stopover in Brazzaville/Congo - returning via the same route every Wednesday.

South African Airways "SAA" flies direct from Johannesburg South Africa) to Libreville and back on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Turkish Airlines has direct flights from Istanbul to Libreville.

By Car
There are several border crossings, though the roads are not good and a 4x4 is recommended.

Touring

The easiest way to get around is by bus. There are many and they are very cheap. Additionally, taxis are plentiful in the Libreville area and relatively well maintained.

By Air

Air Service has scheduled flights to Oyem, Makouko and Franceville/Mvengue. Air Nationale flies to Franceville/Mvengue. There are flights to Franceville/Mvengue every day of the week except Tuesdays and Thursdays. Africa's Connection has daily scheduled flights between Libreville and Port Gentil, weekly flights from Port-Gentil / Libreville to São Tomé & Príncipe and to Loango National Park.

By Car

There are lots of paved roads in Gabon, if you are staying in one of the major cities a car should suffice. If you plan on venturing onto some of the unpaved roads outside the major cities a 4x4 is recommended.

There are less than 800km of tarred roads in Gabon - some of them in a bad condition. During the rainy season it is difficult to travel outside the major city areas even in a 4x4 vehicle.

By Train

The Trans-Gabon railroad goes from Owendo to Franceville. The trip takes 12-18 hours, there is a train every day of the week.

November 2006: There are only 3 trains per week to Franceville: Tuesdays leaving Owendo at 09:00 - arriving in Franceville at 17:00 according to the timetable, which is not completely reliable. On Thursdays and Saturdays train travels through the night.

By Bus

A few wealthy Gabonese entrepreneurs have invested in new buses for bus lines to service the larger interior cities. Mostly these buses serve the cities with paved roads leading to and from them. Since Air Gabon closed down, these bus lines have greatly increased their routes.

On Water

Boat travel is available all along the coast of Gabon and dozens of miles up the Ogooue river to Lambarene. Boats leave daily to/from Libreville and Port Gentil. River trips from the mouth of the big river at Port Gentil to Lambarene (Albert Schweitzer Hospital) are available every few days.

Hotel Olako arranges weekly boat transfers between Port Gentil and Omboué (close to Loango National Park), transfers take between 3 and 4.5 hours (depending on the type of boat and engine).

Language

The official language is French. Around 80% of the population speak fluent French, and one-third of the population of Libreville speak French as their native language.

Other than French, the three most common languages are Fang, Mbere, and Sira. Other indigenous languages are spoken by much smaller numbers.

Very few people speak English in Gabon, so some knowledge of French is an asset.

Tourist attractions in Gabon include beaches, waterfalls, national parks, ocean and inland fishing facilities and the Crystal Mountains.

Chez Beti - a small seaside safari camp near the village of Nyonie owned and operated by a French ex-pat. Clean, air-conditioned cottages and all-inclusive family style meals accompany the evening Landcruiser and sunrise walking safaris.

Wildlife sightings can include elephants, buffalo, monkeys, parrots, hornbills and other local fauna. The camp is located just a few km south of the equator, along a pristine stretch of beach.

Prices are very reasonable and include roundtrip transportation from the marina in Libreville; consisting of an hour long boat transit to a small landing in the mangroves, followed by a 45 minute 4x4 trip along jungle roads to the camp.

Dining

The Balbool restaurant serves delicious western food with very cheap prices. Ask for the big Balbool soup.

Drink

The cheapest local beer is Regab, it costs from XAF350-1000 and comes in a 650ml bottle. There are fantastic fruit juices available: "D'jino" Pampelmousse (grapefruit), Ananas (pineapple), Citron (Lemon) in 300ml bottles at CFA 400 and in a 1,5L bottle at XAF900 if bought in a shop.

Accomodation

There are three international name hotels - Le Meridien, Intercontinental and the Novotel. Apart from these, there are several other budget and economy hotels.

Long term lease on apartments is also an option.

Employment

A visa and letter of invitation are required for foreigners working in Gabon.

Health

Malaria is common, so visitors should take malaria pills and a mosquito net when travelling in Gabon. HIV/AIDS is, unfortunately, a common disease in Gabon with 5.1% (1 in 20) of adults affected.

Conduct

The people are generally very friendly, respectful and helpful to visitors.

A country with a primarily oral tradition up until the spread of literacy in the 21st century, Gabon is rich in folklore and mythology. Raconteurs are currently working to keep traditions alive such as the mvett among the Fangs and the ingwala among the Nzebis.

Gabon also features internationally celebrated masks, such as the n'goltang (Fang) and the relicary figures of the Kota. Each group has its own set of masks used for various reasons. They are mostly used in traditional ceremonies such as marriage, birth and funerals. Traditionalists mainly work with rare local woods and other precious materials.

Gabonese music is lesser-known in comparison with regional giants like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The country boasts an array of folk styles, as well as pop stars like Patience Dabany and Annie Flore Batchiellilys, a Gabonese singer and renowned live performer.

Also known are guitarists like Georges Oyendze, La Rose Mbadou and Sylvain Avara, and the singer Oliver N'Goma.

Imported rock and hip hop from the US and UK are popular in Gabon, as are rumba, makossa and soukous. Gabonese folk instruments include the obala, the ngombi (fr), the balafon and traditional drums.

GABON: TV News Reader Interdicted For Mistakenly Announcing President Bongo Death

A newsreader for Gabon state television has been taken off the air after mistakenly announcing the death of President Ali Bongo, the channel said on Saturday.

Journalist Wivine Ovandong made the error during a Gabon Television news bulletin on Thursday when she read from notes saying that Bongo had died in Barcelona.

In fact, Thursday was the eighth anniversary of the death of Bongo's father and predecessor, Omar, who did die in Barcelona on June 8, 2009, after more than four decades in power.

Current president Ali Bongo is alive and well.

Gabon Television director general Mathieu Koumba said that Ovandong had been suspended as "a precautionary measure".

We need to protect her, too, because social media has had a field day, he added.

Koumba appeared on the channel on Friday and said it had apologised to Bongo and his family for the "blunder".

It can happen to anyone. But this was a bit much because it was confusion over the head of state, he said.

Ovandong had only been in the job for a few days after spending several years as a field reporter.

Ali Bongo Ondimba born 9 February 1959 is a Gabonese politician who has been President of Gabon since October 2009.

Bongo is the son of Omar Bongo, who was President of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009. During his father's presidency, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1991 and represented Bongoville as a Deputy in the National Assembly from 1991 to 1999; subsequently he was Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2009.

He was the candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) in the August 2009 presidential election, which followed his father's death.According to official results, he won the election with 42% of the vote. Bongo is also President of the PDG.

Ali Bongo was born in Brazzaville, as the son of Albert-Bernard Bongo,later Omar Bongo Ondimba and Josephine Kama,later Patience Dabany. Being conceived 18 months before Albert-Bernard's marriage, he is widely rumoured to be Bongo's adopted son, a claim that he dismisses.After studying law, he entered politics, joining the PDG in 1981; he was elected to the PDG Central Committee at the party's Third Extraordinary Congress in March 1983.

Subsequently he was his father's Personal Representative to the PDG and in that capacity he entered the PDG Political Bureau in 1984. He was then elected to the Political Bureau at an ordinary party congress in September 1986.

Bongo held the post of High Personal Representative of the President of the Republic from 1987 to 1989. In 1989, his father appointed him to the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, replacing Martin Bongo. He was considered a reformist within the ruling PDG in the early 1990s.

In the 1990 parliamentary election,the first election after the introduction of multiparty politics, he was elected to the National Assembly as a PDG candidate in Haut-Ogooué Province. After two years as Foreign Minister, a 1991 constitutional amendment setting a minimum age of 35 for ministers resulted in his departure from the government.

Following his departure from the government, Bongo took up his seat as a Deputy in the National Assembly in 1991.In February 1992, he organized a visit by American pop singer Michael Jackson to Gabon.

Bongo became President of the Higher Council of Islamic Affairs of Gabon in 1996. Prior to the December 1996 parliamentary election, a supporter of Defense Minister Idriss Ngari challenged Bongo for the PDG nomination to his parliamentary seat, but Bongo was successful in winning the nomination and retaining the seat.

In surviving that challenge, he benefited from the assistance of his maternal uncle Jean-Boniface Assele, one of his key political allies.After over seven years as a Deputy,Bongo was appointed to the government as Minister of National Defense on 25 January 1999.

In the December 2001 parliamentary election, Bongo was elected to the National Assembly as a PDG candidate in Haut-Ogooue Province. At the PDG's Eighth Ordinary Congress in July 2003, he was elected as a Vice-President of the PDG.During the 2005 presidential election, he worked on his father's re-election campaign as Coordinator-General of Youth.Following that election, he was promoted to the rank of Minister of State on 21 January 2006, while retaining the defense portfolio.

Bongo was re-elected to the National Assembly in the December 2006 parliamentary election as a PDG candidate in Haut-Ogooue Province.He retained his post as Minister of State for National Defense after that election, although he was subsequently reduced to the rank of ordinary Minister on 28 December 2007. At the PDG's Ninth Ordinary Congress in September 2008, he was re-elected as a Vice-President of the PDG.

Omar Bongo died at a Spanish hospital on 8 June 2009. Ali Bongo appeared on television that night to call for calm and serenity of heart and reverence to preserve the unity and peace so dear to our late father.

Having been appointed to key positions by his father, it was widely considered likely that he would emerge as his father's successor following the latter's death in June 2009.Some press reports predicted a power struggle, however, suggesting that a fierce rivalry existed between Bongo and his sister Pascaline, who was Director of the Presidential Cabinet.

The degree of support for Ali Bongo within the PDG leadership was also questioned in the press, and it was argued that many Gabonese see him as a spoilt child, born in Congo-Brazzaville, brought up in France, hardly able to speak indigenous languages and with the appearance of a hip hop star.

Bongo was one of ten candidates who submitted applications to become the PDG's candidate in the early presidential election, scheduled for 30 August 2009.PDG Deputy Secretary-General Angel Ondo announced on 16 July that the party leadership had chosen Bongo by consensus as the PDG candidate, although this decision still needed to be formally confirmed at a party congress.

An extraordinary PDG congress accordingly designated Bongo as the party's candidate on 19 July. On that occasion, he thanked delegates for their choice, saying he was aware of the legitimate concerns of the people; he vowed to battle corruption and redistribute the proceeds of economic growth as President.

Despite standing as a presidential candidate, Bongo was retained as Minister of Defense in the government appointed on 22 July 2009.Rogombe urged calm and called for the candidates to be worthy of the votes they would receive. The opposition strongly protested Bongo's continued inclusion in the government.

After Interim President Rose Francine Rogombe said that Bongo would be replaced so that all candidates would be on an equal footing for the election, Interior Minister Jean-François Ndongou was appointed to take over from Bongo as Minister of Defense in an interim capacity when the election campaign officially began on 15 August 2009.

A few days after the election on 30 August 2009, it was announced that he had won the election with 42% of the vote, and that result was promptly confirmed by the Constitutional Court. The opposition rejected the official results, and riots broke out in Gabon's second largest city, Port-Gentil.

In response to allegations of fraud, the Constitutional Court conducted a recount before again declaring Bongo the winner with 41.79% of the vote on 12 October 2009; he was then sworn in as President on 16 October. Various African presidents were present for the ceremony.

Bongo expressed a commitment to justice and the fight against corruption at the ceremony and said that fast action was needed to give back confidence and promote the emergence of new hope.

He also alluded to his father's governing philosophy of preserving stability through regional, tribal, and political balance in the allocation of power, while also stressing that excellence, competence and work were even more important than geographical and political considerations.

Later in the day, he announced the reappointment of Paul Biyoghe Mba as Prime Minister; he made the announcement personally to underline the importance of this moment. According to Bongo, Biyoghe Mba had the necessary experience and managerial competence to lead us through the next stage, and he said work would start immediately.

The composition of Biyoghe Mba's new government was announced on 17 October;it was reduced to only 30 ministers, thereby fulfilling Bongo's campaign promise to reduce the size of the government and thereby reduce expenses.

The government was also mostly composed of new faces, including many technocrats, although a few key ministers, such as Paul Toungui (Foreign Minister), Jean-François Ndongou (Interior Minister), and Laure Olga Gondjout (Communications Minister), retained their posts.

On 9 June 2011, Ali Bongo and Barack Obama met at the White House in a controversial visit.In 2012, clashes between the opposition and police occurred in Libreville.

On 17 August 2015, Bongo announced that he planned to donate everything he inherited from his father to the young people of Gabon, in the form of "a foundation for the youth and education". Explaining his decision, he said that we are all heirs of Omar Bongo Ondimba and that no Gabonese must be left by the side of the road.

Ali Bongo married his first wife, the French-born Sylvia Najma Valentin, in 1989;she is the daughter of Édouard Valentin, CEO of the Omnium gabonais d'assurances et de réassurances (OGAR) insurance company. Édouard Valentin's wife Evelyne works in the secretariat of the Presidency, and Édouard is Chargé des affaires sociales at the Gabonese Employers Confederation (Confédération patronale gabonaise, CPG).

In 1994 Ali Bongo married his second wife, American Inge Lynn Collins Bongo, from Los Angeles, California; at the time of Ali Bongo's election as President, Inge Bongo was living on food stamps in California, and she later filed for divorce in 2015.

He has four children—a daughter, Malika Bongo Ondimba, and three sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Jalil Bongo Ondimba and Bilal Bongo—whom he and Sylvia adopted in 2002.