My Peace Corps Experience in Gabon, Central Africa

Welcome to the first of my Gabon pages.

Mbolo, My Friends!

I've spent two years in the Gabonese Republic in Central Africa (1998 to 2000), and wanted to share my experience with you.� What do you know about Gabon, first of all?�� I have listed links on the third page of my saga but you can find the basics below..

People--There are over 40 ethnicities in Gabon.� The largest ethnic group is Fang (pronounced with a soft 'a') located in northern Gabon and southern Cameroon, including about 35% of the Gabonese population.� The Babinga, or Pygmies, are distributed throughout Gabon, from forest-enshrouded huts to the high buildings of Libreville and contain maybe 1% of the population.� The remainder of the Gabonese population is the Bantu, containing the following ethnic groups:� Benga, Beseki, Kombe, Mpongwe (3%), Baduma (16%) containing the large population of Banzebi in the south-east, Eshira (10%) containing the Masango in central Gabon, Okande (4%) containing the Mitsogo in the south-west and Bavove (or Pouvi) in central Gabon, Bakalai (7%), and Bakota (14%).� There are various accounts of which ethnicity belongs to which group, where they are located and to what percentage they take.� My information is taken from "Les Plantes Utiles du Gabon", A. Raponda-Walker et R. Sillans, Edition Sepia, Centre Culturel Francais de Libreville: 1995.

Roughly 800,000 of the Gabon population are Gabonese, the remaining 100,000 being a variety of other Africans, Europeans, Pacific Islanders, and Americans.� The majority of Africans are in Gabon to fill areas lacking by the Gabonese, or are there to steal jobs from the Gabonese, depending how one looks at it.� The Europeans and Pacific Islanders are in Gabon with the oil and lumber companies and with Catholic and Protestant missionary groups.� And the Americans, few but dispersed widely, are with Peace Corps!

Religion--The majority of the Gabonese are Catholic (75%), some Protestant (20%), all Animist (whether in practice or at heart).� The non-Gabonese Africans are mostly from Islamic areas.� Although there are a variety of different Animist (attribution of conscious life to nature or natural objects, and belief in the existence of spirits separable from bodies) beliefs, the most common is Bwiti (Bouiti).� Some of the Bwiti rules will change depending on who you ask or where you go.� Women may be involved, ceremonies may be completely secretive to members, children may be members.� Obviously I don't know much about it.� On my third page, (My Last Year) I have links to information about the hallucinogenic drug used in Bwiti ceremonies, Iboga.

(The following information I found on the Gabon Lonely Planet page)
History--Most believe that the Pygmies were the first colonizers.� They were displaced by the Fang and other Bantu in the 16th and 18th centuries.� European contact with the coastline tribes came in 1472 with the arrival of the Portuguese.� Other European ships were soon
importing missionaries and exporting slaves and animal and wood products.� The capital, Libreville, was established in 1849 and Gabon became a French colony in 1910.� Fifty years later on August 17, 1960, Leon M'Ba became the first president of the new Republic of Gabon,
but died 7 years later.� Albert-Bernard Bongo followed him, converted to Islam and has ruled Gabon as El Hadj Omar Bongo for 33 years.� Despite the trend toward civil war, Gabon has remained relatively stable, with few coups and revolts.

Environment --Gabon is on the equator and borders the Atlantic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Congo (Brazzaville).� 85% of Gabon is still covered by rainforest, all owned by one lumber company or another.� Gabon has mountain chains, plateaux, plains and canyons-quite a variety of land types for such a small country! (PHOTOS)

Transport --The TransGabonais Railway follows the Ogooue River from Libreville across the country to the south-east.� It was constructed by President Bongo, and earned the nickname "Bongo Express".� The roads, the horror story of all European travelers, are travelled by bush taxi, where the driver may be quiet and careful or drunk and death-happy.� Bongo's money paved some of the roads around the larger cities, covering the slick, red clay with an inch of gravel.� Hmm, how well does that work when the rain washes out the clay from underneath it?� Well, it ends up with holes larger than the roads themselves, so large that it's much easier to drive in the grass (more traction, as well).� The roads are not used during and directly after rainstorms, which occur frequently.� The soil in Gabon is over 90% clay (yes, I'm only guessing) which is very slick after a storm.
Check out my photos on Transportation!

Wildlife--Bush meat is still relatively available (compared to other Central African countries) and thus you can get the following meats, depending on your luck and time, on a trip to the town's market: porcupine, hedgehog, civet cat, duiker, chevrotain, African bush pig, various monkeys (including the Sun-tailed Monkey (Guenon), endemic to Gabon only), lowland gorilla, and chimpanzee.� Not usually found but still eaten are palm rat, various birds,
leopard and elephant.� Leopard cannot be sold as there are too many taboos relating to it, and elephant is dangerous as it is illegal to sell.� Gabon's national bird is the grey parrot, very common and has a beautiful call.� The bongo is supposed to be there but I don't believe I ever heard of someone seeing it.� My favorite animal is the spotted genet--looks like a cute cat and has the sweetest meow but is actually related to (and has the same noxious droppings as) the skunk.