IN A REPUBLIC, THERE ARE NO PROVIDENTIAL MEN/WOMEN! EN RÉPUBLIQUE, IL N’Y A PAS D’HOMMES/FEMMES PROVIDENTIELS !

English version It is said that a leader is providential if they are a figure to whom a nation, a people, or a group permanently turns, hoping that they will invariably bring a solution, salvation, or recovery. This notion rests on the idea that an exceptional individual, endowed with remarkable qualities and a clear vision, can intervene decisively to change the course of events. Except that in reality, in politics, history shows us that the providential leader does not exist. Those in Gabon who want to portray Brice-Clotaire Oligui-Nguema and Henri-Claude Oyima as these providential leaders that Gabon needs are mistaken. In the vision of what democracy should be, the “providential leader” does not exist, or at least the very idea of a “providential leader” is dangerous. Indeed, political, economic, and social challenges are rarely solvable by a single person, however brilliant they may be. They require in-depth analysis, di...