"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

A symbolic image of the token opposition Une image symbolique de l'opposition de connivence English Version For a few days now, we have noticed a certain buzz from some diplomatic circles, some of them heavyweights in international relations, for a return in Gabon of what is commonly called friendly opposition. These calls indicate two things: first, the utter failure of Ali Bongo’s strategy that aimed to starve opponents, whether they are employees of the state, in the trade unions or even students, by cutting their wages and all access to the benefits associated with their status; and second, the success of the operations of the free civil society that despite a path strewn with pitfalls courtesy of the regime, continues to set the trajectory of the country inexorably toward a national dialogue for which the proponents of the regime have never hidden their rejection. Having found that the more time passes, the more the trajectory of the country is agai

English Version Eric Benjaminson makes the argument of an appeased opposition for Ali Bongo In a recent interview published by Gabonreview, the United States of America’s Ambassador to Gabon, Eric Benjaminson, asks for what he calls an “active opposition” in Gabon. However this call is senselessly cynical because the ambassador just wants the opposition to stop challenging Ali Bongo and enter into an acceptance of the current political state, without Ali Bongo having to pay any price. But maybe, for that Ambassador, Ali Bongo has already paid the only price that matters, in the form of a hefty contribution to his Alma Matter, The University of Oregon, in the amount of 20 million dollars. To fully understand and perhaps appreciate the position Eric Benjaminson takes on Gabon’s internal politics, one must look at the larger goal of the US in the region of the Gulf of Guinea. Such a look gives a clear perception of the calculus of realism as an imperative. For th

UO President, Ali Bongo and Eric Benjaminson during the signature of the convention in Washington Le président de l’UO, Ali Bongo et Eric Benjaminson lors de la signature de la convention à Washington English Version Two recently published articles on the site Gabonreview relating the views of the Ambassador of the United States of America to Gabon, Eric Benjaminson, lead us to take the time to thoroughly answer in two posts today and tomorrow, to lift the veil on what seems to be a series of fantasies distilled by the ambassador who is firmly being a shield for Ali Bongo, often at the expense of the verifiable and verified truth. This first post restores some verifiable and verified truths about the donation by Ali Bongo, and it is a donation and we will explain why, to the University of Oregon (UO) and the second post tomorrow will answer Benjaminson views on the political climate in Gabon. On Gabonreview, Eric Benjaminson says the following : &qu

(photo: anonymous/anonyme) English version Dear readers, just like you no doubt, this blog would have hoped that stories of human sacrifice would have been vestiges of a barbaric and animalistic long ago past in Gabon. But unfortunately, as the picture above shows, in 2012 in Gabon, human beings are still hunted for the harvest of their vital organs for use in witchcraft intended to make the ordonators rich and powerful; so they believe. The picture above shows the heart of a child that was recently recovered on the beach in Libreville. There is no doubt that the kid to whom this heart was extracted from suffered an unspeakable torture at the hands of those who think that sacrificing human beings gives them extra powers. Dear readers, you are not reading about the middle ages, but indeed about contemporary Gabon, in December 2012. Dear readers, we are all sickened to our stomach by news of these serial killings of children; but what is more baffling regardi

English version This is a text published by Mr Guy Nang Bekale, a Gabonese intellectual on his blog "L'Autre Gabon". The text was published initially on 19 november 2012, but we are republishing it here because it deserves to be read and commented by as many Gabonese as possible. This text is in French only. On the same blog, its author has published the eulogy he pronounced at Marc Saturnin Nan Nguema's funeral. It is a must read! Version française Nous vous proposons un texte de M. Guy Nang Bekale, un intellectuel gabonais, publié sur son blog "L'Autre Gabon". Ce texte a été publié initialement le 19 novembre 2012, mais nous le republions ici parce qu'il mérite d'être lu et analysé par le plus grand nombre de gabonais possible. Sur le même blog, on peut lire l'oraison que son auteur a prononcé lors des funérailles de Marc Saturnin Nan Nguema. Elle vaut vraiment le détour! L’ENTOURLOUPE DE LOUIS

English version In the latest edition of Jeune Afrique, there is a centerfold lengthy article designed to make Gabon appear as a normal functioning country, with a government, and opposition and a civil society. The aim of the article is to send a message that Gabon has no problems, everything is normal. But given the number of color pictures and pages, it must have cost Ali Bongo an arm and a leg to have Jeune Afrique publish it. Another funny tidbit is that some members of the Ali Bongo regime have significantly reduced their real age. For example, Serge Mickoto is not 40 years old; he is much older than that. Version française Dans la dernière édition de Jeune Afrique, il y a un article central et long, conçu pour faire apparaitre le Gabon comme un pays fonctionnant normalement, avec un gouvernement, une opposition et une société civile. Le but de cet article est de répandre un message que le Gabon n'ait pas de problème, que tout y soit normal.