"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

English version  According to research results published in the journal « Oncology Letters », capsaicin, the compound that makes chilies spicy, has potential anti-cancer properties. Lab research, in cell cultures, not humans yet, suggests capsaicin can trigger apoptosis, essentially programmed cell death, in melanoma (skin cancer) cells.  Cancer cells are notorious for disabling their own self-destruct mechanisms so they can keep dividing uncontrollably; this research suggests capsaicin may interfere with the survival pathways that let them do that, effectively re-enabling the self-destruct switch. Capsaicin's effects on cancer cells in petri dishes have been studied for years, but this is still in very early stages in the drug-discovery pipeline. There's a massive gap between the fact that a compound kills cancer cells in a lab dish, and the conclusion that a compound is a safe, effective treatment in a human body. Most promising lab compounds never make it through ...

English version  Dear readers, what is a patrimonial state? The concept comes from Max Weber: in a patrimonial state, power is not exercised according to impersonal rules and a bureaucracy separate from the ruler; it functions as the private patrimony of the sovereign. Africanist political scientists have developed the notion of neopatrimonialism to describe modern states that retain the appearance of rational-legal institutions (constitution, administration, elections) but where, in practice: • the boundary between public assets and the assets of the head of state (or his clan) is blurred; • public resources (especially oil or mineral rents) serve to maintain patronage networks rather than to fund universal public policies; • appointments and careers depend on personal loyalty more than on merit or written rules; • power is often transmitted dynastically or through co-optation within an inner circle. The system built by Omar Bongo (1967–2009) and then extended unde...

English version  Dear readers, at 55% completion, the Ndendé-Doussala road project in southern Gabon is going through a new period of turbulence. According to information revealed on September 11, 2026 by the daily newspaper L'Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), one of the project's main lenders, reportedly suspended its disbursements as of March 1st. The reason: roughly 7 billion CFA francs in financial commitments left unmet by the Gabonese State. Stretching 46 km, the Ndendé-Doussala road links the town of Ndendé to the Doussala border post, on the border with Congo-Brazzaville. The project is part of a broader regional ambition: the construction of a 225 km trans-African route connecting Gabon to Dolisie, an initiative led since 2013 by the CEEAC (Economic Community of Central African States). Beyond the road itself, the program includes related infrastructure: schools, clinics, markets; and is expected to generate more than 500 jobs. But the timeline isn't hold...