Gabon

Gabon boys clothing
Figure 1.-- This boy lives in the Gabonese province of Haut-Ogooué. He wears an example of the children’s clothing you see in the villages of equatorial African forest. They children often wear used old western-style clothing importd from America and Europe.

Gabon is a former French colony in west equitorial Africa. The country since independence (1960) has been dominated by two autocratic leaders. The current president is El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba. He as a result of autocrartic policies is one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world. He has dominated Gabon since the 1970s. Gabon has a nominally democratic multi-party system and a constitution introduced in the 1990s. The elections, however, are really not competive. We have a Gabon history. Gabon has done better economically than many other African countries. Factors here are a relatively small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign assistance. As a result Gabon in African terms is relatively prosperous and stable. The pygmaies who inhabited the area were displaced by the more advanced Bantu people migrating south into Gabon (16th-18th centuries). The most important Bantu tribe was the Fang who first settled in what is now Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, finally reaching the area of modern Gabon. While Bantu people dominated Gabon, there are some 40 tribal groups with distinctive languages and cultural traditions. The most important is the Fang. Others tribes include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, and Okande as well as a few pygmies living in remote villages. We do not yet have much information about boys' activities in Gabon. School is of course the principal activity. Gabon is a largely Christian country. Something like 75 percen of the population identifies as being Christian. A majority is Catholic as a result of French colonial rule. Christian missionaries have been active in Gabon since the early-19th century. Some 10 percent are Muslim, but many are foreigners. About 10 percent of the population practice traditional religious practices. Many Christins and Muslims have incorporate some traditional elements in their religious practices. As in other African countries, the principal sport enjoyed by boys is soccer. As in much of the rest of Africa, children no longer wear traditional or destinctive clothes. Rather the coutries imports large quantities of used clothing from America and Europe. This has ruined local textile and clothing manufacturing countries. And it means that children now commonly wear Western-styled clothing.

Geography

Gabon is located near th apex if the Bight of Africa, more correctly reffered to as the Bight of Biafra, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the transition zone between West Africa, Central Africa and southern Africa, lying along the Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Bight of Biafra. As it is located north of the Congo River, it is often seen as part of West Africa The country borders Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north and the Republic of the Congo to the east and south. Gabon lies square on the equator. This controls the climate. Gabon has a moist, hot climate typical of the tropics. Climate change is primarily dry and rainy seasons. The dry season (June to September) has virtually no rain but high humidity. The rainy season (October-May) can have heavy rain fall, although this tapers off (December-January). The heavy raon occurs due to the condensation of moist air resulting from the collision, off the coast, of the cold Benguela Current from the south and the warm Guinea Current from the north. Gabon has a narrow coastal plain partially covered by mangroves. Inland the terraine s hilly wuth savanna in east and south. Gabon is tied together by rivers concerging from the north, east, and south into the Gabon River and Estuarty (Estuaire du Gabon). It is a short wide estuary in the as the river coast appeaoches the coat. The capital Libreville is located along the north bank of the estuary, The most important river is the Ogooué, some 1,200 kilometres long. It rises in the south east and geeds into the Gabon stuary. It is the fourth largest river in Africa by bith volume of discharge, trailing only the Congo, Niger and Zambezi. Other important rivers are the Komo and Ebe. The Gabon Estuary empties into the Gulf of Guinea.

History

Gabon is a former French colony in west equitorial Africa. It has proven relatively stable while wars and military coups have swirled all around it. Some archeologists report the presence of humanoids in Gabon for over 0.4 million years. The most exciting archelogical finds have been about 1,200 rock pictographs found around Réserve de la Lopé. They were the work of iron people that cleared the forest for agriculture, in effect creating the savannah that dominates much of the country. In more modern times the area of modern Gabon was dominated by pygmies. They were displaced by the more advanced Bantu people migrating south into Gabon (16th-18th centuries). The most important Bantu tribe was the Fang who first settled in what is now Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, finally reaching the area of modern Gabon. While Bantu people dominated Gabon, there are dome 40 tribal groups with distinctive languages and cultural traditions. The most important is the Fang. Others tribes include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, and Okande as well as a few pygmies living in remote villages. The Bantus moved into Gabon at about the same time the Portuguese reached the area (1472). The Portuguese and the other Europeans who followed them (Spanish, French, Dutch, and British) traded for ivory, tropical woods, and slaves. The slave trade gradually increased in importance. And that trade destabilized the tribal structure and relations among tribal groups. The coastal tribes made their peace with the Europeans and benefitted from trade with them. The interior tribes resisted the Europeans and slave raiders. The anger and hatred that developed between the coast and interior has not entirely disappeared in modern Gabon. Animosity still lingers between the coastal tribes and the rest of the country. The French Navy helped found Libreville which grew into the country's capital and largest city. The French who joined the effort to end the slave trade, intercepted a Brazilian slaver (1849). The slaves were set free at a site along the coast at the mouth of the Komo River. It was an esturiune area used by traders. Librevill was essentially the French version of Freetown and Monrovia. It remained a small town for decades. The European powers at the Berlin Congress assigned the French rights to Gabon. The French over time changed their colonial administration. Thus Gabon was at times part of the French Congo and then French Equatorial Africa. The World War II Battle of Gabon was fought there in whoch the Free French wrestled control from Vichy (1940). After the War, Gabon achieved self-government (1958) and independence (1960). Libreville has developed into an important African city since indepedence. Independent Gabon has been dominated by two autocratic leaders. The first president was Léon M’Ba who died in a French hospital (1967). M’Ba was replace by his vice president, Albert Bernard Bongo. He chnged his name to El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba when he converted to Islam (1974). He s one of the longest-serving heads of state worldwide. The country has Gabon has a nominally democratic multi-party system and a constitution adopted (1990s). The relative stability is in part due to a degree of economic success.

Economy

Gabon has done better economically than many other African countries. Factors here are a relatively small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign assistance. As a result Gabon in African terms is relatively prosperous and stable.

Ethnicity

The pygmaies who inhabited the area were displaced by the more advanced Bantu people migrating south into Gabon (16th-18th centuries). The most important Bantu tribe was the Fang who first settled in what is now Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, finally reaching the area of modern Gabon. While Bantu people dominated Gabon, there are some 40 tribal groups with distinctive languages and cultural traditions. The most important is the Fang. Others tribes include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, and Okande as well as a few pygmies living in remote villages.

Activities

We do not yet have much information about boys' activities in Gabon. School is of course the principal activity. Gabon is a largely Christian country. Something like 75 percen of the population identifies as being Christian. A majority is Catholic as a result of French colonial rule. Christian missionaries have been active in Gabon since the early-19th century. Some 10 percent are Muslim, but many are foreigners. About 10 percent of the population practice traditional religious practices. Many Christins and Muslims have incorporate some traditional elements in their religious practices. As in other African countries, the principal sport enjoyed by boys is soccer.

Garments

As in much of the rest of Africa, children no longer wear traditional or destinctive clothes. Rather the coutries imports large quantities of used clothing from America and Europe. This has ruined local textile and clothing manufacturing countries. And it means that children now commonly wear Western-styled clothing. We have one image from Gabon on the flip-flop page.









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Created: 6:48 AM 11/23/2007
Last updated: 3:37 PM 6/28/2015