This is not exactly direcctly related to Gabon, but with a little
journalistic liberty, I can make it stretch. We will headline it with
“Database includes Tow Missionaries to Gabon.”

I have been working on a database for the last 15 months that has grown
to some 225,000 individuals related by birth or marriage. It includes a
significant number of individuals prominent in our history, ranging from
Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee to a number of titled individuals in
Europe to the two I am using as an excuse to send this message; Robert
Hamil Nassau and Albert Schweitzer.

There are perhaps 2 or 3 thousand names that can be found in most decent
world histories and that means that there are some 220,000 plus you have
never heard about, people like Lafayette Bullard who died in the Civil
War prison camp Camp Douglas or Philomena J. "Minnie" Thiede who lived
in the red house on 4th St across the street from St. Marks Church in
Shakopee, Minnesota.

So what am I doing with the database and why am I writing?

A little more about the database. Perhaps 5 percent of the data base is
original research. The remainder is the compilation of other databases.
They are not verified to the degree required by little old ladies in
tennis shoes who do genealogy work, but I am satisfied that they are
substantially correct. By that I mean I have a high degree of confidence
that the people in the database are related in the manner found in the
db, however the dates may not be accurate.

I am working on an “abbreviated history of the human race” The db goes
back some 2500 years with reasonable accuracy as to the dates and
linkage and traces to historical figures whose dates and generations are
at best approximate.

Here’s where the call for help comes in. As I think back over my own
college days and history, I recall it being a somewhat dull compilation
of dates, names and places, complicated, particular in the early English
history by a lot of people who spelled their names very much the same.

My hypothesis, and I use the database as support for the argument, is
that because we are in fact all related we need to learn history from
the standpoint of a set of family adventures. The simple math requires
more grandparents for a single individual than the world population if
you run the line back to only about 1100 or so assuming 30 years for a
generation. Historical personages should become not some distant
somebody, but family members.

My second concept in the teaching of history is that it should be viewed
in a spatial relationship that is not dictated by time. There is a
theological concept that states that G-d is contemporary with all
generations. That allows all things to happen now. I think that a
similar concept has merit in the teaching and understanding of history.

As I said, this a bit off topic, however, I feel confident that in this
group there is probably the expertise to tell me I'm all wet or provide
some other sense of direction.

I would appreciate feedback on the two concepts.

Contact me either through the group or at

w.p.siemers@...

Pete Siemers

Observations on Omar Bongo of Gabon. By John Ghazvinian

Whoever eventually wins Togo's fractious presidential contest next
month already knows that there is one dubious honour he will not be
inheriting from the late president Gnassingbe Eyadema. It is the
right to call himself "le doyen du continent", or "the Dean of
Africa". The unofficial title refers to Africa's longest-serving head
of state, and with Eyadema's death last month, it passed quietly to
Gabon's president, El-Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, who celebrates his
38th year in office in November.

The new grand old man shows few signs of making way for a new
generation. Almost certain to be re-elected to yet another seven-year
term this December, 69-year-old Bongo has said nothing about an
eventual successor. Instead, he appears prepared to remain president
until he meets his maker, thanks to both the absence of a credible
opposition movement and the enduring presence of French military and
commercial muscle.

Born Albert-Bernard Bongo in 1935, the young president changed his
name to Omar and converted to Islam in the 1970s, when he needed
money to realise his ambition of building the Trans-Gabon railway
into the country's jungle interior. On his way back from pilgrimage
to Mecca, he visited the sheikh of Abu Dhabi. Next morning, the
presidential jet left heaving with French francs.

Since then, petroleum exploration and production have brought heady
days for a country of barely a million people. With the high oil
prices of the 1970s came an orgy of Ozymandian building and
conspicuous consumption. By 1982, Gabon had become the world's
largest per capita consumer of champagne. Even today, despite
declining oil production, supermarkets in the capital, Libreville,
are full of Brie and foie gras flown in for the city's 8,000 French
expats and the Gabonese elite. Few of the petrodollars have ever made
their way to the residents of the city's sweltering, stinking slums.

Today, as Gabon stares into the abyss of life apres-petrole, many
quietly blame Bongo for the mess, but the real vitriol is reserved
for the exploitative practices of the Franco-Belgian oil company
Total and the successive French leaders who have supported Bongo over
the years.

In Libreville, dissent comes only in whispers, and the presence of
Bongo is felt everywhere. On a typical weekday morning, I sat in a
shared taxi as rush-hour traffic came to a standstill for 20 minutes
so that the president's helicopter could make its landing. One
evening, after I had dined at my hotel (owned by one of the
president's sons) under a beaming portrait of the great man, I met
the head of a pro-minent NGO. Nicaise Moloumbi told me how Bongo had
embodied the "opportunity of a lifetime" for Gabon.

A bit of rare dissent can be found on the dusty hillside campus of
Omar Bongo University, a short taxi ride down Omar Bongo Triumphal
Boulevard. There, Pierre-Fidele Nze Nguema, a respected sociologist
and author of a history of Gabon, asks: "How can you be in power
nearly 40 years and have done nothing for this country?" So why
doesn't anybody put together a credible opposition? (Though Bongo
banned opposition parties until 1991, the country is now, on paper, a
multi-party democracy.) Nguema laughs scornfully. "Opposition? Every
time someone tries that in Gabon, they get handed a fat envelope.
They shut up and you never hear from them again."

I also asked Jean Silvio Koumba, one of the president's top advisers,
about democracy, as we sipped cold grapefruit drinks on the veranda
of his home in the suburbs. Koumba stared at me icily and tapped his
pen. "Democracy?" he said finally. "Surely, you know by now that
democracy doesn't exist in Africa. If I tell my son to go away and
stop bothering us while we're talking, he does exactly that. He
doesn't see it as an opportunity for a debate. If you read the Bible,
you see that leaders are anointed by God himself."

The conversation ended soon after that, and he led me out of his
house, past a large faded wedding photo of Omar Bongo that hung over
the dining-room table.

http://www.newstatesman.com/Economy/200503140019

Within months, a revolutionary kind of factory being erected in Gabon
will start producing generic medicines to treat Africa's two great
plagues, malaria and HIV/Aids, industry and government sources said.

The plant was entirely constructed in Europe in shipping containers,
which have been linked together on an industrial site near the
Gabonese capital to form what is called a micro-factory.

"The machinery is in place and it all goes well we should be able to
start production before the end of summer," said factory director
Thomas Haahr.

The first of its kind in central Africa, the factory was designed to
produce up to 240 000 medical doses an hour.

Propharex, the Belgian company behind the micro-factory concept,
intends the factory to supply the entire central African region, and
a potential market of 30 million people.

Transmitting know-how

It has been involved in the production of generic medicines for the
past 10 years through a subsidiary in Ukraine and offers quality
control of raw materials through chemicals subsidiary in Belgium.

The head of Propharex, Jean-Francois Capart, acknowledged it would
have been cheaper to ship pharmaceuticals directly from Europe than
installing a factory, but said, "we have set ourselves the challenge
of transmitting our know-how."

If the project is successful, the company plans to set up similar
miniature turnkey factories in countries such as Benin, Tanzania,
Uganda and the Congo Republic.

Producing medicines in traditional plants in Africa is very
expensive, Capart said. The micro-factories will be cheaper to
operate, he said, and their modular nature meant they would be easy
to maintain and repair.

For Gabonese authorities, the factory is a big step towards autonomy
in the health field.

Adolphe Mabongo of the Gabonese health ministry said the factory fits
in with a national health strategy aimed at making medicines
available to all social classes.

Health Minister Paulette Missambo said Gabon is also discussing with
Brazil the establishment of a second plant to produce antiretroviral
drugs, the only effective means of treating HIV/Aids, which has
ravaged much of the population of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Propharex-owned plant has been built at a cost of 3.28 billion
CAF francs ($6.7m). It will produce anti-malarial drugs based on a
Chinese plant called Artemisia along with several different kinds of
anti-retroviral medicine.

Haar said it now remained only to recruit the 30 people needed to
staff the site.

"We are going to start with just two expatriates and train the rest
of the personnel here. The idea is that the Gabonese should fend for
themselves within two years," he said.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,6119,2-11-
1447_1675071,00.html

While Googling, I found this photo of a group of Fang hunters.

For more African photos of "old Africa", see here:
http://www.africarte.it/foto-storiche/foto_storiche.htm

On the same web site, I found these photos of Fang art.

http://www.africarte.it/etnie/elenco.etnie/Fang/fang.htm

Thank you for the links to the pictures.  They are great.

I also never thanked you for your pictures of India, they were great
and so timely!  Just the day before your post my six year old daughter
asked me if I had any pictures of India.  I didn't have any and then I
logged in to find her some and saw your pictures!


--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "bobutne" <bobutne@y...> wrote:
>
> On the same web site, I found these photos of Fang art.
>
> http://www.africarte.it/etnie/elenco.etnie/Fang/fang.htm

6-Story Newsletter Template + Images
Celebrating Africans Achievements....   Giving honor to whom honor is due...

ChatAfriK e~world proudly presents Africans and descendants of Africa for it's
1st African Awards Honors.

www.AfricanAwards.com



                                 Presenting the best of the bests....









                                 Africa Man of the Year
                                 Philip Emegwali (Nigeria)
                                 Computer Scientist, Father of SuperComputer

                                 Africa Woman of the Year
                                 Dr.(Mrs.) Wangari Muta Mathai (Kenya)
                                 Professor/Environmentalist. Noble Prize winner

                                 Africa Youth of the Year
                                 Mr. Kamildeen Olufowobi (Nigeria)
                                 AfriPRO, NiPRO

                                 Business Person of the Year
                                 Mrs. Julie Ndjee (Cameroon)
                                 Ultimate Seasonings

                                 Sportsman of the Year
                                 Mr. Freddy Adu, (Ghana)
                                 Soccer Player, D.C. United

                                 Sportswoman of the Year
                                 Mrs. Catherine Ndereba (Kenya)
                                 Marathon Winner

                                 Broadcaster of the Year
                                 Ms. Tumi Makgabo (South Africa)
                                 CNN

                                 Entertainer of the Year
                                 Mr. Yaya Dialo (Mali)
                                 Musician

                                 Academic Achievements Awards
                                 African Studies:Dr. Sulayman Nyang (Gambia)
                                 Professor

                                 Life Achievement Awards
                                 Ms. Hadja Saran Daraba Kaba (Guinea)
                                 Founding President Mano River Women's Peace
Network (MARWOPNET)

                                 Late Deyda Hydara (Gambia)
                                 Founder, The Point newspaper

                                 Dr. (Mrs.) Kemafo Nonyerem Chikwe (Nigeria)
                                 Former Minister of Aviation


                                 Community Business Award (Corporate)
                                 Western Union (U.S.A)




                                 Special Honorable Awards



                                 Dele Giwa Excellence in Print Journalism Award

                                 Gamal Gorkeh Nkrumah (Ghana)
                                 Journalist, Al-Ahram Weekly, Cairo, Egypt



                                 Randal Robinson Solidarity Award

                                 Randal Robinson (United States)

                                 Former President, TransAfrica Forum





                                 African Heritage Awards

                                 Philanthropic & Humanitarian Awards

                                 Oprah Winfrey

                                 TV Host



                                 Kweisi Mfume

                                 Former President & CEO NAACP



                                 Louis H.Sullivan Foundation (NGO)



                                 African Stateman Award

                                 Olusegun Obasanjo

                                 President of Nigeria, Chairman African Union

                                 For his leadership role in restoring peace into
Liberia


------------------------------------------------


                                 Official Presentation of Awards on

                                 Saturday June 4, 2005

                                 AT

                                 Washington Convention Center
                                 801, Mount Vernon Place, NW. Washington D.C.
20001
                                 www.dcconvention.com (202) 249-3000




                                 Live Music by; Double-Award winning
                                  Jirbo Ntunta & the SOUKOUS STARS Band
                                 supported by other Entertainers
                                 and African Cultural Dancers.

                                 Tickets: General Admission $50.00, VIP $100.00

                                 Visits African People's Intercontinental Awards
website www.AfricanAwards.com





                               African People's Intercontinental Awards -
Information contacts:
                               Cecilia Gugu Vilakazi (South Africa) 301-593-5982
Coordinator Arts & Craft
                               Mola Kalejaiye (Nigeria) 443-983-3482 Coordinator
Fashion Showcase
                               Abou Syllar (Ivory Coast) 301-445-7837 Coordinator
Entertainment
                               Dyer Mwangi (Kenya) 240-678-3944 Coordinator
Graphics & Design
                               Jesmed Suma (Sierra Leone) 240-432-9095
Coordinator Guests & Business Relations
                               Junda Kennedy-Morris (Liberia) 301-599-8692
Coordinator VIP & Diplomatic Protocols


--------------------------------------------------

                                 Nkem Egede-Ojomo 301-332-7180
                                 Event Planner & Director

                                 Martin Akindana (Moderator Matto) 301-651-9309
matto1@...
                                 CEO, African People's Intercontinental Awards



                               ChatAfrik is a subsidiary of  Fastrac Corporation
LLC
                                P.0. Box 502, Beltsville MD 20704.







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

has an article featuring adventure travel to Luongo, Gabon including a
kayak trip straight out of Dante's Inferno.

"My big sister went to Gabon in 1993. One day, I was at home when a
man came to the house, saying that he had come on behalf of my
sister," said Zenabou, now 18 years old.

The man explained to the family that Zenabou's sister wanted the then
eight year old Zenabou to join her in Gabon. She would be sent to
school and well looked after there, he said.

"My poor mother!" exclaimed Zenabou. "If she had ever imagined that
her own daughter could abuse her confidence like that, she would
never have sent me to live with her in Gabon!"

Soon afterwards, Zenabou was setting out for Gabon with a load of
other trafficked children.

"I can't remember how many of us kids there were, but we were quite a
few. We headed out for Gabon by boat."

"I remember there was a two week stop over in Nigeria where we were
only given one meal a day. We arrived in Gabon tired out and hungry,"
she said.

Zenabou thought all would be well when she got to her sister's, but
the promised school enrolment never materialised.

"For four years I did the housework for her at her place. Then in
1999 [when Zenabou was 12] I began my martyrdom in Gabon." Zenabou
was set to work at the market.

"I would get up at 3 a.m. every day to pack and fry fritters ready to
sell by 10 a.m."

"Everyday I would make 30,000 CFA [US $60] but never had any of it
for myself. They told me once that money was sent home to my parents,
but that was a lie," she said.

"One day on doing the accounts when I got back from the market, it
was clear that there was 100 CFA [20 cents] missing. I didn't dare
say anything even though it was me that took it [to buy food] - I was
so hungry - but I knew I would be punished."

"I was beaten black and blue by my sister, even a chicken thief would
not have deserved such a hiding!"

It was after that beating that Zenabou vowed to get home.

One day in the street she heard that the Togolese embassy was helping
children like herself to get repatriated.

After explaining her situation at the embassy, the Togolese
ambassador intervened on her behalf and Zenabou's sister was forced
to buy her a plane ticket home.

Zenabou is now back in Sokode and learning dressmaking at PASEORSC -
the local NGO that traced and reunited her with her family.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/319b9a099258f607a4c12619
022eed9f.htm

Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced today that the Peace
Corps will officially suspend its program in the African nation of
Gabon effective August 31. The decision comes after a 2-year review
of operations that showed significantly higher costs to support the
volunteers in Gabon relative to other Peace Corps programs in
Africa.

"The Peace Corps regrets the necessity to suspend the program in
Gabon after a 31-year partnership with its citizens. More than 1,460
Americans have respectfully and honorably assisted the people of
Gabon as Peace Corps volunteers through a long history, dating back
to 1963 when the first group arrived to build schools in rural
areas," said Director Vasquez.

All Peace Corps volunteers in Gabon completed their primary projects
in the sectors of health and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention,
education, and environmental education. As of July 5, all Peace Corps
volunteers had completed their service and left the country.

Factors contributing to the program suspension include the high cost
of the Gabon program, weighing in at over three times as much as the
average Peace Corps program in Africa, and a scarcity in finding host
country counterparts to work with the volunteers and ensure their
transition into the community — an element that is critical in the
volunteers' success. In addition, a 2003 Inspector General report
documented safety and security costs of $1 million that would be
necessary to keep the program operating successfully. The Peace Corps
will continue to assess the situation in Gabon and will look at the
possibility of re-entry in the future.

http://i-newswire.com/pr35288.html

Ever wonder why you can't give blood if you served since 1977 until
now. Below was taken from the Red Cross web site:

In-Depth Discussion of HIV Group O and Blood Donation

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. The
virus can be transmitted through blood transfusion, so all donor
programs are required to question donors about possible HIV exposure,
and to test donated blood for this virus.

There is a rare form of HIV called Type O that is found in western
Africa. The available tests for HIV do not always detect the Type O
strain. This means that blood programs must take special precautions
to keep this virus out of the blood supply by not taking blood
donations from those who have been where the virus is found.

Persons who were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria
since 1977 cannot be blood donors. The Food and Drug Administration,
which is responsible for supervising the safety of the American blood
supply, put this requirement in place in 1996. The requirement
applies to all blood donation programs, including that of the
American Red Cross. The list of countries with HIV Type O risk is
based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) where experts monitor infections worldwide.

This is interesting. I always thought it had something to do with ebola. Thanks
for sending
this along.


--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Brugger" <solarchef@y...>
wrote:
> Ever wonder why you can't give blood if you served since 1977 until
> now. Below was taken from the Red Cross web site:
>
> In-Depth Discussion of HIV Group O and Blood Donation
>
> Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. The
> virus can be transmitted through blood transfusion, so all donor
> programs are required to question donors about possible HIV exposure,
> and to test donated blood for this virus.
>
> There is a rare form of HIV called Type O that is found in western
> Africa. The available tests for HIV do not always detect the Type O
> strain. This means that blood programs must take special precautions
> to keep this virus out of the blood supply by not taking blood
> donations from those who have been where the virus is found.
>
> Persons who were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African
> Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria
> since 1977 cannot be blood donors. The Food and Drug Administration,
> which is responsible for supervising the safety of the American blood
> supply, put this requirement in place in 1996. The requirement
> applies to all blood donation programs, including that of the
> American Red Cross. The list of countries with HIV Type O risk is
> based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and
> Prevention (CDC) where experts monitor infections worldwide.

I used to work on the CDC National AIDS hotline and we often got calls about
Group O. It is rare in the US and primarily in West Africa. You can find out
info by going to the CDC web site - www.cdc.gov.

I also was told that the prohibition was because of malaria and it was 5
years after return. If you have had no risk for HIV - what would be the
reason to prevent donations? There are newer screening tests called 3rd
generation that can cover much more now.

>From: bellachicafrique <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
>Reply-To: gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com
>To: gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Gabon Discussion] Re: Why you can't give blood
>Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 19:59:12 -0000
>
>I was told it was because of exposure to malaria. I haven't found
>out any information anywhere on HIV Group O as you call it.
>
>--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Brugger"
><solarchef@y...> wrote:
> > Ever wonder why you can't give blood if you served since 1977
>until
> > now. Below was taken from the Red Cross web site:
> >
> > In-Depth Discussion of HIV Group O and Blood Donation
> >
> > Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS.
>The
> > virus can be transmitted through blood transfusion, so all donor
> > programs are required to question donors about possible HIV
>exposure,
> > and to test donated blood for this virus.
> >
> > There is a rare form of HIV called Type O that is found in western
> > Africa. The available tests for HIV do not always detect the Type
>O
> > strain. This means that blood programs must take special
>precautions
> > to keep this virus out of the blood supply by not taking blood
> > donations from those who have been where the virus is found.
> >
> > Persons who were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African
> > Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria
> > since 1977 cannot be blood donors. The Food and Drug
>Administration,
> > which is responsible for supervising the safety of the American
>blood
> > supply, put this requirement in place in 1996. The requirement
> > applies to all blood donation programs, including that of the
> > American Red Cross. The list of countries with HIV Type O risk is
> > based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and
> > Prevention (CDC) where experts monitor infections worldwide.
>
>

July 20, 2005, AP

Stephan Bekale left his home in Gabon with a teenager's dreams of an
American college education and a career in the sport he loved,
basketball.

But his personal game plan changed when his parents, back home in
their country on Africa's west coast, died a few years later, just
months apart. Aids had stolen them both.

With grief as a coach, the 2,1m forward went on the offensive to
spare others a similar fate. Bekale set aside his dream of pro
basketball stardom and created Hoops4Africa, to use the star power of
American hoopsters to spread the message of Aids prevention to
Africa's youth.

"You can touch kids through basketball," the 26-year-old Alexandria,
Virginia, resident says.

Bekale should know.

Not long ago, he was a teenager in Africa, wishing he could "be like
Mike" - Michael Jordan, the basketball superstar.

Now he spends his days and nights networking and raising money to fly
10 athletes, five each from the National Basketball Association and
Women's National Basketball Association, to Kenya for a week in
September to talk to schoolchildren of all ages about HIV/Aids.
Visits to Aids orphanages also are on the schedule.

It won't all be sober talk, though.

Basketball clinics are planned to teach the children how to shoot,
dribble and manoeuvre on court for their own games, as well as
sightseeing trips.

"Our main focus is to get the information out on Aids and how deadly
the virus is, and our means of doing that is through basketball,"
says Washington Wizards forward Michael Ruffin, one of the 10.

"Hopefully by reaching the children they'll go home and talk to their
parents a little bit and tell their parents about it," addss Ruffin,
a father of four.

Aids has had a devastating effect on sub-Saharan Africa, where more
than half the world's HIV-infected people live. Millions in the
region have died of the disease since the epidemic began, including
2,3-million last year, according to UN statistics.

Bekale was a lanky 15-year-old when he landed in New York in 1995
after scraping together enough money for the plane trip that would
bring him closer to pursuing his life's goal. But he was stranded at
Kennedy Airport when a friend's offer of lodging fell through. To get
by, Bekale said, he lived with other Africans in New York City's
Brooklyn borough and peddled knockoff watches before coming to
Washington, where a family took him in and sent him to high school in
the Virginia suburbs.


He left for Penn State on a basketball scholarship in the autumn of
1998. His parents died not long after he started classes - his father
in June 1999 and his mother in March 2000.

After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2002,
Bekale focused on creating Hoops4Africa, a follow-up to his efforts
while in school to help improve the quality of life in Africa.

In college, he sent his teammates' used basketball shoes to Gabon for
the players there. Bekale also raised several thousand dollars to
help provide clean drinking water in his native Tchibanga.

Hoops4Africa is partnering with the Land O'Lakes dairy company, which
works with farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The company has a regional
office in Kenya and is helping Bekale with logistics on the ground,
said Tom Verdoorn, vice president of the Minnesota-based company.

Land O'Lakes will supplement Hoops4Africa's message about HIV/Aids
prevention with a pointer of its own about the importance of good
nutrition - including milk and other dairy products.

"Getting the right kinds of nutrition into people afflicted with the
HIV/Aids virus is a very important component of their well-being,"
Verdoorn says.

What Bekale is trying to accomplish is not unique. Celebrities often
help raise awareness about Aids, other illnesses and charitable
causes. But knowing firsthand how young Africans admire American
basketball players, Bekale and his supporters say what he is trying
to do can save lives.

"The (Aids) problem is so enormous. It's a pandemic," says
congressman Donald Payne, who helped Hoops4Africa qualify for tax-
exempt status. "I think that there's room for many organisations
to spring up and try and get the word out to young people." - Sapa-AP

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=225&fArticleId=2631780

110 reserve US Navy sailors from Operational Health Support Unit
Great Lakes, Ill., wrapped up the annual West African Training
Cruise exercise in Gabon on July 22. The two-week exercise,
sponsored by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander, U.S. 6th
Fleet, (CNE/C6F), was a Medical Outreach Program (MOP) designed for
U.S. and African medical experts to exchange knowledge and
techniques used to deal with a wide variety of regional illnesses.

"The West African Training Cruise Medical Outreach Program is an
opportunity for the U.S. Navy to show its concern for the people of
western and central Africa, and to learn from the expertise their
medical professionals already have," said Rear Adm. David Maserang,
deputy director of the Medical Service Corps for Reserve
Affairs. "These exercises, which focus on regional health and
wellbeing, are a very visible reminder of the American commitment
toward the region," he added during a ceremony in a local village.

The groups visited several villages in the two countries. With the
help of students and other volunteers who served as interpreters,
the American teams set up and managed on-site clinics where patients
were evaluated to determine their needs. Among the services provided
were general medical clinics, an eye clinic, a dental clinic and an
immunization clinic. In all, the two-country teams provided medical
care to more than 13,000 residents of Gabon and Cameroon, treating
conditions that ranged from diarrhea to AIDS.

"The mission has been a success due in large part to the coordinated
efforts of both nations working together to overcome whatever
obstacles we've encountered on a daily basis," said Cmdr. Laurie
Wesely, the officer in charge of the mission in Gabon. "The
exercises in the Gulf of Guinea are great experiences and facilitate
easier operations between the United States and the host African
nations," Wesely said.

Lt. Col. Ntsame Bang, commander of the Gabonese forces in the
exercise, echoed her assessment, saying, "It was a pleasure to work
with the American personnel and learn from their experience in this
area."

Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, Vice Adm. "Boomer" Stufflebeem explained
the importance of increasing regional cooperation in West
Africa. "Naval operational forces are providing relevant support to
the ongoing global war on terrorism throughout Europe and Africa.
International cooperation is essential to successfully winning the
war against terrorism, and these engagements increase cooperation
with regional partners," said Stufflebeem.

http://www.blackanthem.com/News/2005072806.html

GABON: Media council orders independent newspaper suspended

New York, August 10, 2005—Gabon's media regulatory council has
indefinitely suspended the independent bimonthly newspaper Nku'u Le
Messager over an editorial it says insulted the council, according to
local news reports and the publication director. In a statement
issued Tuesday, the council said the suspension would be lifted only
if the newspaper changed its editorial team.

The decision follows an August 8 editorial by publication director
Norbert Ngoua Mezui, criticizing the council's composition and saying
that members were overpaid and lazy. The editorial called council
members "bad film actors," "uninspired sports writers," and "a few
journalists of generally little talent." Council President Pierre
Marie Dong is a filmmaker, according to the PANA news agency.

Mezui said the editorial came in response to a July 28 statement by
the council, a nine-member, government-controlled body known by its
French acronym CNC. He said the CNC statement "arbitrarily classified
the Gabonese newspapers into two categories, partisan ones and non-
partisan ones." Nku'u Le Messager was wrongly put in the partisan
category, Mezui said.

The CNC justified its decision against Nku'u Le Messager by saying
that certain journalists had become "mercenaries of the
pen," "racketeers" and "gossips," according to PANA. The newspaper
was considering its response today.

"The CNC's blatant censorship of this independent newspaper is
outrageous," said Ann Cooper, executive director of the Committee to
Protect Journalists. "We call on Gabon's authorities to ensure that
this arbitrary decision is immediately overturned and that newspapers
in Gabon are able to report news and opinions without fear of
reprisal."

Since 2003, the CNC has issued eight suspensions against newspapers
that were critical of authorities, according to CPJ research. Some
remain closed.

Fellow Gabon forum members,

I am interested in sharing photos and video clips from around Gabon,
particularly of the interior. I lived there from 2002-2005.

Son Excellence El Hadj Moussa

Mbolo, Brad/Moussa;

I lived in Bitam, Gabon from 1988-1991.  Where did you live?  Were you in the
Peace Corps?  I was a Peace Corps teacher.  I'll post some photos some time.  I
am curious about how Gabon has changed since way back when.  Christine
>
> From: "Bradley Alan Hodges" <niakurondi@...>
> Date: 2005/08/21 Sun AM 12:17:01 CDT
> To: gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Gabon Discussion] Mboloani!
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://dsc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?
episode=4&cpi=25129&gid=0
Going Tribal, African Vision Quest

Bruce goes deep into the rainforests of Gabon, Africa, to learn about
Bwiti, a religion based around the consumption of a powerful
hallucinogen called Iboga. To be a member of the tribe, Bruce takes
part in this initiation ritual into the Bwiti faith.

To be telecast on Discovery channel:

Aug 30 2005 @ 10:00 PM

Aug 31 2005 @ 01:00 AM

Sep 02 2005 @ 10:00 PM

Sep 03 2005 @ 01:00 AM

Sep 04 2005 @ 07:00 PM

Bradley,

Feel free to post any photos and video clips at this site. Also looking
forward to reading your views about the current situation in Gabon and
prospects for the future.

Mbolo

Bob


--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "Bradley Alan Hodges"
<niakurondi@y...> wrote:
> Fellow Gabon forum members,
>
> I am interested in sharing photos and video clips from around Gabon,
> particularly of the interior. I lived there from 2002-2005.
>
> Son Excellence El Hadj Moussa

Christine,

Wow! I've had a lot of responses thus far on that discussion board. I'm just
returned to the US for grad school. I originally left for Peace Corps and was
posted to Fougamou as an English teacher. I traveled around quite a bit in that
small country, and spent more time teaching and translating in Libreville
privately.

I'll post more info and photos (and videos, if it works out!) this weekend on
the discussion board when I have more time.

Cheers,

Brad Hodges

Christine Kuhn <flourishstudios@...> a écrit :
Mbolo, Brad/Moussa;

I lived in Bitam, Gabon from 1988-1991.  Where did you live?  Were you in the
Peace Corps?  I was a Peace Corps teacher.  I'll post some photos some time.  I
am curious about how Gabon has changed since way back when.  Christine
>
> From: "Bradley Alan Hodges" <niakurondi@...>
> Date: 2005/08/21 Sun AM 12:17:01 CDT
> To: gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Gabon Discussion] Mboloani!
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



---------------------------------
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS


     Visit your group "gabondiscussion" on the web.

     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  gabondiscussion-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


---------------------------------




---------------------------------
  Appel audio GRATUIT partout dans le monde avec le nouveau Yahoo! Messenger
  Téléchargez le ici !

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Brad,

It's quite interesting to me that you were teaching in Fougamou.

In 1993, I was in communication with PCV Kim Burhop who also taught
in Fougamou. As I recall, Kim was frustrated in that the Gabonese
would not provide the students with books.

Thirty years before that, six of us in Gabon 1 (and later Gabon 3)
built two primary schools and three teachers' houses in Fougamou.
http://ewatravel.com/Gabon/GabonUtne3.htm

I tried to get back to Fougamou in 2002 from Lambarene and had to
turn around after about 20ks since my rental car could not pass
through the worst road stretches.

Looking forward to reading your updates.

Bob






--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, Brad Hodges <niakurondi@y...>
wrote:
> Christine,
>
> Wow! I've had a lot of responses thus far on that discussion board.
I'm just returned to the US for grad school. I originally left for
Peace Corps and was posted to Fougamou as an English teacher. I
traveled around quite a bit in that small country, and spent more
time teaching and translating in Libreville privately.
>
> I'll post more info and photos (and videos, if it works out!) this
weekend on the discussion board when I have more time.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Brad Hodges
>
> Christine Kuhn <flourishstudios@a...> a écrit :
> Mbolo, Brad/Moussa;
>
> I lived in Bitam, Gabon from 1988-1991.  Where did you live?  Were
you in the Peace Corps?  I was a Peace Corps teacher.  I'll post some
photos some time.  I am curious about how Gabon has changed since way
back when.  Christine
> >
> > From: "Bradley Alan Hodges" <niakurondi@y...>
> > Date: 2005/08/21 Sun AM 12:17:01 CDT
> > To: gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [Gabon Discussion] Mboloani!
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
>
>     Visit your group "gabondiscussion" on the web.
>
>     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  gabondiscussion-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>  Appel audio GRATUIT partout dans le monde avec le nouveau Yahoo!
Messenger
>  Téléchargez le ici !
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Muè pesu, batu botsi?

Let me start by saying that, even with all its corruption,
mosquitoes, hot and muggy rainy seasons and ridiculous cost of
living, I really miss Gabon a lot. I miss dancing the rumba, salsa
and zouk en boite. I miss shopping on Sunday afternoons at Mont
Bouet and Carrefour Leon Mba, close to where I lived in Montagne-
Sainte. I miss staying up all night at a Bwiti dance aux villages. I
miss my pirogue and the palm wine from the other side of the Ngounié
from Fougamou, in a village called Ngoissa. I miss the little
children that played on the edge of the Bitoukou, and my friend
there, Peeblé. I miss the friendly Nzebi of Koulamoutou. I miss
grilled carp from Lambaréné and above all the great Myene singers
that region produced. I miss leisurely weekend walks along the beach
at Pointe Denis. I miss my Senegalese tailor that makes such
wonderful African shirts. I miss feuilles de manioc, nyembwe, odika,
timba, etc. etc. etc.

I few of you asked about Gabon today and tomorrow? I don't think
much has changed, from the reports I've read on this site. Money
continues to be squandered on unnecessary projects. The presidential
palace along the Bord de Mer has been renovated
http://www.gabonflash.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1089
A new, $20 million Palais du Sénat is about to open across the
boulevard from l'Assemblé Nationale.
http://french.people.com.cn/french/200208/21/fra20020821_56673.html
Libreville's airport was recently renovated, and La Sablière,
Libreville's neighborhood for the elite, was recently transformed
just before a visit by the king of Morocco. The French are just as
involved militarily as ever, at the Camp de Gaulle base and in the
interior.
Meanwhile, decades after promises to pave the "national highway" to
Fougamou, it's still unpaved a few miles south of Lambaréné. Not
just unpaved, but a real mess during the rainy season, as one of you
who returned in 2002 recently found out - especially at Montagne
Tchad. Some neighborhoods in Libreville, including sprawling Nzeng-
Ayong and even the industrial park, are practically impassable.
There's a lake in front of the CEDOC, where visitors must go to
obtain visas and cartes de séjour. The gift system is still very
much active in Gabon. Daily on TV, one can witness groups of women
en pagne dancing and praising ministers who announce new medical
supplies for a hospital in Oyem or a new classroom building for
Mouila. I don't know if any of you taught at Collège Léon Mboumba in
Fougamou, by the way. That school is beyond crumbling, and nothing
is being done.

Teachers for Africa, the British Council, the American Cultural
Center, Peace Corps and other foreign programs all have left. Of
course, for Peace Corps, it wasn't the first time and probably won't
be the last. I'm sure they'll reopen one day.

Don't expect any surprises this December, either. After the recent
events in Togo, I only fear the day Omar Bongo Ondimba passes away
in office.

Now I hope no one will take offense with what I'm about to say, but
let's look at Gabon from another perspective - actually from the
same perspective, because we're all outsiders who obviously found
something to like about Gabon or we wouldn't be posting to this
site, would we Bob?

Maybe it's a good thing if Gabon is slow to develop. I've never
quite felt comfortable with the term "underdevelopment" anyway.
Who's to say our country isn't "overdeveloped"?

After all, even with mandatory French, Spanish and English in the
schools, Gabon hasn't lost its languages or traditions. Even in
Libreville, I could find people with whom to talk in Gisir or Myene.
There's not even one Western supermarket or fast food chain to be
found. The French-based Taty store recently closed. Even after all
the exploitation of natural resources, the mines in Moanda and the
loggers in Mandju, the landscape hasn't changed that much. We can't
say that for most American Indian tribes today, just for one
comparison.

Boukayè.........Aye!!!

Brad

Bob et al,

First, I wouldn't have posted here if I hadn't hoped for "the full
gamut of responses" about the place I love most on this planet.
Second, whereever I've lived and whatever my line of work, I've
always been in search of free opinions.

I also spent some time in Kango and other Gabonese villages, and was
also confronted in a similar manner.

I have much respect for the NGOs in Central Africa (and the rest of
the world) who work to preserve our environment. However, I regret
that, after much time abroad, I largely share the same cynical view
as you.

The question remains, what can we do?

- Moussavou

--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "bobutne" <bobutne@y...>
wrote:
> Probably, you could get the full gamut of responses to that one.
>
> When I was in Kango and had lunch with the local "mayor/prefect",
he
> wanted me to send Peace Corps Volunteers to his town. "We have so
> many problems in each village", he lamented. I told him I was no
> longer with the Peace Corps but that didn't stop him from keep
> asking.
>
> Shift to the many NGO's working in Gabon providing relief and
> development services. Are they more than filling the void left by
the
> departed US Peace Corps.
>
> Development is what? The incessant desire to acquire more and more
> things or a more social consciousness to lift the weak and provide
> full opportunity for all.
>
> Clearly, Libreville and Port Gentil and growing while the rest of
the
> nation is stagnating. The jobs are in the cities as is the most
> exciting life for the young. Remote villages continue to be
abandoned
> leaving the wildlife freer to roam. Good or bad?
>
> Shift now to the French and the US oil companies, the real powers
of
> Gabon. They want the Gabonese to remain subserviant and,
especially,
> Omar Bongo not to rock the boat. The Chinese want aboard, too.
>
> Go slow or go fast, what is the difference? One day Gabon will be
> fully raped by the developed world, its tribes driven to non-
> existence (much as the pygmy culture has been recently decimated)
and
> Gabonese will be hooked to Chinese consumer goods, with some
manioc,
> palm wine and ebogha thrown in.
>
> We had our chance to make a difference. Unfortunately, on the way,
we
> got lost on paths that led to Viet Nam and Iraq

This site may interest you. With 10 million hectares of forest
attributed under logging permits, that's almost half of the country's
forest (22 million).

http://www.finances.gouv.ga/fiscforet.htm

A bit overdramatized, but they did the landscape, people and customs
justice. For that I'm thankful.

One question: Why did they start out in Mimongo, in the southern
mountains, and end up way up in Makokou? Maybe I missed something.

moussavou


--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "bobutne" <bobutne@y...>
wrote:
> Last chance to see this very interesting episode. Don't miss it.
>
> Sep 04 2005 @ 07:00 PM on Discovery Channel.
>
>
> --- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, "bobutne" <bobutne@y...>
> wrote:
> > http://dsc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?
> > episode=4&cpi=25129&gid=0
> > Going Tribal, African Vision Quest
> >
> > Bruce goes deep into the rainforests of Gabon, Africa, to learn
> about
> > Bwiti, a religion based around the consumption of a powerful
> > hallucinogen called Iboga. To be a member of the tribe, Bruce
takes
> > part in this initiation ritual into the Bwiti faith.
> >
> > To be telecast on Discovery channel:
> >
> > Aug 30 2005 @ 10:00 PM
> >
> > Aug 31 2005 @ 01:00 AM
> >
> > Sep 02 2005 @ 10:00 PM
> >
> > Sep 03 2005 @ 01:00 AM
> >
> > Sep 04 2005 @ 07:00 PM

Dear Larry,

So what do you think would be an effective use of US tax dollars? I
didn't know that Peace Corps had a corruption and/or danger index to
determine whether it should be in a country. As far as I know, all
the countries where Peace Corps is present are corrupt and dangerous.

Peace,

Tom

--- In gabondiscussion@yahoogroups.com, SUPORTLINK@a... wrote:
> Dear Bob:
>
> The Peace Corps in Gabon is not an effective use of USA tax
dollars. The
> government of Gabon is corrupt, and Peace Corps Volunteers are in
too much
> danger.  The Peace Corps is NOT the end all to be all, or is the
Peace  Corps the
> answer to every international issue of the USA.
>
> Yours Truly,
> Larry R. Jackson, Support Links  Services
> 3700 Buchanan Ave., Space #68
> Riverside, CA 92503
> Phone: (951)  273-1776.....Fax: (951) 273-1755
> Cell: (951) 850-8596
> Web site: _www.SupLnk.com_ (http://www.suplnk.com/)
>
>
> Email:  Larry.Jackson@S...
> "Failure Is Not An Option In This  Lifetime!"
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Gabon media bosses warned over double jobs; Libreville, Gabon  16
September 2005

Gabon's National Communication Council (CNC) has warned the bosses of
22 private newspapers and radio stations to stop doubling up jobs
incompatible with their public duties, a CNC statement said. The CNC
on Thursday quoted the code that regulates the media in the oil-rich
Central African nation, whereby people with government, civil
service, judicial or military office "cannot be owners or
beneficiaries of audiovisual firms".

CNC press officer Nestor Ella said the named chairpersons or
publishing editors of six private radio stations and 16
newspapers "are all in the civil service. That's not right." Those
Ella identified include ministerial advisers and even an adviser to
CNC president Pierre Marie Dong. The CNC order will not take
immediate effect, but Ella said that "from December 31, those who
haven't sorted out their situation will receive a final warning
before their media outlets are shut down."

Much of a lively private press in Gabon, though circulation is
limited, is considered to be the mouthpiece of various officials in
the regime, particularly government ministers, who use it to their
own political ends. The CNC is appointed by President Omar Bongo and
the speakers of the two Houses of Parliament. It has shut down a
number of papers since 2003, and several private newspaper groups
earlier this year accused it of actions leading to the muzzling of
the press and democratic debate in Gabon, which has been ruled by
Bongo since 1967. -- Sapa-AFP



Air Gabon resumes flights to Paris

LIBREVILLE, September 16 -- The management of Air Gabon, which has
lacked wide-bodied passenger planes for several months, announced
here Friday that the airline would resume flights to Paris on 26
September. In a news released issued in Libreville, the management
said that initially the airline will make a weekly flight using an
Airbus A300-200 with a capacity of 364 seats (21 in business class
and 343 in economic class). The government provided a grant to secure
the aircraft. The ageing Air Gabon fleet had been reduced to a single
Boeing 767-200 plane for long and middle distance flights.
For lack of aircraft, the airline was obliged to completely halt all
flights. Its Boeing 767-200 and 737-200 aircraft were grounded due to
engine problems.

In 2004, the airline reviewed its flight schedule along the African
West coast and cancelled flights along unprofitable routes, including
the Libreville-Dubai stretch that was very popular with West African
business operators. According to the Prime Minister, Air Gabon has a
heavy debt burden estimated at between 25 billion and 60 billion FCFA
(about US$110 millions) and faces problems paying monthly wages to
its employees. Air Gabon was created in 1977 with a capital ofe 6.5
billion FCFA (US$10 million) after Libreville's withdrawal from the
now defunct multinational airline, Air Afrique. - pana

Libreville, Gabon,09/26 - The Union of Air Gabon Workers (SYPAG) has
sent a letter to President Omar Bongo Ondimba to ask him to choose
the US firm, International Trading Service Centre (ITSC), as
a "strategic partner" in the privatisation of the troubled Air Gabon.

According to SYPAG secretary-general, Pierre Boukila Boundzanga, the
ITSC has proposed to lease for Air Gabon three aircraft (Boeing 777-
200, 737-300 and 747-400) at the rate of 380 million CFA francs per
month should the US firm get the right to run the airline. The
company will also pay a two billion CFA franc deposit as a guarantee
for the planes, he added.

In an open letter copied to PANA, the SYPAG stressed that under the
previous management, Air Atlanta Company had been renting to Air
Gabon a Boeing 767-300 at a premium price of 220 million CFA francs
for several months. In addition, the letter added, the ITSC is said
to be interested in the opening of Air Gabon`s capital and ready to
take 51 per cent shares of the company`s capital as planned in the
Gabonese government`s "business plan."

If ITSC`s proposal is accepted, the company may add a new Boeing to
the company`s fleet, which would make it four the number of aircraft
proposed by the US Company. Also, the ITSC would like to participate
in the building of a new terminal in Libreville, the extension of
Mvengue terminal in Franceville (south- east) as an alternative
airport and set up an air logistics centre in Gabon, the SYPAG added.

The Gabonese government, which remains the only shareholder of Air
Gabon, whose the debt is estimated at 60 million CFA francs, after
the withdrawal of Air France, has decided to find a strategic partner
for the company`s survival.

Talks are under way with Royal Air Maroc (RAM), in order to set up a
company on the model of Air Senegal International, in which RAM has
51 per cent of shares. But Gabonese NGOs and SYPAG denounced the
talks with RAM.

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=377696

A decision by Africa's longest-serving leader to seek another seven
years in power has been criticised. President Omar Bongo, who came to
power in 1967, said at the weekend that he had "listened to the
people" and would seek another term in December's poll.

The 69-year-old's government recently told opposition leaders they
would lose their passports if they left Gabon. A group of exiles,
called Bongo Must Leave, says Gabon's people have had enough of his
authoritarian rule.

"We are against the whole system, which Mr Bongo represents. We want
to clean it all up," leader Serge Besac told the BBC's Network Africa
by telephone from Washington.

The 69-year-old president launched a crackdown after complaints by an
opposition leader that the electoral register for December's
presidential poll had been inflated.

He was also said to be angered by a protest organised outside the
United Nations last month, staged as he was addressing a summit.

The government in Gabon has made changes to the constitution which
would allow President Bongo to run for office as many times as he
wishes.

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4307838.stm