Vincent de Paul Nyonda
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Vincent de Paul Nyonda (1918 - 1995) was a Gabonese playwright and Minister.
Nyonda served under the administration of the first Gabonese President Leon Mba, and was one of the most prominent political figure in that administration. He served as Minister of Public Works from 1957 until 1962 and as Minister of Justice from 1963 to 1964.
Following the sudden and suspicious death of Leon Mba, Vice President Omar Bongo took over as head of state. When Vincent de Paul Nyonda refused to join the new government, one he deemed illegitimate, Omar Bongo ordered his arrest and imprisonment. Nyonda endured weeks of physical and verbal abuse, but a decision was made to spare his life. He was sent to a small village and cut from his electoral base.
In the small village of Mandji, away from the luxurious life that his social status had provided, he learnt to live a much simpler life. It is there that he built his house with the help of a few volunteers who kindly lent a hand. He went hunting and learnt to grow vegetables to provide for his family.
It is also during this time that Nyonda, a man with a thirst for knowledge and intellectual growth, discovered his love for writing. He wrote and directed countless plays. He hired local students to perform them. It is during one such performance that Mrs. Josephine Bongo who was touring the province of Ngounie in the south of Gabon, and of which Mandji is the main city, had the opportunity see one of his plays. Upon returning to Libreville, she somehow convinced her husband, President Omar Bongo, to allow Nyonda back to Libreville.
Nyonda then returned to Libreville and continued to write and direct. He wrote countless plays and books and ultimately became the most prominent playwright in Gabon. Ironically he also played a president in the African movie Demain Jour nouveau.
According to the earlier Gabonese constitution, Paul Marie Yembi (the first post-independence Gabonese prime minister), and Vincent de Paul Nyonda should have taken over as head of the state. However, a few days before the mysterious death of President Leon Mba, the constitution was amended. Some suspect the involvement of the French government, who they say was determined to control this oil-rich nation.
Rather than return to politics however, Nyoda chose to devote his life to his writing. He ultimately became a successful playwright and was dubbed, rightfully so, "Father of the Gabonese Theater". Echoing Shakespeare, his favorite quote was: “Tout est theatralite”, ("life is a stage").
Nyoda died in Libreville, Gabon on 20 January 1995 at age 78. His autobiography Du villageois au minister published by L’harmattan of Paris depicts his incredible life as a politician, a writer, and a family man. The Gabonese university has since renamed several facilities after the author. Countless African literary prizes also bear his name.
[edit] Published works
- Autobiographie d'un Gabonais: Du villageois au ministre (autobiography), L'Harmattan, 1993
- La mort de Guykafi: Drame en cinq actes; suivi de deux albinos à la M'Passa; et le soûlard (Collection of Plays), L'Harmattan, 1981
