Talk:Omar Bongo
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[edit] Links/Refernces
Would someone be so kind as to update the links in this article as most appear broken. Thanks. Mbolo 02:36, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Trivia
Please remove the trivia about T. Jagland refering to Mr. Bongo as "Bongo from Kongo" on national television in Norway. The trivia is insulting to Jagland, to Bongo and to Africans and Norweigans. It was not a kind of official statment at all, Jagland did only refer to his stab in the foreign department who joked to him about Bongo rhyming with Kongo, and he did it with a friendly laugh which all the participants in the show joined in with. At once the statement is taken out of this context, it gets political and may give ideas about norweigan foreign department laughs of african politicans and politics. That is not true, and Wikipedia should not spread such ideas, not even as a trivia. --Esalen 12:16, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
Italic text
I have a question why is it that most of the informations that are found in your articles are false? because I am a family member and trust it is full of shit in here
- Could you explain what's false about it? Everyking 11:41, 9 Oct 2004 (UTC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2646825.stm has some good info if anyone is looking to expand this stub.
http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3109 is a good counter view. It is also is a citiation for his view that Africa is not ready for democracy.
Just a personal notice of mine, Omar Bongo refers to most of non-African countries as the North and African countries as the South (he's meaning hemispheres). Do most educated Africans like Omar Bongo use this language? Just curious.
- No, not all educated Africans do, some do not. Note that non-African academicians also quite often use "that language". / Ezeu 22:12, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
Why does the current page sounds alot like a flyer from propaganda-r-us? arent this guy supposed to be a womanizer? read it in the papers some time ago...
[edit] NPOV
I deleted the Conclusion, because it was so obviously non neutral. User:Mistico
[edit] Why did he convert?
--58.104.11.118 06:26, 3 December 2005 (UTC)
And, when did he convert? 1970 or 1973? The article lists both. Chris 14:37, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Infobox
Could someone add an infobox.--M3rrick 09:25, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
- Done. --Ezeu 10:17, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] NPOV
The below content removed from the article has way too much propaganda to be NPOV. It should not be included in the article before it is NPOVed.Labongo 14:31, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] History
Youngest child of a big Batéké family of farmers, Omar Bongo was born on the 30th of December 1935 in Lewaï, a town in the province of Haut-Ogooué in the south-east of Gabon.
He did his primary and secondary studies at Brazzaville (Congo) which was in this time the capital of French Equatorial Africa. After his secondary studies, he worked in a post office then entered the military, becoming under-lieutenant and then lieutenant of the air force successively in Brazzaville, Bangui, and Fort Lamy (now called N'djamena).
He came back to his native country, and served in the French army. During his service he was remarkable for his talent, and was put in the secret service of the French army. Step by step, under the protection of the French, he became famous in the big administrations of the country.
[edit] His first steps in politics
After the independence of Gabon in 1960, it was near M. Leon Mba, the first president of the Gabonese republic, that the young Albert-Bernard Bongo started his political career. Step by step, he climbed levels in Leon Mba’s administration. He started first in the department of foreign affairs and in 1961, he entered in the cabinet of the head of the state. From this time, he became the man of trust of the president. Indeed, Leon Mba really appreciated his capacity for work, his dynamism, and his audacity. That’s why in 1965, Bongo became minister of information and tourism and in 1966, he was appointed vice-president of the republic. One year later Leon Mba became sick and died, and Bongo became by the same occasion President of the Gabonese Republic according to the Gabonese constitution. He became the youngest president in the world (just 32 years old) on the 28th of September, 1967. His close relationship with France and the ex-president put him firmly in power.
[edit] Private Life
Before his entry into the political arena, Bongo was married to Josephine Kama. When he gained the presidency, she became the first lady of the Gabonese republic. Josephine Kama was born the 22nd of January, 1945 at Brazzaville (Congo), where she later attended a Roman Catholic school and pursued secretarial studies. She was very liberal and attracted to music, even dreaming to become a famous singer. Her attraction to music was against protocol as a first lady, leading to her 1986 divorce with the Bongo. Afterwards, she began a professional career as a singer and changed her name to Patience Dabany, later achieving moderate fame. She still maintains a friendly relationship with the president.
Following this divorce, Bongo encountered many pressures from the press: He was obliged to find another wife. Consequently, he married Edith Lucie Nguesso, the eldest daughter of the Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Unlike Josephine Kama, she has given governmental protocol a greater level of respect. She was born on the 10th of March 1964, in Brazzaville; she is a holder of the aggregation of doctor. She has been quite active in her role as first lady and built the biggest hospital of the region alongside her assistance to various organisations and structures in the whole country.
Omar Bongo has children from his first and second marriage. He is believed to be a good and exemplary father, who loves his children and respects family tradition. [1]
[edit] His men of trust
Like all presidents, Bongo has his men of trust. Native of a minority group ethnic, Bongo associates all the communities in the share of power in order to avoid confusion and civil war. But the key posts of his administration are reserved for his peers. First, the director of his cabinet is his elder daughter Pascaline Bongo Ondimba, the minister of the defence is his first son, Ali Bongo Ondimba. The minister of finance is his son-in-law, Paul Toungui…. And some others of his close friends in the key posts of his administration in order to avoid all forms of betrayals. He is well encircled. One of the secret of his durability. There are two main facts which marked the private life of the president Bongo. First fact, in 1973, he changed his religion, his name and became Muslim. Then, Albert Bernard bongo became El hadj Omar Bongo. Secondly, in 2003-2004, He took the real name of his father. El Hadj Omar Bongo became El Hadj Omar bongo Ondimba. This name was granted to all members of his family. [2]
!== Omar Bongo’s Actions ==
[edit] Union
As president in an under developed country; his first goal should be the development of the country. Unfortunately, Bongo has chosen to concentrate on selling Gabon's natural resources to the highest bidder, and pocketing the profits while keeping his people in an under-developed state. In the past, most contracts and concessions were given to the French. Over the past thirty years, however, the Chinese have become more and more prominent in the Gabonese economy.
[edit] Regional Solidarity within Central Africa
Even in central Africa, he did many things to instaure peace and harmony Bongo’s struggle is to claim Union among people in order to reduce the conflicts in the region.[3]
[edit] Project
Since 1967, Omar Bongo is the president of Gabon. One of his main characteristics and way of doing politics is based on the union of his people. Indeed, he succeeds in linking people with many different cultures and behaviours. In fact, Gabon (despite its little population) has lot of different ethnic groups. Bongo knew how to manage these people to live together in the same land without any civil war. Thanks to his concept of Union. As a president in an under developed country; his first goal is the development of the country. According to him, there is three main steps that we should follow in order to reach this development. First, the “Union”. One of the main projects of Bongo was the “Transgabonais”. It is a railroad which is supposed to link all the cities of the country and some states of central Africa. It was one of his difficult and costly project. His dream was to see all the people united. Secondly, building of many facilities, especially in the sector of education and health. For him, these two sectors should be free in Gabon because it is a source of development. In Gabon, thanks to Omar Bongo, schools and hospitals are free. Transportations for students and drugs for old people are also free. There is many scholarships and facilities for young people. All this privileges are under the bank account of Bongo. In last, the main source of development is the “peace”. Gabon under Bongo’s power had never known the war. For him, you can’t do anything without peace and union. It is the basis of the development, and the step number one.[4]
!== Bongo in the international scene ==
[edit] The status of Bongo in Africa
[edit] Bongo and the “CEMAC” in Central Africa
President since 1967, Bongo becomes the doyen in Africa after the death of Gnassingbe Eyadema (president of Togo). Because of his actions, his power and his experience, bongo is respected in Africa. He is the principal character who intervenes for the stability in central Africa. His mediation between the different protagonists and his influence reduce the extent of the conflict. Indeed, Bongo spent lot of money, energy and time organising meeting, congress in order to stop the crisis in the region. The good sense of his advices are well listened [5]
[edit] Omar Bongo Ondimba: The doyen in Africa
In Africa also, Bongo is well respected. From the king of Morocco Mohamed VI to the president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki. The president is always solicited for solving conflict. He knows the continent more than anyone. He intervened in many crises within the continent (Ivory Coast, Togo, Congo, Sudan, Darfur….). Every president needs his advices. He is called the “wise man" of politics in Africa. As soon as you speak about Gabon, you see Bongo and as soon as you speak about presidents in Africa you cannot forget Omar Bongo Ondimba; whatever is good or wrong. That sent us to conclude that the image of Bongo is unavoidable in Africa.[6]
[edit] Bongo in Europe and in the rest of the world
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[edit] His close relation with France
In addition, beyond Africa, Omar Bongo has good relationship. Especially with France. Bongo knows that his place is due to the support of France. Since the army Bongo maintained good relationship with France. France is the first economic and social partner of Gabon. Bongo is a close friend of Jacques Chirac, the president of France. Being a colony of France, Gabon knows many resemblances in way of doing with France. That’s why 650 French soldiers are permanently took up a position near the presidency at Libreville, and more than 10 000 French residents live in Gabon. France and Gabon are partner for life with Omar Bongo.
[edit] Bongo with the rest of the world
Nevertheless, Bongo tends to diversify his contacts. New close relation have started with some countries of Asia especially China. Bongo signed many contracts with China especially in the domain of building facilities and fishing. Bongo frequently received some personalities like Hu Jintao (President of China), George W. Bush (President of the U.S) and some personalities of the World Bank.
President Bongo is the Vice President of the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, an intergovernmental organization based in Italy (see [1]and [2]).
