Rock art
Remnants of millennia-old cultures, the rock engravings discovered in Gabon are shaking up our knowledge of cave art. Several hundred rock engravings are scattered across the Ogooué valley, more precisely in the Otoumbi region, and the Lopé National Park. The results of archaeological excavations have earned the Lopé Park the status of a mixed site, combining nature and culture, from UNESCO. In the heart of Gabon, almost 2,000 rock representations have been counted. The first rock art site to be located in Gabon is Elamékora. Among its 250 drawings, the most remarkable motif is the seven-petal rosette, surrounded by stakes, concentric circles and fish. The Kongo Boumba site features more complex forms, with animals associated with spirals and garlands. At Lopé, the Doda parietal art trail winds between engraved rocks: sun rock, circle rock, bee rock... To conclude the circuit, the Ibombi site features an imposing rock adorned with a multitude of engravings, including 5 lizards. Each region has its own iconography.
Traditional masks and sculptures
Gabon is famous for its masks. Skillfully sculpted and painted, they play a crucial role in the lives of Gabon's various ethnic groups. Masks accompany the rites that celebrate the major stages of life: initiation ceremonies, funerals, judgments, they are at the heart of civilizations. Each type of mask corresponds to an ethnic group, and can be divided into two main functions: protective and judicial. Among the best-known are the white pounous masks worn at funerals to embody the soul of the deceased. Conversely, the rarer black pounous chase away evil spirits and play a part in justice. The Fang people, who live in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, make wooden masks and statuettes linked to the cult of the Byeri, or ancestor worship. The Ngil society produces the famous masks with stretched features and half-closed eyes, worn by the chief to impose authority. The byeri cult, which began to die out in the 1920s, involved eyema byeri, statuettes surmounting a box containing the bones of the founding ancestors. These boxes were used to consult the ancestors and guide young people. During ceremonies, the statuettes alone were carried in parades.
Photography
Joseph Rogombé Iquaqua, a famous Gabonese photographer, was born in 1908 in the Port-Gentil district. Educated in Libreville, he learned photography from M. Robaky, Gabon's first photographer. Recruited by the Gabonese government at the Ministry of Information, he became a photojournalist and received several distinctions, including several from France, where he was exhibited on several occasions. His precious collection of portraits documents life in Gabon in the 1930s and 1940s.
Paint
Founded in 1982, the Ecole Nationale d'Art et Manufacture (ENAM) trained the country's first modern painters, including Jean-Baptiste Onewin-Walker, Nal Vad, who now lives in France, and Marcellin Minkoe Mi Nzé. Certain European currents, such as abstract art and surrealism, exerted a strong influence on the country's artists. Such is the case of painter, photographer and sculptor Monique Ntoutoume alias Moon. However, most young artists (including Georges Mbourou, the most representative of this generation) find their inspiration in tradition, and particularly in initiation rites.
Born in Port-Gentil in 1965, painter Georges M'Bourou lives and works in Libreville. He perfected his technique with the master Marcellin Minkoe Mi Nze before setting out on his own. A frequent prize-winner for his work, and winner of the Jury's Special Prize in the BICIG Amis des Arts et des Cultures competition, he exhibits in Africa and on other continents. M'Bourou founds the Jardins de la Création. These workshops have become places of exchange for young Gabonese artists. All disciplines are welcome in the showrooms. At the same time, he runs the Efaro gallery in central Libreville, opposite the headquarters of the Société Nationale de Bois du Gabon (SNBG), to give his protégés greater visibility.
His art, which combines the figurative, the symbolic and the abstract, draws on ancestral motifs. He defines himself as a dual heir: to the rites and initiatory traditions of Gabon, and to the Gabonese school of painting. Like many Gabonese painters before him, he introduces local beliefs into his paintings. By sculpting his forms through chromatic interplay, M'Bourou has created the unique style that makes him such a talent. In 2019, the Institut français du Gabon (IFG) has organized a solo exhibition to celebrate his thirty-year career.
Street art
In Libreville, spray-painting walls is a political act aimed at combating insalubrity. Artist Régis Diyassa understands that colorful inscriptions are the best way to spread messages and reach young people. A fresco in multicolored letters reminds people not to urinate! An original way of raising awareness and imposing respect. He enjoys working with Blatino, in the popular Mébiame district. There, he helps local residents who can't stand seeing their facades and doors soiled. To discourage people from depositing garbage on street corners, he adds traditional motifs, Fang masks. Régis Divassa isn't waiting for politicians to take the best possible action.
In Port-Gentil, the authorities have chosen street art to inform the population. Former mayor Gabriel Tchango used graffiti to raise awareness of health issues.
A decisive step forward is underway with the creation of the Musée National des Arts et Traditions du Gabon. By exhibiting cultural objects and recent works, the museum aims to showcase the country's aesthetic genius. Between ethnography and the visual arts, it emphasizes the dual function - aesthetic and utilitarian - of masks and sculptures, which are linked to the art of today and tomorrow.
