Religion in Gabon

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Christianity in Gabon
)

Religion in Gabon (ARDA 2020 estimate)[1]

  
Traditional African religions
(3.4%)
  Other (0.5%)
  None / No Answer (1.3%)
St. Lucy's Cathedral in Donguila

traditional faiths.[2]

Sunni
); the remainder practice traditional or other religions.

History

The church of Saint John the Apostle (Saint-Jean l'apôtre) in Mouila
Mosque in Port-Gentil Gabon

Christianity arrived in Gabon through the

evangelical Churches have grown since the mid 20th century.[3]

The

forest people of Gabon on the west coast of equatorial Africa. They are the originators of the Bwiti religion. Other peoples in Gabon have combined traditional Bwiti practices with animism and Christian
concepts to produce a very different modern form of Bwiti. The Bwiti rituals form part of the initiation into the Babongo people. Babonga people's lives are highly ritualised through dance, music and ceremony associated with natural forces and jungle animals.

Islam has had a small presence in Gabon, with about 10% of the people following Sunni practice. The former president Omar Bongo converted to Islam in 1973 after a visit to Libya. Under Bongo's one-party rule, Gabon joined the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in 1974. Gabon reintroduced multiparty democracy in 1993, though Bongo remained president until his death in 2009, upon which his son, also a Muslim, succeeded him.[4][5]

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice.[2]

On February 3, 2016, the Gabonese Republic granted official recognition to the local

Orthodox Church, including plans to erect the first Orthodox church in the capital city Libreville.[6]

Religious freedom

In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom; it was noted that some religious groups reported difficulty in registering with the government.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-03
  2. ^ a b c US State Dept 2022 report. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-90-04-11695-5
    .
  4. S2CID 132957090
    .
  5. ISBN 978-90-04-11695-5
    .
  6. ^ (in Greek) Ιεράς Επισκοπής Μπραζαβίλ και Γκαμπόν. Επίσημη αναγνώριση της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας από τη Δημοκρατία της Γκαμπόν. Amen.gr. 03 Φεβ. 16 (16:25). Retrieved: 4 February 2016.
  7. ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-01
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