Gabon History: The Incredible Precolonial History Of Gabon, 19th Century

Gabon History

Gabon History: Three major events characterized Gabon’s history in the nineteenth century: French settlement in the Gabon estuary; French exploration of the Como, Rembwe, and Ogooué Rivers; and Fang migrations throughout the Ogooué basin. In 1839, French naval commander Bouet-Willaumez and Mpongwe leader Denis Rapontchombo signed a pact that marked the beginning of the French colonization of the Gabon estuary. 

The ratification of this pact granted France access to a small piece of land on the Gabon estuary’s left bank in exchange for Rapontchombo receiving French “protection.” France employed this station to suppress the slave trade on Africa’s west coast. American missionaries established a mission at Baraka in 1842, and the Mpongwe chiefs approved the relocation of the French post to the right bank of the Gabon estuary a year later.

The French assisted Roman Catholic missionaries in settling in the Gabon estuary in 1844. The French utilized this new enterprise, known as the Comptoir du Gabon (Syndicate/Cartel of Gabon), not only to capture slave ships but also to challenge the British and German dominance in the region’s trade. However, the establishment of this garrison heightened tensions between the residents of Glass and the French navy. 

After resolving relations with Britain and destroying the uprising in Glass, France began organizing its comptoir between 1845 and 1859. The construction of the Fort d’Aumale, which moved from the beach to the Okolo plateau in 1850 due to its higher elevation and perceived sanitary conditions, distinguished this organization. Nonetheless, this French institution encountered difficulties because food was scarce, sickness was common among French immigrants, and the company lacked manpower.

French commerce struggled to compete with the thriving British trade. In 1849, the establishment of Libreville aimed to spread French culture by relocating fifty recaptured slaves from the slave ship Elizia. Libreville later became the capital of both the French Congo and independent Gabon. The signing of contracts with native populations in Gabon is proof that the French started to engage in territorial exploration despite these early obstacles.

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These treaties required local leaders to cede sovereignty while providing France with financial and political advantages. Between 1845 and 1885, France conducted a considerably more aggressive territorial expansion to broaden its sphere of influence. Pigeard explored the Como and Rembwé in June 1846, signing a pact with the Mpongwe and Seke chiefs. The naval commander Roger forged a deal with the Bakele leader Kianlowin in 1848, and placed the Benga of Cape Esterias and Corisco under French “protection” in 1852.

In 1853, Baudin traveled to Como and made direct contact with the Fang. In 1862, Payeur-Didelot and Ndebulia, the Orungou chief, signed a pact. Serval and Griffon du Bellay explored Lower Ogooué in the same year, establishing ties with the Interor’s Orungou, Vili, Galwa, and Bakele populations. In 1873, Alfred Marche and the Marquis de Compiègne investigated lakes Onangué, Oguemoué, and the lower Ngounié before moving on to the Ogooué River and Lopé in 1874. When they arrived at the mouth of the Ivindo River, they encountered the Fang-Meke’s hostility and returned to the Gabon estuary.

However, the most famous explorer of all was Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. In November 1875, he embarked on his first investigation of the Ogooué River. In 1878, he crossed the Alima River with Ballay before returning to the Gabon estuary. Between 1879 and 1882, de Brazza undertook another exploratory voyage to the Ogooué Region, establishing the station of Franceville in 1880. Between 1883 and 1885, the French government asked him to make a third expedition down the Ogooué River, known as the Mission de l’Ouest Africain (Mission of West Africa). 

This mission extended French dominance into the Ogooué and Congo basins. In 1886, de Brazza was named Haut Commandant du Congo-Français (High Commander of the French Congo). In the same year, his brother, Jacques de Brazza, left Maddiville (Lastourville) to explore the Ivindo region in the northeast. In 1888, Paul Crampel toured the north and northwestern parts of the Ogooué and reached the Ntem River, while Alfred Fourneau explored northern Gabon in 1889. 

Bravard and Chaussé, agents of the Société du Haut-Ogooué (SHO), explored the Upper Ogooué toward the end of the nineteenth century. By the turn of the century, Westerners had traversed the whole Gabonese region. Their investigations allowed the French to contact local populations and establish treaties of sovereignty with them, granting the French control over the entire Ogooué River basin. 

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While the French invaded interior regions, the Fang abandoned their northern towns to travel throughout the Ogooué River basin. These Fang were attempting to position themselves as intermediaries in the expanding trade that was taking place not just along the coast but also in crucial economic zones throughout the Ogooué basin. 

Trading with Europeans was critical to the Fang because European-made products were required for dowries and gave social status. The Fang moved from the Woleu-Ntem region to Gabon, where they lived in the Como and Rembwé districts from 1840 until 1860. During their occupation, Ningue-Ningue Island was the principal commerce center. 

Between 1860 and 1875, the Fang left the Crystal Mountains and went to the Mid-Ogooué River. Hatton and Cookson factories in Samkita drew them to the area. Between 1875 and 1900, several of these Fang clans relocated to the Lower-Ogooué region of the southern lakes, where English, German, and American businesses operated. 

In 1875, the Fang-Mekey became involved in commerce and settled in the Ndjolé post, while the Fang-Nzaman, who had previously occupied Ogooué-Ivindo, relocated to the trading hub of Lopé between 1860 and 1900. The Fang contacted the Kwele, occupied the Djaddié, and formed commercial relationships with other Fang tribes in Lower-Ivindo and the Okande of Lopé. 

During these migrations, the Fang displaced other ethnic groups in the Ogooué River region. However, English, German, and American corporations dominated trade in the Ogooué region throughout the nineteenth century, forcing the French government to restructure commerce by establishing concessionary companies that became active in Gabon at the turn of the twentieth century.

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