00:00Eight years. That's how long Libreview had to wait to see its Festival of Cultures return.
00:07The 15th edition brings three days during which Gabon showcases everything that makes up its cultural identity.
00:15For a generation born after the last edition, this festival is not a memory being revisited.
00:21It is a discovery. It is an event that was missed and one that Libreview is now trying to make
00:27up for.
00:28It is our heritage. Nowadays, it's very old and very rare because even at the National Museum, you can no
00:36longer find many of these objects.
00:38Today, ignorance is what is holding us back because people see these things as witchcraft.
00:44But it has nothing to do with witchcraft. It's about preserving our history so that we can have a record
00:52of it.
00:52For me, I see this as a great opportunity because all these cultural arts have been brought together in one
01:00place.
01:01So through this festival, we can rediscover our culture, our history and our heritage.
01:07It is truly a wealth of knowledge being offered to us.
01:11Along the avenue, every stand is an attempt to preserve something, a language in decline, a ritual that only the
01:19elders still know how to perform, a traditional craft threatened with being forgotten.
01:26It is an opportunity for us to showcase what we do. And through this exhibition, we can see how we
01:32might organize ourselves and find ways to provide suitable opportunities for visitors.
01:41This year, the festival is looking beyond Gabon's borders. Senegal, the guest country of honor, has come to place its
01:48own traditions alongside those of Gabon.
01:51I'd like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the authorities who gave us the honor to take part in
01:58this 15th edition of the Festival of Cultures.
02:03Traditional and contemporary dances, storytelling, children being introduced to rites of passage and local language workshops.
02:13This year's program has been designed as a space for transmission as much as for celebration.
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