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Visit to GL of Gabon

2010/05/21

 

REPORT TO THE GRAND COMMITTEE (FOREIGN RELATIONS).

 

Visit by the Assistant Grand Master to the 26th Annual General Meeting and installation of the new Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Gabon.

 

                                30 October to 3 November 2009.

 

The Grand Lodge of South Africa was invited by the Grand Lodge of Gabon

to attend their Annual General Meeting and the installation of their new Grand Master to be held on 31 October 2009 in Libreville, Gabon. The Assistant Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother F.P. Coetzee, represented the Grand Lodge of South Africa on this auspicious occasion. Worshipful Brother A Zoumis from the Southern Division accompanied Right Worshipful Brother Coetzee to Gabon.

 

Friday: 30 October 2009.

 The 13h15 flight to Libreville arrived at 17h30 local time. (16h30 R.S.A.time)We were received by designated officers of the Grand Lodge before customs and were taken to the V.I.P. lounge where we were offered some cool refreshments. Our passports were taken by these breathern and returned soon afterwards, officially stamped and we collected our luggage. Hereafter we were designated a luxury vehicle that whisked us away to our hotel. I was assisted in the booking-in procedure at the five star hotel The Laico on the coast of Libreville. (The Grand Lodge of Gabon paid for my four days stay at the hotel.)Wor.Bro Alex Zoumis was invited to stay with Rt. Wor.Bro. J.Rogombe Past Deputy Grand Master whose wife is the President of the Senate.She officiated as President during the interim period between the passing of the late President and the installation of the new President in October 2009.

 

Saturday: 31 October 2009.

I went to breakfast at 07h00 as the driver was to collect me at the hotel at 08h00.I was driven to the Temple in Libreville  ”La Cite de la Democratic”(the state owned international conference centre) where the  Masonic proceedings were to take place. The Annual General Meeting of the Grand Lodge of Gabon got on the way around 10h00 when the Grand Master designate arrived. The various Grand Lodge representatives formed a line and were greeted individually by Rt.Wor.Bro. Ali Bongo Ondimba (Asst.Grand Master) Grand Master designate and President of Gabon.

 

Annual General Meeting:

Every Grand Lodge representative was received with great fanfare and clapping of hands upon entering the Temple.The Pro Grand Master, Rt. Wor. Bro. AA Chavihot was in the chair receiving every Grand Lodge delegation. The Grand Lodge of South Africa was seated seventh in order of seniority with the Grand Master of France being the senior Grand Lodge representative for the day. (there were 23 Grand Lodges present). A moment of silence remembering the passing of the Grand Master and President of Gabon in June 2009. The Pro Grand Master delivered his annual report in French.

Installation of the new Grand Master:

The Ceremonial Installation of the Grand Master was carried out by the Grand Master of France Most Wor Bro. François Stifani, assisted by the past Grand Master of France. The Ceremony was carried out with great dignity and purpose.

   

Before closing all Heads of Delegations were given the opportunity to address the newly installed Grand Master.I delivered a message from our Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Armiston Watson, which message was translated into French by Wor.Bro. Alexandre Zoumis. These proceedings were completed by 15h00.

I had requested a meeting with the convenor of the Grand Masters and Grand Secretaries conference.Most Wor.Bro.Boubakar Kieta, Grand Master of Mali arranged the meeting which was attended by 23 breathern from various Grand Lodges in Africa.The meeting took place in a conference facility at the Meridian hotel,chaired by Most Wor.Bro Kieta.After some “heated” discussions it was resolved that;

1)       The conference will in future be held over a two day period.It was felt that not enough time was available for discussions resolving matters on the agenda.

2)       The 2010 conference will be held in Congo Brazzaville in October 2010 to commemorate their tenth Anniversary as a Republic.

3)       The 2011 conference will be held in Cape Town in celebration of the Grand Lodge of South Africa’s fiftieth anniversary,the oldest Grand Lodge in Africa.The meeting is planned for the 11th and 12th of August 2011.

 

At 20h00 Saturday night

The Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Ali Bongo Ondimba, received a few chosen delegations representing their Grand Lodges at his Presidential Palace for cocktails prior to the Ball to be held in the State House Ball Room.He greeted us all individually and in his soft spoken manner, welcomed us warmly thanking us for our attendance.

 

At around 20h45, we joined the rest of the Grand Lodge festivities where about 600 guests were awaiting our arrival. Once, the Grand Lodge Delegations were received with loud announcement,flashing cameras, loud applause and video recording on the proverbial red carpet, we were ushered to our tables when it was announced that dinner was being served.

For some reason I started feeling ill and I had to excuse myself from the festive board.

I returned to the hotel and enjoyed a good night’s rest.Wor.Bro. Zoumis took it upon himself (and fortunately he was available) to present our gift to the Grand Lodge of Gabon saying that the crystal represents”purety” and our friendship and association with the Grand Lodge of Gabon will always remain pure and of Masonic friendship.Our gift was well received and applauded by all.

 

Sunday: 1 November 2009.

I spent the day at the hotel pool facility still feeling a bit “frail”.At about

20h00,the newly elected Deputy Grand Master(past Grand Secretary)Right

Worshipful Brother Jean Alevinat accompanied by the past Pro Grand  Master and the past Deputy Grand Master together with Wor Bro Alex arrived at my hotel inviting us to dinner at the home of one of the Grand Lodge officers of Ghana, that lives and works in Libreville. Upon arrival we found the Grand Master of Ghana, Most Wor Bro. Charles William Stanley-Pierce accompanied by his Grand Lodge delegation and some other Masons, having drinks and cocktails before dinner. Dinner was served which was tasty (Gabonese traditional food) but as agreed by Most Wor Bro Stanley-Pierce could not be matched by the pudding that was served.Most Wor.Bro. Stanley-Pierce addressed the breathern and ladies thanking them for their excellent hospitality which he hopes to return in kind when next we visit Ghana.I was next and Bro. Charles wondered if I would like to address the breathern in my “home tongue” Afrikaans.I opened in the normal Freemasonry way saying “Hoog Eerwaarde, Seer Verligte, Seer Agbare Broers, Broers almal en dames.Ek will net graag be-aam wat my broeder gese het oor u gasvryheid en smaakvolle voedsel soos bedien”Wor Bro Zuma’s, not being very conversant in Afrikaans did the translation into French which was very well received and loudly applauded. Right Worshipful Brother Jean Alevinat, Deputy Grand Master, took our delegation to a Night Club where we enjoyed some Jazz and local music. At about 01h30 Monday morning I was taken back to my hotel. All-in-all, it was a fantastic evening where a lot of money was spent on us by the Deputy Grand Master.He is well respected,still young and will lead the Grand Lodge of Gabon(in the absence of his Grand Master)well with strong support of his fellow Grand Lodge officers,past and present.

 

Monday: 2 November 2009. After breakfast, my driver arrived 08h00.He took me around town and I did some sight seeing around Libreville. The City is a typical West African City With around 600 000 inhabitants. (total population of Gabon is around 1,500 000) They all try to sell from the pavements and in the roads what ever one could imagine for sale in Africa. It was noticeable that they tried to make a living this way rather than to beg for money. The people are very friendly. The driver took me to do some “shopping” at the street shops where figurines made of copper, brass, wood and soapstone is on display. They portray their history in the figurines that are for sale. Gabon consists of eight Provinces/regions where different dialects are spoken but in general the population’s main language is French.

 

Wor. Bro Alex and the past Deputy Grand Master Jacque Rogombe met me in town after which we parted as I wanted to do some shopping before the tour that was to be done at about 14h00 Deputy Grand Master Jacque Rogombe dropped off at my hotel Wor. Bro. Alex as he had other work to do. We waited for the tour but it was cancelled for some reason so we went to meet the son of Right Wor Bro. Rogombe son at the hotel Meridian we sat and spoke. Right Wor. Bro Rogombe phoned to see where we were and he invited us to come to his house to have supper

That evening had dinner with the Rogombe’s when I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Rogombe, the President of the Gabon Senate, a charming lady.

After supper the driver took me back to the hotel.

 

Tuesday: 3 November 2009: I checked out of the hotel after breakfast and Wor Bro Alex and Rt Wor Bro. Rogombe fetched me at around 12h00.R Wor. Bro. Rogombe took me for some more figurines shopping where he does his shopping. He insisted in buying my wife a present from him and his wife, afterwards we went on an excursion driving through a township near the City observing the everyday life of the people. We returned to the residence of Rt.Wor.Bro. Rogombe amid the strict securety he and his good lady have to live with. Rt. Wor Bro Regombe is in his middle seventies and still does woodwork which he sells locally but also exports internationally.Most of the furniture in his house he made himself. I bought a coffee table from his stock.We had lunch at his house and Alex and Jac took me to the airport at around 22h00.We left for South Africa at 0h20 Wednesday morning and arrived 4hours 40 min later at OR Tambo airport at 06h00 local time.

 

F.P. Coetzee.

Assistant Grand Master

 


Author: Rt W Bro. FP Coetzee AGM