There is no written history of the Bantu people who lived in Gabon before the Portuguese arrived in the 15th Century. Once the Europeans arrived, Gabon became an important center for the slave trade Ge 9:25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.  27  God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

In the 16th century the Dutch, English and French arrived and jockeyed with each other for power of the profitable port. The French convinced some local chiefs to sign treaties allowed the French to be their “protectors” in 1839.

The current capitol city of Libreville was founded by a ship load of slaves freed by the French. Apparently, the European colonialists refrained from enslaving every African.  “Libreville” means free town in English. In 1910 Gabon became one of four territories in French Equatorial Africa. In 1960 Gabon gained independence and formed a two-party republic system. In 1968 the president declared a one-party state that lasted until 1990. Various political parties are again legal in Gabon.

The current government of Gabon consists of a democratically elected president, an appointed prime minister, an elected bi-cameral parliament and an independent judiciary. The Gabonese constitution was modeled after that of most Western republics and included a Bill of Rights similar to the United States. The executive branch, however, (i.e. presidency) tends to be more powerful than most Western nations.

Gabon enjoys a reasonably high standard of living, especially considering that it is located in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest, most disease ridden and illiterate region on earth. Of course like doomed Americans, Gabonese people don’t use their liberty or prosperity to serve God. Instead, they work at finding more creative ways to disobey him. Isaiah 60:12  For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.