P’tites Annonces · GabonGabon

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Gabon connects an Atlantic coastline, estuaries and extensive forests, with different ways of life in cities and rural communities. Fang, Punu, Myènè and many other groups maintain their own narratives, languages and practices. Mvet combines instrument, speech and epic storytelling among communities of the Ekang cultural area, which extends beyond national borders. It transmits knowledge and memory rather than functioning simply as music. Masks and carved objects acquire meaning in particular community contexts that cannot be reduced to their visual qualities. Narratives associated with forests also reveal relationships between environmental knowledge and cultural transmission. Cassava, prepared in several ways, accompanies fish, vegetables and sauces. Resources from the sea and waterways give different accents to coastal and inland tables. Plantains and agricultural produce complete meals according to local availability. Cooking for relatives at reunions allows recipes to circulate while recognising variations particular to families and regions. The dishes offered record both the skills of their makers and the places whose ingredients and memories they bring to the gathering.