Under the higher patronage of his Excellency Mr. ALI BONGO ONDIMBA, President of the Republic of Gabon, the boosting ceremony of the International Centre of the Bantu Civilisations (CICIBA) took place in Libreville on the 10 January 2017.
Professor Charles BINAM BIKOI represented three high-rank African Institutions namely: CERDOTOLA as the Executive Secretary, the summit of Cultural Institutions of Africa and the African Diaspora (SICADA) and the Fourth Panafrican Cultural Congress Committee of the African Union.
The International Centre of the Bantu Civilisations (CICI BA) whose headquarters is in Libreville- Gabon, is a regional Institution created and established by 11 countries mainly form Central Africa.
At the end of the Intergovernmental Convention of February 8, 1983 which created CICIBA, it has been set as a Center of research, documentation, training and coordination and endowed with a key mission of seeking cultural identity of the Bantu people, that is, the good mastery of ancestral heritage of those people in all, the protection and the spreading in the contemporary world of the authentic valours of the bantu Africa.
Unfortunately, CICIBA very soon bumped into management problems and stopped functioning in 2008. 34 years later, a new head office has been put at the disposal of the Gabonese State, at the Gué-Gué bridge residential neighborhood.
The inauguration ceremony which started with a Bantou procession conducted by the reprentatives of traditional kingdoms, was presided over by the Prime Minister Emmanuel ISSOZE NGONDET representing the President of the Republic.
Accompanied with many members of government among which the Minister of numerical Economy, communication, Arts and Culture, and the chair of the Board of Directors of the Center and in the presence of the chefs of diplomatic representations, representatives of International Institutions and dignitaries of traditional kingdoms, the Gabonese Prime Minister reaffirmed the attachment of Gabon to the Institution.
Three speeches have been delivered on the occasion by: Pr. Antoine m
Manda Tchebwa; Pr. Charles Binam Bikoi and Minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze.
According to the Director General of CICIBA, Pr. Antoine Manda Tchebwa from Congo- Kinshasa, ‘the inauguration of the new premises brings a new dynamic for the cultural development, touching all the Bantu people about their common humanity and history, key factor to celebrating their unity, their proud and dignity.’ He paid a great homage to the founder of CICIBA, the former Gabonese President late Omar Bongo Ondimba whom he considered as herald of the cultural identity free-minded conscience.
He paid a vivid homage to President Ali Bongo Ondimba, not only for his unwavering commitment as continuator of this genius achievement but mostly for his support and his very determination in the boosting of CICIBA activities.
Pr. Charles Binam Bikoi, Executive Secretary of CERDOTOLA took the flour after on behalf of three High Institutions he represented. On the occasion, he expressed his great relief in regard with the new start, the revival of CICIBA. ‘ A new dawn is rising on the Institution, bringing new hope for the Gabonese Republic, but also for all the bantu people, for Africa and for the Humanity.’ He declared before encouraging his brother, Professor Antoine MANDA TCHEBWA whom he qualified as ‘man of faith and fidelity, bold and undisturbed intellectual, constant servant of the common Cause of the African Culture.’ In his address, he bounded himself to confirm publically, the commitment of CERDOTOLA and SICIDIA in favour of the strengthening of lively solidarity between scientific and cultural Institutions of Africa and of the African Diaspora in the bosom of which CICIBA shall recover its place.
To close the series of speeches, the Minister of State, Minister of Numerical Economy, Communication, Arts and Culture, Spokesman of the Government, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, paid a vivid homage to the boosting of the Center and the celebration of its 34 years of existence. In his capacity of chairman of the CICIBA’s Board of Directors and the architect of the project of boosting CICIBA, he indicated that traditions and unity of black people should be restored in their right path, mingling in the same matrix source. He thus invited CICIBA to meet the challenges of management; improve its organic texts and set up high-profile activities mainly through numeric tools.
The ceremony has been enhanced by the signature of a draft agreement of scientific cooperation between CICIBA and the Omar Bongo University of Libreville by its dignitaries, professor MANDA TCHEBWA (CICIBA) and Professor Marc-Louis ROPIVIA, Vice-chancellor of the OBU in the presence of the representative the SICADIA.
For further information: http://www.cicibabantu.org
VIDEOS
PM inauguration of CICIBA Jan 10, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS1H66ENvk4
pool of culture: CICIBA rises!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5iUOM5YcdY
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Centre of research, documentation, spreading, animation, training and coordination, this center aims at: protecting, promoting, keeping the authentic valours of the Bantu civilisations, common pool of culture to the Bantu people of the same language and culture from the North and the South of equator, and even to the diaspora.
The eleven States who have signed the Convention of February 8, 1983 creating CICIBA: Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Comoros, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinee, Rwanda, São-Tomé and Principe, RD Congo, Zambia.
It should be noted that Gabon who shelters CICIBA Head Office, is part of the ten Central African countries who have decided, in 1977, to create the Regional Centre of Research and Documentation on African Traditions and Languages (CERDOTOLA) which has become, since the seventh ordinary session of the Board of Directors gathered in N’Djamena, the International Centre of Research and Documentation on African Traditions and Languages.
As it was created, the founder States of CICIBA, who are also- for most of them- founders of CERDOTOLA, have assigned one mission and well-oriented objectives to CICIBA among which the Cooperation with cultural, scientific and educative-oriented African and International Institutions, preferring and intensifying cooperation with States from the bantu area.