Central African Republic: “Oubanguiens generation”, the last to bear the memory of independence

Audio 02:34

By: Charlotte Cosset Follow

The country sorely lacks cadres at independence, but manages to produce a few elites who will lead the country in the following decades. This elite, children of independence, defines itself as the generation of Oubanguians. These men know and see each other. They went to the benches of the same school. Their record is now called into question by the generation that followed.

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From the school benches to the administration, this generation recognizes itself in a common path. The Oubanguiens, as they define themselves, went through the same school, the college Emile Gentil. This is the case of Henri Gouandjia, nephew of the famous politician Abel Goumba. “  I must admit it was more or less reserved, we did not say it, but it was reserved, I observe now, to a social category, it was the school of the elite of the Republic. It was all the same the children of, if I say it in Sango, the children of the kotazo, therefore the children of the "advanced" as we said at the time, therefore who went to that school.  "

Louis Papenah receives us in his office in the works of the prime minister. Pink shirt and strict jacket, Louis Papenah is a former minister, former deputy, he now leads the framework for consultation of the elections. He too was a student at Emile Genty College. “  The college was really a place where future Central African leaders met. We didn't know we would be the leaders. We were 12 years old we were 13 years old, we were sent to school, we took the competition. We didn't necessarily have a vision for our future. But we will realize that at a given moment most of the senior officials, the senior Central African officials knew each other through this establishment. We came from all four corners. We had the feeling of being united. It is enough for someone to say that he has done college Emile Genty, he is a brother.  "

“  Brothers  ”, this term is often used by these elders who put forward the unity of this generation, as another Oubanguien Frédéric Gouandjia puts it:
“  We had fun, we went, we frequented people. We knew who was who. They are brothers. The issues of tribalism we didn't even know about. We did not know who is Mandjia, who is Banda. These are all words we didn't know.  "

A generation today questioned regrets Louis Papeniah
"  today people say" we no longer want Oubanguien ". We are not many but Oubanguien for them is the older generation. Now they want it to be the generations of independence, in fact the people born after 1960, for them it is this generation that must come to rule the country. They say we have failed.  "

This generation is in any case the last to bear the memory of independence. A memory that for the moment has not been collected for future generations.

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• Central African Republic

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