Libreville, Gabon: Humidity, Street Art, and a Whole Lot of 'Wait, What?'

okay, so libreville. it’s…a lot. i’m a *street artist, usually bouncing between berlin and buenos aires, tagging walls and generally causing a bit of beautiful chaos. gabon wasn’t exactly on my radar, honestly. a friend of a friend (who runs a seriously dodgy import/export business, let’s be real) mentioned the scene was “untapped potential.” untapped is an understatement.

first off, the air. it’s not just humid, it’s viscous. i just checked and it’s…like wearing a warm, damp blanket all the time, and you can’t take it off. the weather report said 27.61 degrees, but the ‘feels like’ was pushing 31.15. honestly, it felt higher. my spray paint was practically melting in my hand. the pressure was 1009, which, i guess, means something to meteorologists. i just know my hair has a mind of its own.

finding walls wasn’t the problem. finding walls not already covered in something was. there’s a real energy here, a raw, unfiltered creativity. a lot of it is political, a lot of it is just…vibrant. i spent a day wandering around the mont bouet market, which is an experience. sensory overload doesn’t even begin to cover it. you can find anything there, from fresh fish to knock-off sneakers. i even saw a guy selling live chickens wearing tiny hats. tiny hats!

someone told me that the police are pretty chill if you’re painting something that isn’t directly insulting the president. apparently, subtlety is key.

that’s what old man jean-paul, who runs the little cafe near my guesthouse, told me anyway. he’s a wealth of information, that guy. his coffee is…an acquired taste. strong enough to strip paint, honestly. i’ve been relying on instant most days.

speaking of guesthouses, i’m staying at ‘le palmier,’ which is…rustic. let’s just say the plumbing is ‘characterful.’ but the owner, madame agathe, is an absolute sweetheart. she keeps offering me plantains. i’ve eaten so many plantains.

if you get bored, port-gentil is just a short (and bumpy) bus ride away. i heard it’s a bit more touristy, with some actual beaches. i haven’t bothered yet. i’m too busy getting lost in the chaos of libreville.

there’s this one piece i saw near the boulevard denis sassou ngesso* - a massive mural of a gorilla wearing sunglasses. it’s incredible. i tried to find the artist, but no luck. i heard from a fellow artist (we connected on a local art forum - https://www.facebook.com/groups/artgabon/) that it’s the work of someone known only as ‘le fantôme’ - the ghost. mysterious, right?

apparently, le fantôme only paints at night and disappears before anyone can get a good look at him. some people say he’s a former political prisoner. others say he’s just really good at parkour.

my advice? come prepared to sweat. a lot. and bring a good mosquito net. and maybe a translator. my french is…rusty, to say the least. also, don’t expect things to run on schedule. ‘african time’ is a real thing. check out some reviews on https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293798-Libreville_Estuaire_Province-Vacations.html before you go, but take them with a grain of salt. i also found some useful info on https://www.lonelyplanet.com/gabon.

and seriously, the plantains. they’re everywhere. i’m starting to dream about plantains. i think i need a vacation from my vacation. maybe somewhere cold. like, really cold. you can find more about local events here: https://www.yelp.com/.

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