On April 29, 2024, the first meeting of the new SAMBA CORÉE executive board took place with the diplomatic corps of the Embassy of Gabon in the Republic of Korea, led by His Excellency Ambassador Carlos Victor BOUNGOU, in the presence of First Counselor, Mr. Alain Christian NTOUTOUME, Second Counselor, Mr. Jean Paul MINDA MAKALA, and Mr. Pierre Alexandre NTOUTOUME NGOUA, an intern at the embassy. The agenda included the introduction of the executive board members, presentation of the action plan, as well as directives and expectations from the diplomatic corps towards our office.
Regarding the composition of the office, the Ambassador and his team expressed satisfaction with the diversity of profiles, welcoming the arrival of new faces within the board as evidence of ongoing dynamism and members’ attraction to the association.
Next, there was a discussion about the May festivals. The embassy assured us of its financial and technical support by providing their cultural heritage. The issue of flyers was raised, with the proposal to create new ones in the summer given the short deadlines for the May festivals. This idea will be implemented for the upcoming festivals.
The third point addressed at this meeting was the feedback from SAMBA CORÉE members following the diplomatic meeting organized last March. The Ambassador expressed great satisfaction with the exercise and community reactions. The diplomatic corps provided clarification on some issues faced by community members, such as the conversion of Gabonese driver’s licenses to Korean licenses and assistance in obtaining birth certificates and issuing passports for children born in Korea.
The meeting concluded with words of encouragement from the diplomatic corps, which once again reiterated its full support for SAMBA CORÉE activities and expressed readiness to work with the current executive board.
