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| Gabon banknotes 10000 francs banknote, President Omar Bongo |
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| Gabonese currency 10000 francs Bongo banknote |
Gabon banknotes, Gabon paper money, Gabon bank notes, Gabonese currency.
Obverse: Portrait of President Omar Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon for 41 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009.
The panoramic view of the Manganese mine in the Moanda (southeast Gabon) at center. African wood carved painted face mask at right
Reverse: Farmer on his tractor plowing the field. African hand carved wood figurine and Kota mask at left.
The Kota are noted for their sculptural figures which are called ‘mbulu-ngulu’. They are carved in wood and covered with sheets of brass or copper to increase their power.
Kota figures have very stylized heads and simplified lozenge shaped bodies. Their faces are oval with a convex surface to represent males or a concave surface to represent females.
Some figures have faces on both sides of the head. We call this Kota statues guardian or reliquary figures as they protect the relics of an ancestor that are contained in a box, basket or bundle called the ‘Bwete’. The Kota revere the relics of their ancestors as they believe that they can call on their power to assist them with their troubles in this life.
The Kota are several different groups of people who share a similar culture. The word 'kota' means to bind or link together - an appropriate name to unite a tribe.