President Obama and the people of the United States, extends best wishes to the people of Equatorial Guinea as they celebrate their National Day on October 12. In a statement by Secretary of State John Kerry; “The United States and Equatorial Guinea share many binding ties.”
The statement further discloses; “Our close cooperation on maritime security has contributed to regional peace and stability. And we remain committed to continued collaboration for the benefit of the Equatoguinean people, especially in the areas of health and education. We look forward to expanding our relationship, working in partnership with Equatorial Guinea to strengthen democratic institutions, promote good governance and human rights, and create economic opportunities for all Equatoguineans. As you gather with family and friends, I wish all people of Equatorial Guinea peace and prosperity in the year to come.”
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with the Obamas
Equatorial Guinea is sub-Saharan Africa’s third biggest oil producer. Since the mid 1990s the former Spanish colony has become one of sub-Sahara’s biggest oil producers and in 2004 was said to have the world’s fastest-growing economy. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (República de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country’s oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa.
In a related development and in the spirit of the ongoing celebration of the country’s 45th Anniversary of their Independence from Spain, South African Arts International Proclaimed Mrs. Constancia Mangue Nsue de Obiang, First Lady of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea as “Mother Africa”. “This covenant acclamation has been previously awarded to Mrs. Winni Mandela for her efforts in South Africa and the impact she rightfully exhorts worldwide”, said Victor Mooney founder and executive director of New York based South African Arts International, Ltd.
(L) First Lady of Equatorial Guinea with (R) Nana-Fosu Randall in New York
Mrs. Constancia Mangue Nsue de Obiang, wife of President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, social activities have made her a fundamental figure for the evolution of women and girls of Equatorial Guinea. The First Lady was recently presented with the Millennium Development Goals 2013 Women’s Progress award in New York recently.
She was born in 1952 in the town of Angong, near Mongomo, and studied in the school run by nuns in Bata. In 1985 she created the Equatorial Guinean Child Aid Committee (Canige), a non-governmental, apolitical and non-profit institution of which she is Honorary Chairwoman and through which she has carried out innumerable social works. For years she has personally been in charge of seeing that many children with especially complicated clinical cases receive medical attention even outside the country. The Canige also dedicates special attention to the fight against juvenile delinquency and has promoted the creation of the teaching centers of María Jesús Oyarregui (in memory of the mother superior of the St. Theresa’s convent where the First Lady studied), and the Nana Mangue of Malabo.
The First Lady of Equatorial Guinea also belongs to the National Committee of the Fight against AIDS, is honorary Vice Chairman of the Association for National Solidarity for the Disabled (Assonam) and holds similar positions in different social associations of Africa, such as Mission for Peace of the First Ladies of Central Africa. She has participated in numerous international meetings on women’s rights and the fight to improve with rights of the most vulnerable layers of society and was elected Doctor Honoris Causa by the Inter-American University of Humanistic Sciences of Buenos Aires. Mrs. Obiang is a graduate of the Martin Luther King University School of Teacher Training.
Photos and video at the Equatorial Guinea House in Houston by Chibuzor Okonta.
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