Collège et Lycée Raponda Walker
Encyclopedia
Collège et Lycée Raponda Walker is in Port-Gentil
, the second largest city in Gabon
. The school has just over a thousand pupils. Since 1975 it has been named for André Raponda Walker
, a famous writer and the first Catholic priest in Gabon.
In 1949 the school was taken over by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, but it was not until 1965 that a section for girls was introduced. In 1969 the school started mixed classes.
It was in 1975 that the school took on its existing name which was in honour of the first Gabonese person to be ordained as a catholic priest.
Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon and a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. Although it lies inshore, the nearby mainland is a remote forest area and it is not connected by road to the rest of the nation...
, the second largest city in Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
. The school has just over a thousand pupils. Since 1975 it has been named for André Raponda Walker
André Raponda Walker
André Raponda Walker was a Gabonese author, ethnographer, Catholic priest, and missionary. Walker wrote extensively about Gabonese language and culture.-Biography:...
, a famous writer and the first Catholic priest in Gabon.
History
The school was started in 1930 in the grounds of the new church of St. Louis by Father René Lefèbre. (The church had only been built in 1927). The school was named then after the church.In 1949 the school was taken over by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, but it was not until 1965 that a section for girls was introduced. In 1969 the school started mixed classes.
It was in 1975 that the school took on its existing name which was in honour of the first Gabonese person to be ordained as a catholic priest.
Alumni
- Stephane LasmeStephane LasmeYann Ulrich Stephane Lasme is a Gabonese professional basketball player. Lasme played NCAA college basketball at the University of Massachusetts , and he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2007 NBA Draft...
, the professional basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player attended school here before he went to Leon MBA in LibrevilleLibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
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