Grandme're Bernadette Rebienot: Bwiti - Omyene-Pygmy Traditional Healing

Grandmother Bernadette Rebienot was born in Libreville, Gabon of the Omyene linguistic community. When she was very young, her mother died, and her father and grandmother raised her. By age 5, Bernadette had her first vision, which soon came to pass. Her father, however, discouraged Bernadette from sharing these visions, so she kept them to herself. Today Grandmother Bernadatte Rebienot is a teacher, therapist, and master of the Iboga Bwiti Rite and of Women's Initiations. The people call her by her spirit name which means "awaited on, expected for a long time." Grandmother Bernadette soon became well-known in her country. She has been president of the Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners for Gabonese Health since 1994. For centuries, Gabon women have gather in the forest to share their visions, pray for world peace and the well-being of their people. "In Gabon," Grandmother Bernadette says," when the Grandmother speak, the President listens. There is war all around us, but there is no war in Gabon."