Iboga, Cultural Tourism, Traditional Medicine: Gabon Expo OSAKA-KANSAI 2025

On June 29, 2025, within the prestigious framework of the “Health and Well-Being” Thematic Week of the Universal Exposition in Osaka , Gabon asserted itself as a country offering natural and sustainable solutions to the global challenges of mental health and human balance. This event was held under the leadership of the High Commission for Exhibitions of Gabon , representing the Government of the Gabonese Republic .

At the heart of this day, several Gabonese voices were raised to present endogenous knowledge, innovations resulting from local biodiversity , and the vision of a future rooted in care and the forest.

Iboga and Mayay: Roots for the Future

Our NGO, Gabon Terre d'Avenir , had the honor of being represented by its president, Dr. Yoan Michel Mboussou , a microbiologist and committed entrepreneur, who presented a conference entitled:

“Entheogenic plants and sovereignty of care: the Gabonese example of iboga” .

Dr. Mboussou highlighted the microdose use of iboga , through the product Mayay® , a capsule containing 500 mg of whole iboga bark. This innovation embodies a natural alternative to conventional treatments for mood disorders, stress, chronic fatigue and addictions. It symbolizes the union between ancestral pharmacopoeia and modern standards of safety and traceability .

Our president's speech also presented a Gabonese model of holistic care , combining herbal medicine, steam baths, ritual silence, psychospiritual support, and immersion in the forest. A model that is structured around cultural health tourism and wellness diplomacy.

Complementary voices for a strong message

Alongside Dr. Mboussou, other Gabonese speakers enriched the conference with their expertise, experience and commitment :

• Professor Henri-Paul Bourobou Bourobou , ethnopharmacologist, pioneer of improved traditional medicine, presented three clinical cases of treatment of addictions by iboga , illustrating the bridge between clinical science and ritual knowledge.

• Ms. Wilma Sickout Asselé , artist and author, gave a poignant testimony about her recovery from depression thanks to traditional Gabonese medicine , calling for breaking taboos on mental health.

• Dr Armel Boubindji , Director General of Health Promotion, presented the Ministry of Health's strategy to integrate, supervise and promote traditional medicine in an approach of health sovereignty.

The moderation was provided by Professor Assoumou Ondo , economist and academic, who brilliantly structured the discussions around the social, economic and environmental issues of this knowledge in transition.

Guardians of the Forest : Our volunteers, silent guardians of the message

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our volunteers and members , who participated in the production of the audiovisual content broadcast in Osaka . Through the concept of "Guardians of the Forest" , you lent your faces, your voices and your gestures to illustrate the living richness of our traditions and the beauty of our territories .

Your interventions in the videos, your dances, your songs, your stories, have touched an international audience . You have reminded us that Gabon is not limited to its landscapes: it is populated by women and men who carry precious, deep-rooted, universal knowledge .

Iboga : A vision for tomorrow

With the support of the Gabonese State, and in resonance with global expectations, Gabon Terre d'Avenir will continue its field work to:

• Structure an ethical wellness industry ;

• Develop ecotourism for care and initiation ;

• Preserve endogenous knowledge and transmit cultural pride ;

•Make iboga not just an export product, but a lever for internal and collective transformation .

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🙏 Thank you

Thanks to our institutional partners.

Thank you to the experts and panelists.

But above all, thank you to you, the Guardians of the Forest .

The Gabon Land of the Future team

For the forest to heal, uplift and bring together.