Long time Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi Wa Mulumba passed away on Wednesday, February 1st at the age of 84. The congolive team produced a show to help our listener know who he was.
Our guest, Dr. Nzongola Ntalaja, a professor of African, African-American, and diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor emeritus of African studies at Howard university, served as a diplomatic advisor to Tshisekedi when he was a prime minister in the 90s. He shared with us what impact Tshisekedi had on Congolese politics over the decades.
Tshisekedi was born on December 14, 1932 in Kananga, formerly Kasai-Occidental. He obtained a doctorate in Law in 1961 from the Lovanium University in Kinshasa. He was the first Congolese to receive such a degree.
When Mobutu took over in a coup in 1965, Etienne Tshisekedi joined his government as Minister of Interior. It was shortly after this period on June 2, 1966 where the four Pentecost martyrs were publicly hung by the state for plotting to overthrow the regime.
Tshisekedi later played a key role in drafting the original documents of Mobutu's single party state enshrined in the Popular Movement for the Revolution - MPR in French. He served Mobutu and the MPR faithfully until 1980 when he and 12 others spoke out openly about the ravages of the dictatorial Mobutu regime. This initial outspokenness would presage the founding of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, UDPS in French in 1982. Thus began his non-violent struggle for democracy and the rule of law. He courageously confronted Mobutu and paid a deer price with jailing, beatings, house arrests and internal exile.
By the early 1990s, Etienne Tshisekedi firmly ensconced as leader of the opposition to Mobutu, served a brief stint as Prime Minister, which came about as a result of pressure on the Mobutu regime by the non-violent, pro-democracy forces. Just as he resisted Mobutu, Etienne Tshisekedi would later resist both Laurent Desire Kabila and his son Joseph Kabila. Although he boycotted the 2006 elections, he ran for President in 2011. Joseph Kabila claimed victory in the fraudulent elections. Tshisekedi refused to recognize Kabila as president and swore himself in, unfortunately to little effect.
Following the 2011 elections, Tshisekedi was subject to extended illness that saw him spending most of the time in Belgium. In July 2016, he returned to Kinshasa after having unified opposition forces to resist Kabila's efforts to remain in power in contravention to the Constitution that required him to step down.
His final major contribution as leader of the loyal opposition was to join with the Catholic Church to broker a deal between the Kabila regime and the opposition on December 31, 2016 that called for elections to be organized in 2017 and Kabila to step down upon the election of a new President.
His overriding legacy will be a fight for democracy and rule of law through non-violent means.
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Long time Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi Wa Mulumba passed away on Wednesday, February 1st at the age of 84. The congolive team produced a show to help our listener know who he was.
Our guest, Dr. Nzongola Ntalaja, a professor of African, African-American, and diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor emeritus of African studies at Howard university, served as a diplomatic advisor to Tshisekedi when he was a prime minister in the 90s. He shared with us what impact Tshisekedi had on Congolese politics over the decades.
Tshisekedi was born on December 14, 1932 in Kananga, formerly Kasai-Occidental. He obtained a doctorate in Law in 1961 from the Lovanium University in Kinshasa. He was the first Congolese to receive such a degree.
When Mobutu took over in a coup in 1965, Etienne Tshisekedi joined his government as Minister of Interior. It was shortly after this period on June 2, 1966 where the four Pentecost martyrs were publicly hung by the state for plotting to overthrow the regime.
Tshisekedi later played a key role in drafting the original documents of Mobutu's single party state enshrined in the Popular Movement for the Revolution - MPR in French. He served Mobutu and the MPR faithfully until 1980 when he and 12 others spoke out openly about the ravages of the dictatorial Mobutu regime. This initial outspokenness would presage the founding of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, UDPS in French in 1982. Thus began his non-violent struggle for democracy and the rule of law. He courageously confronted Mobutu and paid a deer price with jailing, beatings, house arrests and internal exile.
By the early 1990s, Etienne Tshisekedi firmly ensconced as leader of the opposition to Mobutu, served a brief stint as Prime Minister, which came about as a result of pressure on the Mobutu regime by the non-violent, pro-democracy forces. Just as he resisted Mobutu, Etienne Tshisekedi would later resist both Laurent Desire Kabila and his son Joseph Kabila. Although he boycotted the 2006 elections, he ran for President in 2011. Joseph Kabila claimed victory in the fraudulent elections. Tshisekedi refused to recognize Kabila as president and swore himself in, unfortunately to little effect.
Following the 2011 elections, Tshisekedi was subject to extended illness that saw him spending most of the time in Belgium. In July 2016, he returned to Kinshasa after having unified opposition forces to resist Kabila's efforts to remain in power in contravention to the Constitution that required him to step down.
His final major contribution as leader of the loyal opposition was to join with the Catholic Church to broker a deal between the Kabila regime and the opposition on December 31, 2016 that called for elections to be organized in 2017 and Kabila to step down upon the election of a new President.
His overriding legacy will be a fight for democracy and rule of law through non-violent means.
The Legacy of Zaire - A conversation with Nzanga Mobutu
Congo Live
1 hour 1 minute 31 seconds
9 years ago
The Legacy of Zaire - A conversation with Nzanga Mobutu
On this episode of Congolive, we were blessed to have with us in the studio a very special guest, Nzanga Mobutu, the son of the late Congolese president Mobutu Sese Seko.
Being in the public life since birth, Nzanga took us on a journey to get a glimpse of his life as a political leader, an art collector and a father.
Bio
Nzanga Mobutu is the oldest surviving son of the former Congolese president Mobutu Sese Seko. Born on March 24, 1970 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nzanga was educated in Belgium during his elementary and high school years. He graduated from Collège Saint-Vincent de Soignies with concentration in Economy.
He received a degree in Arts and Sciences with concentration in Communications from Université de Montréal. He also received a degree in International Relations from American University in Paris.
His political career started in 1996 as the communications adviser of the Executive Office of the President in the last days of the Mobutu Regime. He founded the political party UDEMO in 2006. That same year, he ran as a candidate in the Presidential Elections and placed fourth, with about 4.8% of the vote.
He served in the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo under President Joseph Kabila from 2007 to 2011 as the Deputy Prime minister, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare. In November 2010, he walked away from his ministerial position given the long crisis between himself and President Kabila around transparency in government's affairs.
Nzanga Mobutu is married to his childhood friend and sister of Jean Pierre Bemba, Catherine Bemba.They are parents to three beautiful children.
A passionate of art, movies and politics, Nzanga loves to play soccer and tennis. Lately, he has become a fan of American basketball.
Congo Live
Long time Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi Wa Mulumba passed away on Wednesday, February 1st at the age of 84. The congolive team produced a show to help our listener know who he was.
Our guest, Dr. Nzongola Ntalaja, a professor of African, African-American, and diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor emeritus of African studies at Howard university, served as a diplomatic advisor to Tshisekedi when he was a prime minister in the 90s. He shared with us what impact Tshisekedi had on Congolese politics over the decades.
Tshisekedi was born on December 14, 1932 in Kananga, formerly Kasai-Occidental. He obtained a doctorate in Law in 1961 from the Lovanium University in Kinshasa. He was the first Congolese to receive such a degree.
When Mobutu took over in a coup in 1965, Etienne Tshisekedi joined his government as Minister of Interior. It was shortly after this period on June 2, 1966 where the four Pentecost martyrs were publicly hung by the state for plotting to overthrow the regime.
Tshisekedi later played a key role in drafting the original documents of Mobutu's single party state enshrined in the Popular Movement for the Revolution - MPR in French. He served Mobutu and the MPR faithfully until 1980 when he and 12 others spoke out openly about the ravages of the dictatorial Mobutu regime. This initial outspokenness would presage the founding of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, UDPS in French in 1982. Thus began his non-violent struggle for democracy and the rule of law. He courageously confronted Mobutu and paid a deer price with jailing, beatings, house arrests and internal exile.
By the early 1990s, Etienne Tshisekedi firmly ensconced as leader of the opposition to Mobutu, served a brief stint as Prime Minister, which came about as a result of pressure on the Mobutu regime by the non-violent, pro-democracy forces. Just as he resisted Mobutu, Etienne Tshisekedi would later resist both Laurent Desire Kabila and his son Joseph Kabila. Although he boycotted the 2006 elections, he ran for President in 2011. Joseph Kabila claimed victory in the fraudulent elections. Tshisekedi refused to recognize Kabila as president and swore himself in, unfortunately to little effect.
Following the 2011 elections, Tshisekedi was subject to extended illness that saw him spending most of the time in Belgium. In July 2016, he returned to Kinshasa after having unified opposition forces to resist Kabila's efforts to remain in power in contravention to the Constitution that required him to step down.
His final major contribution as leader of the loyal opposition was to join with the Catholic Church to broker a deal between the Kabila regime and the opposition on December 31, 2016 that called for elections to be organized in 2017 and Kabila to step down upon the election of a new President.
His overriding legacy will be a fight for democracy and rule of law through non-violent means.
