THE CONGO’S MOST POPULAR OPPOSITION LEADER ÉTIENNE TSHISEKEDI WA MULUMBA
Etienne TSHISEKEDI WA MULUMBA, born on December 14, 1932, in Kananga, is one of the prominent figures who shaped the political history of the DRC. Supporters would say that he fought until the end. We have talked about the pre-colonial history of the DRC in different articles but now we will discover the post-colonial history through the history of this Congolese opposition leader, Etienne TSHISEKEDI. We will find out: EARLY LIFE HIS POLITICAL JOURNEY ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI DEATH THE MOST INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI Let’s dive right in! EARLY LIFE Etienne TSHISEKEDI was born on December 14, 1932 in Kananga in the current province of Kasai-Centrale. After his first studies, Etienne went to Kinshasa to study at the university, where he obtained his doctorate in law in 1961 at the Lovanium University of Kinshasa, thus becoming the first Congolese doctor in law. Being in the capital Kinshasa, he started his political career a little earlier than currently most known politicians in the DRC. POLITICAL JOURNEY UNDER THE REGIME OF PRESIDENT JOSEPH KASA VUBU: TSHISEKEDI AN ALLY WITH A DIFFERENT POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Tshisekedi started his political journey in the MNC, the country’s first political party co-founded by Patrice Lumumba between 1958 and 1959. The MNC stood for “Mouvement National Congolais” (Congolese National Movement in English). Tshisekedi acted as an advisor in the party. But towards the end of 1959, the MNC was divided into 2. There were: MNC-L: The Unitarist wing, directed by Patrice Lumumba, and; MNC-K: The Federalist wing, led by Albert Kalonji. Albert Kalonji went on to lead a secessionist movement in the Kasai region of the DRC, at that time it was known as South Kasaï. This happened between 1960 and 1962; and during this time, Tshisekedi joined Kalonji in South Kasaï, where he acted as the Minister of Justice before the movement was ended by the central government. UNDER THE REGIME OF PRESIDENT JOSEPH MOBUTU: ÉTIENNE TSHISEKEDI AN ALLY AND AN OPPONENT We cannot speak of Tshisekedi without speaking about the presidency of Mobutu. President Mobutu seized power in a military coup in 1965, and at that time, Tshisekedi was already a member of parliament. According to Tshisekedi’s own account, Mobutu promised to work with the existing parliament after taking power, and to prove that, he asked the parliament to choose one person from each of the provinces, who would join the new Mobutu government. This is how Tshisekedi, having been chosen by members of his province, joined the Mobutu government. He served as Minister of Customary Affairs and Minister of the Interior. However, early in the work relationship, Mobutu showed signs he was not interested in a democratic system. TSHISEKEDI had allied himself with the other political actors to fight the dictatorial regime of Mobutu and after much pressure, the president assigned the responsibility to Tshisekedi to write a new constitution. In 1967, there was a new constitution, which limited the number of political parties to 2. This was done to avoid the creation of political parties based on ethnic or tribalist grounds, while also respecting democratic values. Shortly before the 1967 constitution was released, Tshisekedi, along with President Mobutu and Justin Bomboko, wrote the famous manifesto called the Manifesto of Nsele in 1967, thus creating the Popular Movement for Revolution (MPR in French), a political party that later became synonymous with the state under Mobutu’s command. In 1970, while Tshisekedi and other political actors who had influence on Mobutu were sent to work in consulates and embassies, Mobutu abolished the law that allowed for the multiplicity of political parties, thus making his political party MPR the one and only political party in the country. From this point onwards, all other parties that tried to oppose the MPR were violently suppressed. Mobutu the marshal became the living meaning of dictatorship and would go on to stay in power for more than 30 years. Back to Tshisekedi! Against the abuses of Mobutu, Tshisekedi co-founded the political party UDPS, Union for Democracy and Social Progress in 1982. From this point onwards, he was arrested multiple times by the Mobutu regime. His popularity also grew with each arrest; it reached one of its highest points in 1988. During this time, Tshisekedi held a public gathering to commemorate the death of Patrice Lumumba. This did not go well with the regime in place, so Tshisekedi was beaten and imprisoned, people were killed and wounded by President Mobutu’s forces and there were clashes everywhere: This is the most significant event in TSHISEKEDI’s life as a political opponent that made him incredibly popular. Finally, in the 1990s, the power in place weakened as President Mobutu lost support from his Western allies due to the end of the Cold War. With growing opposition at home and the lack of support from the West, Mobutu was forced to legalize opposition. The transition to political pluralism was done through the creation of a National Conference called “La Conference Nationale Souveraine” (CNS), which was led by Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo. When opposition was legalized, Tshisekedi joined forces with other political actors such as Kyungu wa Kumwanza and Nguza Karl-i-bond in Katanga and they formed a coalition called “Union Sacrée” (Sacred Union in English). A few years later, they split, one part of them sticking to President Mobutu and another one, the one of Tshisekedi, still remaining in Union Sacrée. Nguza Karl Bond became prime minister under Mobutu and Kyungu became governor of Katanga province. Although Tshisekedi was a very popular opposition leader, he was not able to overthrow the president, partly also because he strongly believed in non-violent opposition. Mobutu remained in power for more than 30 years until Laurent Désiré Kabila led a coup to overthrow him. UNDER THE REGIME OF LAURENT DÉSIRÉ KABILA THE FATHER AND JOSEPH KABILA THE SON Laurent Désiré Kabila became president of the republic in 1997, and with the same ideology as Mobutu, TSHISEKEDI has become his opponent as well. The president did not last in power as he was
6 BREATHTAKING PLACES IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO!
Let us show you 6 breathtaking places you won’t believe existed in the DR Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country very rich in natural resources and most other countries envy it for this fact – yes, they do! Grassy mountains, dense forests, hills, amazing waterfalls, lakes, and biodiversity have so much to make you fall in love with the place. In this article, we will travel to the DRC (virtually anyway) to learn about the most breathtaking places in the country that you should visit. Mount Nyiragongo In the heart of Africa and particularly within the Congolese biodiversity in the Virunga National Park, the Nyiragongo mountain is a delight for the eyes. It is 90 km from the city of Goma and Lake Kivu. It has a lava lake, covering 200 meters in diameter. This stratovolcano has known 32 eruptive phases since the first one in 1884, however, it has caused a lot of interest and curiosity on the part of several researchers from around the world. The descent of volcanic lava reaches 100K/H and is considered the fastest in the world. It had its latest eruptive phase in May 2021. Although this lava lake is almost permanent, the volcano is very active and is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world, we advise you to take a tour to visit this wonderful place located in the tourist town of Goma, but always stay on the alert. Kyubo Falls Located 300 km from the city of Lubumbashi, in the province of Haut-Katanga, the Kiubo Falls are among the most beautiful falls in the country. They are essentially 90 meters wide and 60 meters high. The place is one of the greatest wonders to discover in the DRC with a special emphasis on nature, with beautiful forests, antelope species, and elephants very enticing to watch. Kiubo Falls is on the Lufira River in the Upemba National Park, there are some very interesting and great places that you could visit, like the Kiubo Falls Lodge, a very friendly site allowing you to have an unforgettable stay within the national park. There are various activities, such as fishing, cruises, tennis, basketball, pedal boats, etc… There is also good food that you can enjoy while watching in the evening and hearing the Kiubo Falls. The Mangrove National Park or The Mwanda Marine Reserve Established in 1992, the Mangrove National Park is located in the Central Kongo Province in the Moanda Territory of western DRC. It is an environment very rich in biodiversity and is the only marine park in the country. It is home to different species of shrubs, several wetlands, mangrove forests, etc. It is a very beautiful tourist site, one of the most beautiful places that we suggest you visit once you are in DRC. The Mangrove Marine Reserve will welcome you for hiking on the Congo River or the Atlantic Ocean or visit its different aquatic species: the marine turtle, the hippopotamus, the water birds, (the heron, the stork, the whistling duck), the African manatee, the mother cows and, other terrestrial species such as the bushpig, the buffaloes, and the monkeys. It is a beautiful place in the DRC that we highly recommend you to visit. Boyomo Falls or Wagenia Falls A series of 7 cataracts stretching over 100 km on the Lualaba River, this is a marvel located in the north-central part of the DRC not far from Kisangani and Ubundu. Each extending no more than 5 meters, they form the largest waterfalls by volume of annual flow rate in the world. We are pretty sure you’ll enjoy listening to the falls along the Lualaba. Rwenzori mountains On the border between the DRC and Uganda is a magnificent mountain range, with an altitude of over 5000 meters at the peak. It is a very beautiful place, which highlights the whole of the beautiful Congolese nature or Africa in general. It is the 3rd highest peak in Africa behind Kilimanjaro and the Kenya mount, and contains glaciers, a rainforest, emblematic species, elephants, birds, and more. Being part of the Virunga National Park, you can already imagine that it is a beautiful place and we recommend that you visit it one day. Zongo Falls Zongo Falls is located on the Inkisi River, about 135 km from the city of Kinshasa. It is a majestic and formidable site, for an unforgettable safari. To go there you must use a 4×4, there is accommodation with comfort taken very seriously, a warm environment for relaxation, a set of landscapes that you will adorably observe, attractive biodiversity, dense forests, and fresh vegetation. This jewel of Congolese nature is pure happiness for moments of meditation and reflection, or a treat of picnic between friends or family. Closing Thoughts The DRC has formidable biodiversity. Even if we have listed only 6 very beautiful places in the country, there are even more that will make you wonder about the abundance of nature in Congo: parks with endemic animals, fabulous waters, magnificent vegetation, colossal mountains with glaciers that are beautiful to observe. The country is full of quite interesting tourist sites, so you will have many options to choose from when deciding to visit them. Congotalks243 is a platform that does not cease to make you discover the DRC as a whole, particularly its culture, its history, and lifestyle. Have a look through even more exciting articles. We also invite you to stay up to date by subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following us on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.