1. Jean Bolikango, later Bolikango Akpolokaka Gbukulu Nzete Nzube, was a Congolese educator, writer, and politician.
55 Facts About Jean Bolikango
1. 2.
Jean Bolikango served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, in September 1960 and from February to August 1962.
3.
Jean Bolikango wrote an award-winning novel and worked as a journalist before turning to politics in the late 1950s.
4.
The Republic of the Congo became independent in 1960 and Jean Bolikango attempted to organise a national political base that would support his bid for a prestigious office in the new government.
5.
Jean Bolikango succeeded in establishing the Parti de l'Unite Nationale and promoted both a united Congo and strong ties with Belgium.
6.
Jean Bolikango served as Deputy Prime Minister in one of the new governments before a partial state of stability was reestablished in 1961.
7.
Jean Bolikango mediated between warring factions in the Congo and briefly served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1962 before returning to the parliamentary opposition.
8.
Jean Bolikango left Parliament in 1975 and died seven years later.
9.
Jean Bolikango's grandson created the Jean Bolikango Foundation in his memory to promote social progress.
10.
Jean Bolikango was born in Leopoldville, Belgian Congo, on 4 February 1909 to a Bangala family from Equateur Province.
11.
Jean Bolikango became a licensed primary school teacher the following year.
12.
Jean Bolikango taught at Scheutist schools and finally St Joseph's Institute until 1958.
13.
Jean Bolikango instructed a total of 1,300 students, including future Prime Minister Joseph Ileo, future Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula, future Minister of Finance Arthur Pinzi, future Minister of Social Affairs Jacques Massa, future dramatist Albert Mongita, and future Catholic Cardinal Joseph Malula.
14.
That year Jean Bolikango, as the leader of the capital evolues, worked closely with missionary Raphael de la Kethulle de Ryhove to establish the Union des Interets Sociaux Congolais, a cultural society for leaders of elite Congolese associations.
15.
In 1954 Jean Bolikango founded and, for a time, served as general chairman of the Liboka Lya Bangala, the first Bangala ethnic association, based in Leopoldville.
16.
Jean Bolikango authored a novel in Lingala entitled Mondjeni-Mobe: Le Hardi, which won a consolation prize for creative writing from the Conference on African Studies at the International Fair in Ghent in 1948.
17.
Jean Bolikango made a submission to the 1949 contest, but no prize was awarded.
18.
Jean Bolikango soon befriended Joseph Kasa-Vubu and sponsored his election as secretary-general of ADAPES in order to bring him into UNISCO, thereby furthering the latter's political standing.
19.
Jean Bolikango obtained a carte de merite civique from the Belgian administration and served on the commission responsible for its assignment to deserving Congolese.
20.
Jean Bolikango first went abroad when he attended Kethulle de Ryhove's funeral in Belgium in 1956.
21.
Jean Bolikango regularly wrote for the Leopoldville monthly La Voix du Congolais and the Catholic newspaper La Croix du Congo.
22.
In 1960 Jean Bolikango started his own newspaper, La Nation Congalaise.
23.
Jean Bolikango was older than most of his political contemporaries and was regarded as the Congo's "elder statesman".
24.
Jean Bolikango considered the Senegalese poet and politician Leopold Sedar Senghor to be a principal influence on his beliefs.
25.
Jean Bolikango admired Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Cote d'Ivoire for his "wisdom and calmness".
26.
Jean Bolikango believed the Congo should be united in a broad fashion and supported the formation of a union of African states.
27.
In 1953 Jean Bolikango became a substitute member of the Conseil de la province de Leopoldville.
28.
Jean Bolikango did not follow them, instead founding the Front de l'unite Bangala, a political party representing the Bangala people of the northeastern Congo.
29.
Jean Bolikango hoped that by promoting the idea of a grande ethnie bangala he could enhance his political prospects.
30.
Jean Bolikango was a cofounder of the short-lived Mouvement pour le Progres National Congolais, a party formed by attendees of the Brussels exposition.
31.
From 20 January to 20 February 1960 Jean Bolikango attended the Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference in Brussels to discuss the Congo's future under Belgian rule, serving as the leading delegate for ASSORECO.
32.
Jean Bolikango was assisted by his political adviser Victor Promontorio, whom he knew since their childhood.
33.
Jean Bolikango acted as the spokesperson for the Front Commun, the political umbrella for all the Congolese delegations.
34.
Jean Bolikango was eager to win a prominent government office and aimed to form a broad coalition with the Ngombe, Mongo, and Ngwaka peoples and other minorities in the province to achieve it.
35.
Jean Bolikango used his position as the president of PUNA to mediate a dispute between the party and minority alliances in Equateur and create a coalition provincial government.
36.
Jean Bolikango made a bid to be President of the Chamber, but lost the vote to the MNC candidate, Joseph Kasongo, 74 to 58.
37.
Jean Bolikango faced his former protege, Joseph Kasa-Vubu of ABAKO, in the parliamentary vote for the presidency.
38.
Jean Bolikango lost the parliamentary vote 159 to 43 and was left infuriated.
39.
Jean Bolikango participated in the Tananarive and Coquilhatville conferences of March and April 1961, representing Equateur and Ubangi, respectively, to seek a compromise on constitutional issues.
40.
Jean Bolikango was certain that he would be elected as President but Kasa-Vubu retained the office.
41.
Jean Bolikango claimed that he alone could resolve the situation by sitting "Bantu fashion with legs out stretched" around a table with Tshombe.
42.
Jean Bolikango scheduled a political conference to take place in Stanleyville to create a new political party with Antoine Gizenga with the intent of isolating Kasa-Vubu and ABAKO in Parliament so he could remove the former from the presidency and replace him.
43.
Jean Bolikango was the opposition's favorite to replace the Prime Minister.
44.
Jean Bolikango foiled an attempt by one of Adoula's ministers to establish a pro-government party in Equateur.
45.
In late 1963 Laurent Eketebi left PUNA and allied himself with the Budja tribal minority in the provincial assembly, destroying the concept of a unified Bangala tribe that Jean Bolikango had used to elevate his social and political standing.
46.
Jean Bolikango had opposed the splitting of Equateur, and in 1965 he made provincial reunification a key part of his parliamentary campaign platform.
47.
Jean Bolikango received 53,083 preferential votes, making him the most popular Congolese representative of his respective constituency, second only to Tshombe in southern Katanga.
48.
Joseph-Desire Mobutu seized power in November 1965, and on 24 November Jean Bolikango was appointed Minister of Public Works.
49.
Upset over the outcome, Jean Bolikango convened a meeting of parliamentarians from both provinces in February 1966 to discuss the restoration of Equateur.
50.
Jean Bolikango's ideas attracted more support than during his previous attempt, as there were provincial assemblymen in Ubangi already petitioning their government for reunification and numerous CONACO politicians had initiated a campaign to eliminate Cuvette-Centrale Province after losing a local struggle for power.
51.
Rumors surfaced in the capital that Jean Bolikango was planning to use his regional political esteem for subversive purposes, so the Mobutu regime closely monitored his activities.
52.
Jean Bolikango died from an illness on 17 February 1982 in Liege, Belgium.
53.
Jean Bolikango is remembered in the Congo as one of the "fathers of independence".
54.
The Fondation Jean Bolikango was created by Bolikango's grandson in his memory.
55.
Jean Bolikango was a Commander of the National Order of the Leopard, member of the Royal Order of the Lion, and a recipient of the Benemerenti medal, Medaille Commemorative du Voyage royal, gold medal of the Association Royale Sportive Congolaise, and bronze and silver medals for other acts of public service.