Ota Benga Alliance For Peace, Healing and Dignity

On 17 January 2010 12:46, Ernest Wamba dia Wamba wrote:
Dear All,
I just returned from the culte d'action de grace for Haiti at the Centre Kimbanguiste (at Force Publique et Sao, commune de Kasa Vubu) in Kinshasa. It was very moving. First, the crowd was immense, mostly women as is often the case (it was the women who had the courage to go first to Jesus's tomb).  read more »

1. En fin de compte le débat porte sur les modèles conceptuels pour réussir la réconciliation avec vérité. L’espoir est que cette réussite ouvre la voie à la solution durable de la crise congolaise.  read more »

Following is a talk given in French by Ernest Wamba dia Wamba on January 12, 2009, at a ceremony commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Mbongi a Nsi. An English translation is attached.

1. L’histoire qui a commencé avec la rencontre inaugurale avec les Européens, au 15ème siècle, continue toujours sa trajectoire : de la traite négrière aux formes modernes de servitude, se focalisant sur la réduction des habitants à n’être que de la main d’œuvre la moins chère possible ou simple objet de l’humanitarisme—fondé sur la charité—mais pas vraiment une partie intégrale de l’humanité avec laquelle avoir une relation égalitaire de solidarité.  read more »

Professor Wamba dia Wamba is a leader of the Rassemblement Congolais la democratie (RCD-Kisangani), and is based in Kinshasa, the capital town of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a recipient of the prestigious Prince Claus Award for Culture and Development in recognition of his “scholarly contribution to the development of African philosophy and for sparking off the philosophical debate on social and political themes in Africa.” He has written innumerable articles in various scientific and non-scientific journals on the politics in Africa. He has taught at Harvard University and at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, to name but a few. He is a member of the Honorary Board of the Ota Benga Alliance. We are pleased to present this thoughtful analysis from July of 2003, recently posted on Transcend Africa Network, September 15, 2008.

INTRODUCTION:

1. Since the creation of the Congo, at the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) as a result of the resolution of the conflict opposing imperial Africa conquering powers, the struggle for or against the Congo has always been international, roughly opposing two camps: the pro-Congolese people camp and the Congolese people ignoring/marginalizing/repressing camp. The identity of the various actors in each camp is very complex and situational. In the 1960’s, President Kwame Nkrumah, in his Challenge of the Congo (1967), gave an interesting indication of some of the then actors.  read more »

Another poem by Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, director of our sister organization in Kinshasa, the Center for Human Dignity.  read more »

Click here for English Translation  read more »

The following poem was submitted by Honorary Board member Ernest Wamba dia Wamba who lives in Kinshasa, DRC.  read more »

1. Nous sommes dans une situation d’après les élections nationales et provinciales avant les élections locales. Les premières ont eu lieu dans des conditions d’ignorance civique et des textes de base dans la grande population ainsi que de la grande misère des celle-ci. Le choix était affecté par les urgences d’exigences de la survie (tant alimentaire que sécuritaire) humaine.  read more »

From some of our work in the Congo comes a newsletter and discussion of what a Mbongi is. The files are in both jpg and pdf formats, and they're appended below in order of pagination. They're a little large, but for French readers, this is an important document.

English translation coming soon.

LA PARITE HOMME/FEMME, EN RDC, COMME SPECIFICITE DE LA 3EME REPUBLIQUE ?

ERNEST WAMBA DIA WAMBA  read more »

1. La Constitution de la Troisième République consacre la parité homme/femme. Voici ce qu’elle en dit, dans son préambule: