Boueta Mbongo
Boueta Mbongo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Malonga Mi-Mpanzu |
| Nickname(s) | "Boueta Mbongo" ("the one who disappears") |
| Born | c. 1860 Kimpanzu region, Kongo-Lari territory (now Republic of the Congo) |
| Died | November 11, 1898 Lufulakari River, near Brazzaville |
| Allegiance | Kongo-Lari resistance |
| Rank | Clan chief, land chief |
| Battles / wars | Resistance against French colonization |
Boueta Mbongo (born c. 1860 as Malonga Mi‑Mpanzu, died 11 November 1898) was a Kongo-Lari traditional leader and a major figure in the resistance against French colonialism in what is now the Republic of the Congo. Today, he is considered a national hero in Congo-Brazzaville.
Biography
[edit]Origins and local authority
[edit]Boueta Mbongo belonged to the Kongo-Lari people, in the area of present-day Brazzaville. He held the titles of clan chief (mfumu kanda) and land chief (mfumu tsi), exercising spiritual and political authority in the Kimpanzu region. His legitimacy stemmed from lineage-based power and spiritual leadership.[1]
Anti-colonial resistance
[edit]In the late 19th century, Boueta Mbongo opposed the violence and forced labor imposed by the French colonial administration, including the abuses of Captain Marchand and local militias. His stance placed him in the continuity of Mabiala Ma Nganga’s rebellion. After Mabiala’s death in 1896, Boueta Mbongo became the leading symbol of Kongo-Lari resistance.
In 1898, he was attacked by French colonial troops under Lieutenant Lucien Fourneau. He was killed on 11 November 1898, beheaded, and his body thrown into the Lufulakari River.[2]
Legacy
[edit]His memory is preserved by the Association des Amis de Boueta Mbongo (A.A.B.M.), founded by writer Isidore Louengo.[1] This cultural association honors figures of African resistance and promotes historical memory among younger generations.
The association organizes tributes and commemorations, especially in its headquarters located in the Kibina district of Madibou, the 8th arrondissement of Brazzaville.[3] It also pays tribute to other national figures such as Marien Ngouabi, Alphonse Massamba-Débat, and Émile Biayenda, all assassinated in March 1977.
A street in the Ouenzé district of Brazzaville bears his name.[2]
Quote
[edit]Writer and researcher Isidore Louengo described Boueta Mbongo as "a controversial and multidimensional figure of colonial history [...] a central figure of opposition to the French expansion in the Congo."[4]
Further reading
[edit]- Isidore Leroy Louengo, Boueta Mbongo, héros des premières heures, Paari Éditeur, 2020, 294 pp. (ISBN 978-2-84220-104-3) [1]
- Didier Gondola, Matswa vivant: Anticolonialisme et citoyenneté en Afrique-Équatoriale française, Éditions de la Sorbonne, 2021, 480 pp. (ISBN 979-10-351-0604-1) [2]
- Pascal Makambila, L’imaginaire dans la vie sociale des Kongo-Lari de la République du Congo des origines à nos jours, doctoral thesis, University of Bordeaux 3, 1995 (Thesis no. 1995BOR30031) [3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Boueta Mbongo, héros des premières heures – Paari Éditeur". Paari. 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ a b "126th Anniversary of Boueta Mbongo's Death". L’Horizon africain. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Céleste Exaucé Sindoussoulou (19 March 2025). "Tribute to three key Congolese figures". L’Horizon africain. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Ngouolali, Kesnov Medurin (22 April 2021). "Book: 'Boueta Mbongo, héros des premières heures' – first book by Isidore Leroy Louengo". DB News. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: National |
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