Jean Bolikango
| Jean Bolikango | |
|---|---|
Jean Bolikango in 1960
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| Deputy Prime Minister of Congo-Léopoldville | |
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In office 5 September 1960 – 14 September 1960 |
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| President | Joseph Kasa-Vubu |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Iléo |
| Preceded by | Antoine Gizenga |
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In office 1961 – 12 July 1962 |
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| President | Joseph Kasa-Vubu |
| Prime Minister | Cyrille Adoula |
| Minister of Information of Congo-Léopoldville | |
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In office 5 September 1960 – 14 September 1960 |
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| Preceded by | Anicet Kashamura |
| Minister of Defence of Congo-Léopoldville | |
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In office 5 September 1960 – 14 September 1960 |
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| Preceded by | Patrice Lumumba |
| Minister of Public Works of Congo-Léopoldville | |
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In office November 1965 – 16 April 1966 |
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| President | Joseph-Désiré Mobutu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 4, 1909 Léopoldville, Belgian Congo |
| Died | February 22, 1982 (aged 73) Liège, Belgium |
| Political party |
Parti de l'Unité Congolaise (?–1959) Front de l'Unite Bangala (1959–1960) Parti de l'Unité Nationale (1960–1965) Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution (1968–1982) |
| Spouse(s) | Claire Bolikango |
Jean Bolikango Akpolokaka–Nzube (4 February 1909 – 22 February 1982) was a prominent Congolese educator, writer, social figure, and politician. Bolikango began his career in the Belgian Congo as a teacher in a Catholic school, and became a prominent member of Congolese society as the leader of a cultural association. In the late 1950s he became involved in politics, founded his own political party, and in 1960 unsuccessfully ran to be the first president of the independent Republic of the Congo. He shortly thereafter became the leader of the parliamentary opposition. Bolikango subsequently served twice as deputy prime minister before returning to his role as opposition leader. After Joseph-Désiré Mobutu took power, Bolikango became a member of the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution. He retired from the government in 1980 and died two years later.
Jean Bolikango was born in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo on 4 February 1909 to a family from the Équateur Province. He received his education in Catholic schools run by Scheut Missionaries. In 1926 he became a licensed primary school teacher. He taught at St. Joseph's Institute of the St. Anne's Catholic mission until 1958, instructing a total of 1,300 students, including future prime minister, Cyrille Adoula. In 1946 he became the president of the Association des Anciens élèves des pères de Scheut (ADAPÉS, Association of Former Students of the Fathers of Scheut), a position he held until his death. He authored a novel in Lingala entitled Modjene Mobe, which won a prize from the 1949 Conference on African Studies at the International Fair in Ghent.
Bolikango worked closely with missionary Raphaël de la Kethulle de Ryhove to establish the Union des Interets Sociaux Congolais (UNISCO), a cultural society for leaders of elite Congolese associations. The organization was viewed favorably by the colonial administration for its attachment to Belgian social ideals, though it would later become a forum for revolutionary politics. He also founded and, for a time, led the Liboka Lya Bangala, the first Bangala ethnic association, based in Léopoldville. By the late 1950s, Bolikango would be considered one of the most prominent évolués in Léopoldville. He soon befriended Joseph Kasa-Vubu and sponsored his election as secretary-general of ADAPÉS in order to bring him into UNISCO, thereby furthering the latter's political standing.
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