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Thomas Kanza

Thomas Rudolphe Kanza
Thomas Kanza.jpg
Congo-Léopoldville Minister Delegate to the United Nations
In office
24 June 1960 – 22 November 1960
President Joseph Kasa-Vubu
Preceded by position established
Succeeded by Justin Bomboko
Personal details
Born 10 October 1933
Léopoldville, Belgian Congo
Died 25 October 2004
London, United Kingdom
Political party ABAKO-Kanza
Alma mater Université catholique de Louvain
Harvard University

Thomas Rudolphe Kanza (10 October 1933 – 25 October 2004) was a politician, diplomat, and one of the first Congolese nationals to graduate from a university. From 1960–1962 he served as the Republic of the Congo's first ambassador to the United Nations and from 1962–1964 was a delegate to the United Kingdom. His opposition to the governments of Moïse Tshombe and Joseph Mobutu led him to first rebel and ultimately flee the Congo. He returned in 1983 and resumed politics, showing favor for Mobutu. From Mobutu's ousting in 1997 until his own death, Kanza served in diplomatic roles for the Congo.

Thomas Kanza was born on 10 October 1933 in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo. He was the son of Daniel Kanza, who would emerge in the 1950s as a leader of the ABAKO party. He was the very first Congolese national to receive a college education in an area other than theology, studying at the Université catholique de Louvain from 1952–1956 and earning a degree in economics. Even after he graduated, he served as the vice-chairman of the Association of Congolese Students in Belgium and managed its public relations. He then spent a year at Harvard University in the United States before subsequently taking a position with the European Economic Community in Brussels. He met future prime minister Patrice Lumumba in 1955, whom he would eventually become friends with. Kanza was a member of the Union des Interets Sociaux Congolais (UNISCO), a Léopoldville-based cultural society for leaders of elite Congolese associations.

On 30 March 1957, Kanza and two of his brothers founded the weekly publication La Congo in Léopoldville, the first newspaper to be owned and managed by Congolese.


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