A long time ago, someone said: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.” Godefroid Munongo lived a full life and I decided to write about it. This was no easy task, especially since he had such an extraordinary life. Being one of his daughters, I would have liked to focus on the father I knew, however even at home, he was more than that. He was the father, the king and the statesman, all in one. These three roles were integral part of his personality.
Even though he had nine children with his wife Clotilde Mulenda, it seems as though they were parents to multiple other children. Many of my friends and cousins saw my mother and father as surrogate parents because of their generosity and presence in their lives. This man I am honored to call ‘father’ was more than a genitor. He did his parenting job so well, that he shaped and fashioned my perspective on God, the world, people and Katanga, the land he so loved.
I saw him interact with people with humanity and compassion. I saw him share his meals with his employees, share his China and silver ware with them, when other bosses would not even feed their employees. I saw him make roundtrips to Bunkeya and the kingdom to comfort villagers whose crops had been devastated by heavy rains. He would make similar trips when there were reports of outbreaks and diseases. I remember once asking him, “why do you have to go this weekend, we need you here?” He replied: “Mama (polite way of addressing family members, including daughters), if I didn’t take care for my people, what kind of king would I be? I will be back on Monday, duty first.”
Duties, responsibility, integrity, especially Katangese dignity were important traits that best describe him. He could be firm at times and would discipline us when we did wrong; however, he would always explain why we were being chastised. For him, every moment in life was a teachable opportunity. He did not like ignorance or complacency. Without hesitation, he would say to us, “In this instance, you were not smart”. He would encourage us to be the best that we could be, to improve, to think big and to have ambition. In reality, he was very easy to get along with. When he liked something or someone, we knew it right away. He was not a hypocrite and his frank speech did not please everyone.
His love for Katanga was constant, so much so that his watch was always set on ‘our time’. For those who knew him, that meant Katanga time. Once a month he would fly from Kinshasa to Katanga and each time, he would bring back boxes that were filled with seasonal vegetables and fruits from home. He would include corn flour that was milled by hand, a staple he was fond of. As unbelievable as it may sound, he would do this every single time. When asked why he did it, he would say, “The soil of Katanga is better than Leopoldville’s.” He would say this to justify his cravings for home cooking. In Kinshasa, our diet consisted of foods harvested in Katanga.
My father had a funny way of calling Zairian cities by their old names, which he was more accustomed to. In his eyes, Zaire was always Congo, and when people said Shaba (Mobutu renamed the province of Katanga Shaba), he would say Katanga. He truly had an affinity for his province, insisting that we learn to speak Swahili and Kisanga, while living in Kinshasa, which is dominated by the Lingala language. He spoke several languages, of which the Kiluba, which was his paternal grandmother’s tongue. She was a Luba woman from Kibanda. He also spoke Kibemba, Kisanga and fluent Kiyeke. Back then, I did not realize how much he was teaching us. Teenagers often think that they are smarter than they really are. He had such a strong impact on me, and unfortunately he died too soon. Be that as it may, I can proudly say that I knew him well.
He and I had conversations in which we shared ideas about many things. With him, it was important to have an opinion and to back it with good arguments. That is why I know what his plans were for the Bwami (kingdom) and how hopeful he was for Katanga’s unfulfilled dreams. Through our conversations, I became aware of his aspirations for Katanga and the Congo. He would tell us what needed to be developed and in what order. On occasion, he would share stories of his friends and what they had accomplished on July 11, 1960, the day they declared the independence of Katanga. I am referring here to the team of men that was comprised of Godefroid Munongo, Moise Tchombe, Jean-Baptiste Kibwe, Evariste Kimba, Joseph Kiwele, among others. The flame they lit will never die, for they left it to the people of Katanga. Today, their ideals and demands for a free Katanga are as valid as they were fifty years ago. The love that Godefroid Munongo had for a free, prosperous and autonomous Katanga was and remains a powerful legacy. To me, it is a source of inspiration.
Odile Munongo
– GODEFROID MUNONGO: SON OF KATANGA (Click here to read)
– THE STRONG MAN OF KATANGA (Click here to read)
– GODEFROID MUNONGO: FATHER, KING, AND STATESMAN (Click here to read)
– THE PASSING OF A GREAT MAN (Click here to read)