Paul Bolya or Bolya Ifekwa Lobok'ete (10 October 1924 – 2002) was a Congolese politician and leader of a faction in the nationalist movement in the Belgian Congo before independence.
Biography
editPaul Bolya was born on 10 October 1924 in Bengale, Équateur Province, Belgian Congo, to a Mongo family.[1] In Bamanya he undertook six years of study at the Ecole Primaire des Missionnaires du Scare-Coeur and a further four at the Ecole Normale des Freres des Ecoles Chretiennes, graduating with his certification as a teacher. In 1948 he earned his certification as a medical assistant.[2] He also undertook a training course at the Institut de médecine tropicale d'Anvers and served as an instructor at the École des Assistants médicaux de Léopoldville.[1]
Political career
edit
At the Constituent Congress of Coquilhatville in November 1959 Bolya became the president of the Parti National du Progrès (PNP).[1] He represented the PNP at the Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference and was the first delegate to formally propose the adoption of a resolution for Congolese independence.[3] He was chosen to be one of the vice presidents of the talks.[4] Bolya served on the Executive Board to the Governor General from March to June 1960.[1] In May he was selected as a member of the Union des Mongo (UNIMO) to be a senator on behalf of Équateur Province.[5]
Bolya was considered for the post of Minister of Health in the first Congolese government but ended up serving as a minister of state.[6] From 12 September to October 10 he briefly served as Minister of Health under Prime Minister Joseph Ileo. In February 1961 he was made Minister of Public Service, a post he held until 2 August, when was made Secretary of State for Justice. He returned to his position as Minister of Health on 11 July 1962.[7]
In 1997 Laurent-Désiré Kabila seized control of the Congo. Afterwards he created a commission to draft a new constitution for the country. Bolya was appointed to the commission.[8]
Bolya was the father of Désiré Bolya Baenga, an essayist and writer.[9]
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d CRISP 1961, paragraph 120.
- ^ Mulumba & Makombo 1986, p. 66.
- ^ Essack 1976, p. 199.
- ^ Kanza 1978, p. 81.
- ^ Mulumba & Makombo 1986, p. 67.
- ^ CRISP 1961, paragraph 121.
- ^ "Description du noyau du mobutisme et la liste de tous ses gouvernements de 60 à 90". deboutcongolais.info (in French). Coordination des Forces Lumumbistes Mulelistes Kabilistes. Archived from the original on 1 September 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Willame 1999, p. 71.
- ^ Salin, Franck (13 August 2010). "L'ultime départ de Bolya". Afrik.com (in French). Retrieved 5 November 2017.
References
edit- Essack, Karrim (1976). The Armed Struggle. Vol. 2. Thakers.
- Kanza, Thomas R. (1978). The rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba: conflict in the Congo (illustrated ed.). R. Collings. ISBN 9780860360681.
- Mulumba, Mabi; Makombo, Mutamba (1986). Cadres et dirigeants au Zaïre, qui sont-ils?: dictionnaire biographique (in French). Kinshasa: Editions du Centre de recherches pédagogiques. OCLC 462124213.
- "Onze mois de crise politique au Congo". Courrier Hebdomadaire du CRISP (in French) (120). Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques: 1–24. 1961. doi:10.3917/cris.120.0001.
- Willame, Jean-Claude (1999). L'Odyssée Kabila (in French). KARTHALA Editions. ISBN 9782865379262.