Long time Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi Wa Mulumba passed away on Wednesday, February 1st at the age of 84. The congolive team produced a show to help our listener know who he was. Our guest, Dr. Nzongola Ntalaja, a professor of African, African-American, and diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor emeritus of African studies at Howard university, served as a diplomatic advisor to Tshisekedi when he was a prime minister in the 90s....

On this episode of Congo Live, US Special Envoy Tom Perriello joined us to discuss his work as an envoy for the past 18 months and some anecdotal stories on his experience in central Africa. We will also discuss U.S. policy in the region, respect for constitutions, and opening of political space in the Great Lakes region in Africa and beyond. With the new US administration, his term is coming to an end. Bio Tom Perriello is the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, appointed by...

Our #CongoLive guest for this episode is Samuel Yagase, a community leader in Isangi, a town northeast of Congo. He shared with us how his community is organized for self-sufficiency right in the heart of Africa. This show aired on December 10, 2016. Bio Samuel Yagase is a key player in mobilizing rural communities for local development mainly in Tolaw, Isangi Territory, Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the founder of the the organization GOVA (Group of Village...

This episode had as a guest Ms. Ndona Nkembi Nyomo, the President and Founder of Festival Congo, Inc. She shared with #CongoLive hosts and listeners her career in the financial sector, her passion for the arts, her perspective on the role of women in the transformation of Congo and also the work she is doing for the Congo Festival which takes place in Atlanta this Summer. This show aired on June 4, 2016 Bio Ndona is a surrealist artist, and writer with a background in finance, investment...

REMEMBRANCE is a special program in which CongoLive pays tribute to departed pioneers of Congolese culture, arts and music. This Saturday the tribute is for those who have influenced Congo from the third generation of music to 2016. We'll be playing their legendary hits, From Shaba Kahamba, Bimi Ombale, Likinga Redo to Emeneya Kester. The significance of REMEMBRANCE is to pay tribute not only to pioneers of our great popular music heritage but also for the younger generation to learn about...

Congo Live interviews Michel Dzaringa, a member of the US military, a father and a Congolese American leader striving to inspire Congolese youth to take control of their country’s destiny. Mr. Michel Dzaringa is currently serving as a reservist in the Maryland National Guard 244th Engineering Company and pursuing his education in Public Safety Administration at the University of Maryland. He has over 4 years of experience as a chemical biological, radiological nuclear and explosive...

Dr. Tongele N.Tongele, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a reknown scientist. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. And teaches mechanical engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwarsville and The Catholic University of America. In his recent book, “Rise and Shine: Resilient People and Immense Resources in the Shadow of Death”, Dr. Tongele lays out a vision that includes concrete ideas, proposals and steps the DRC can take immediately for a...

PAPA WEMBA! Congo Live pays tribute to a Congolese icon and the "King of Rumba", musical pioneer Papa Wemba. Learn about the impact of his music world wide, his innovative rhythms and sounds that set the stage for a new era in the time of Zaire to what we know now as The Democratic Republic of Congo. May your soul rest in peace.

Claude Gatebuke is a Rwandan genocide survivor, a Civil War survivor, and Human Rights advocate. He is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the African Great Lakes Action Network (AGLAN); an organization focused on justice, peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, based in Nashville, TN. He is also a member of the African Great Lakes Advocacy Coalition (AGLAC). The AGLAC unites over a dozen advocacy organizations with a common vision for a peaceful Great Lakes Region...

Our Congo Live guest, Nii Akuetteh who has spent decades monitoring, analyzing and teaching international relations, with special emphases on African affairs and how global issues and actors--especially the US--impact Africa. His ultimate goal: to produce significant positive change in these Africa-impacting policies and processes. To this end, Nii also works as a democracy activist & NGO executive. In particular he is an organizer helping to transform the African-born community into a...

Our Congo Live guest, Nii Akuetteh who has spent decades monitoring, analyzing and teaching international relations, with special emphases on African affairs and how global issues and actors--especially the US--impact Africa. His ultimate goal: to produce significant positive change in these Africa-impacting policies and processes. To this end, Nii also works as a democracy activist & NGO executive. In particular he is an organizer helping to transform the African-born community into a...

On this episode of Congo Live Congolese economist Noel K. Tshiani Muadiamvita discusses his proposed "Marshall Plan" for the Congo. - On January 22, 2016, an article written by Congolese economist Noel K. Tshiani Muadiamvita was published in The TIME titled “How to Reform the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” In it, Tshiani argues that Congo needs a Marshall Plan similar to the one post-world war II in Europe. He adds that this should be funded in a period of 15 years and will cost about...

On this episode of Congolive, we were blessed to have with us in the studio a very special guest, Nzanga Mobutu, the son of the late Congolese president Mobutu Sese Seko. Being in the public life since birth, Nzanga took us on a journey to get a glimpse of his life as a political leader, an art collector and a father. Bio Nzanga Mobutu is the oldest surviving son of the former Congolese president Mobutu Sese Seko. Born on March 24, 1970 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nzanga was...

On this episode of Congo Live, our guest Pitchou Malaba discusses how Africa can rise with much of its intellectual capital outside of the continent. He explains how the sons and daughters of Africa living outside the continent ca return to rebuild their home. As part of the Cheetah Generation, he believes the African youth can make a difference in Africa? Pitchou Malaba is a young congolese entrepreneur and political strategist with a solid understanding of the fortunes of Africa and the...

This episode brought our expert guest Ntal Alimasi to discuss ways Congolese and its government could engage in creating mechanisms for accountability and strong governance. Ntal Alimasi is a Capacity Development and Governance Consultant, and has worked with academia, the private sector, government and international organizations, including AFRICARE, A.L. Nellum & Associates, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Christian Children Fund, the International Youth Foundation, USIP,...

This Congolive episode focused on exploring the intersection between the African American community in the US and the Congo. It discussed the historical ties that exist with black missionaries who came to the Congo in the late 1800s, 30 years after the Emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. It also delved into the current state of black Americans with the Black Lives Matter movement and their contribution to peace and stability in the Congo. Our guest was the Rev. Dr. Joan R. Harrell,...

This CongoLive episode focused on a retrospective look in the life of young Congolese entrepreneur Eric Ndelo. This young man and his team have been building a fashion empire they call DRC Apeparel focusing on creating products that raise consciousness about Africa and connect in breaking cultural barriers. Fashion is often seen as a reflection of social, economic, political and cultural changes. It is the most powerful art there is. It helps create cultural understanding and influences our...

This #CongoLive episode featured Marie Claire Faray, one of the most active and inspiring Congolese women working for change in Congo. It focused on looking at the history of Congolese women’s resistance from Kimpa Vita to the women network of Common Cause UK. Marie Claire Faray, a Congolese mother of two beautiful daughters, is a Postgraduate Medical Information Adviser and Research Scientist in infectious diseases at Barts Hospital and the Queen Mary University of London. She is also an...

Dr. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is professor of African and Afro-American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of "The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History" and last year of two new books - "Lumumba" and "Faillite de la Gouvernance et crise de la construction nationale au Congo-Kinshasa." Who was Patrice Lumumba? How did he become a prominent leader in the Congo during the independence movement? Why was he assassinated? What is his legacy not just...

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This episode of Congolive looks into the career of Belgian filmmaker Kristof Bilsen and his journey into making a film on the Congo. Bio Kristof Bilsen (director/DOP/producer) completed a filmmaking BA in Brussels and his Masters at the National Film & TV School (UK). Aside his film practice, he works as cinematographer, editor and director for the performing arts and collaborated in the past with directors such as Peter Missotten, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Meg Stuart. His first film...

This episode of Congolive brings a young Congolese entrepreneur, Nyenemo Sanguma, to discuss how his organization has been able to help over 300 farmers in the Equateur province in D.R. Congo to bring their produce to the market. Guest Bio: Nyenemo Sanguma was born in the D.R. Congo and moved to the USA at the age of 14. After having earned a master's degree in International Public Service from DePaul University in Chicago, Mr. Sanguma developed the Congolese Community Development (CCD), an...

Born in Kinshasa (Congo) in May 1976, Dédy Mbepongo Bilamba is a second child in a family of 4. He grew up in the rough neighborhood of Grigny La Grande-Borne project, in Suburban Paris (France), an experience that has helped him understand the struggle of marginalized communities. After graduating in Human sciences from Paris XII University, he started a career in Marketing. But since an early age, he felt the need to express himself through art (drama, dance, song writing) Trying to...

Ghislaine Sabiti, an interdisciplinary Congolese-born artist who was raised on the outskirts of Paris in France. She was introduced to art at a very young age. At twelve years old she studied fine art at Atelier Chantier du Coq and graduated with honors in fashion design from Atelier Chardon Savard in Paris, France. She highlights the technical form used in both Congolese and European arts, which stress form and color. Her works develop projects between communities and collecting fractured...