Newsletters: nr 1

July – December 2024:

The summer period was used to take part in the annual Mémoires du Congo day in Genval on September 1, a celebration of reunions and Belgo-Congolese encounters, to the sound of Congolese rhythms and the sharing of traditional moambe.

We have made progress towards our goal of greater openness towards the diasporas of Rwanda and Burundi.
After approaching the Burundian ambassador, H.E. Thérence Ntahiraja, and his team, during which we presented URBA-KBAU’s action and objectives, we received support and collaboration to establish contact with representatives of the Burundian diaspora.
President and director Patrick Balemba were invited to take part in the Brussels diaspora meeting on October 26, organized with the support of the Burundian authorities. Drawing on his professional experience with Belgium’s Justice and Peace Commission, Patrick Balemba was invited to take part in a panel discussion on the theme of cohesion. Promising contacts were made with several of the participants.

A similar approach was made to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Rwanda, SEM André Bucyana, and his collaborator. Here too, URBA-KBAU’s action and objectives were positively received. With the renewal of the mandates of the leaders of the Rwandan diaspora underway, it was agreed to renew contact at the end of the year for a meeting with the new representatives.

On September 19, URBA-KBAU took part in the annual commemoration of the Battle of Tabora at the monument dedicated to the Force Publique in Schaerbeek. Our director, Philippe Jacquij, delivered a vibrant tribute to the exploits of the Force Publique, an elite corps and school of excellence, the crucible of unity in the Belgian Congo. Despite the fact that both the monument and the ceremony itself aim to honor the collective memory of all members of the Force Publique, our invitation to organizers in the diaspora to come and share in this tribute has not yet been honored.

We appreciate that in Kinshasa, by contrast, on November 11, 2024, a demonstration in tribute to the inclusive Force publique was organized in front of the local monument. Congolese and Belgian flags were flown, and Belgian representatives took part.

URBA-KBAU’s program for the year ended on November 15 with a session organized jointly in Tervuren with Mémoires du Congo on the theme “The Simbas revolt – The tragedy of 1964”.

This was an opportunity to present never-before-published testimonies from leading players, both from the ranks of the Simbas and the government, not forgetting testimonies from Belgians who were caught between the two camps, and the courageous humanitarian intervention of our paratroopers. URBA-KBAU’s contribution benefited from the substantial support of the Cercle Royal Namurois des Amis d’Afrique, through the contributions of Jean-Paul Rousseau and Alain Quinet, as well as the efforts of our administrator Guylain Luwere. The event was a resounding success, worthy of the quality of the presentations and contributions, with almost 150 people in attendance and more than twenty people with Zoom links from the DRC. See our report.

This confirms the interest aroused by our conference-debate initiatives, after the first edition last June on the theme of “Zairianization, 50 years on”.

Events scheduled for 2025 :

March 19, 2025: Annual General Meeting

First-half events:

“Development cooperation, 60 years on, what has been achieved? What challenges?”

Conference-debate on Belgian Development Cooperation with the three historical partner countries on the occasion of the 60th anniversary in 2025 of the signing of the Cooperation Agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo on February 2, 1965 (Tshombe-Spaak).

Cooperation

Our activities are the fruit of collaboration between Belgians and Africans.