Emany Mata Likambe
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Emany Mata Likambe (born 10 September 1933) is a Congolese diplomat and a former Ambassador to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, who came to international attention when it was discovered that he was homeless and living on the streets of
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
in 1994, the government of
Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
having failed to pay him for over two years.


Education

Likambe received a bachelor's degree in business management from the College St. Joseph in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Likambe can speak Lingala, Swahili, French and English.


Career

Likambe started his career as a Secretary of the Minister Council of Zaire in 1960. He later transferred to the Zaire foreign ministry in 1961, serving until 1962. Then in 1963, he became director of the European Office of Zaire Press Agency in Belgium. Likambe served as Counsellor for the Permanent Mission of Zaire to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
starting in 1973. Likambe came into conflict with the New York police department when his car was towed. In the 1980s, Likambe was a member of Zaire's embassy to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
before he and two other diplomats were expelled in 1987, in retaliation for Zaire expelling three Soviet diplomats.


Ambassador to Poland

Likambe became Zaire's ambassador to Poland in 1992, at a time when Zaire's economy was struggling and there was little funding available for diplomats. By early 1994, Likambe's funds had run out and he was ejected from his flat. The Embassy of Zaire stopped paying rent, and Likambe ran up bills at local hotels, which he failed to pay. After selling his car and personal belongings to keep the embassy running, Likambe eventually became homeless and lived at the Warsaw railway station. The Polish authorities did not discover his situation until November 1994, after he was attacked by other homeless people who stole his glasses. Afterwards the Polish government rented him an apartment. Jan Karczewski, a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman stated, "We invited him to all official receptions to help him to eat."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Likambe, Emany Ambassadors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Poland 1933 births Homeless people Living people People from Kinshasa 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people