Etienne Ugeux (1923 1998) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

journalist.

Career in the Congo

Ugeux started his career at Belgian newspaper ''

La Libre Belgique ''La Libre Belgique'' (; literally ''The Free Belgium''), currently sold under the name ''La Libre'', is a major daily newspaper in Belgium. Together with ''Le Soir'', it is one of the country's major French language newspapers and is popular in ...

'', before moving to the colonial capital of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

, in 1950. Ugeux worked in the

at the radio station ''Radio Congo belge''. Together with his colleague André Scohy, he founded the ''Belgo-Congolese Cultural Group'' (''Groupement culturel belgo-congolais'') in 1954. Congolese members of the group included

Justin Bomboko Justin-Marie Bomboko Lokumba Is Elenge (22 September 1928 – 10 April 2014), was a Congolese politician and statesman. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Congo. He served as leader of the Congolese government as chairman of the Coll ...

Albert Delvaux Albert Delvaux Mafuta Kizola (8 May 1918 – 1985) was a Congolese politician who served as Resident Minister of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo in Belgium. Before Congolese independence Albert Delvaux was born ...

Joseph Ileo Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presiden ...

, and

Moïse Tshombe Moïse Kapenda Tshombe (sometimes written Tshombé) (10 November 1919 – 29 June 1969) was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Re ...

. He later became a colonial civil servant, serving as the director of information of the colonial government until independence on 30 June 1960. He met sergeant

for the first time in 1956, who would later become President of the Congo/Zaire. Ugeux helped him in his pursuit to become a journalist.

Katangese Secretariat of State for Information

Eleven days after Congolese independence, the southern province of Katanga seceded under the lead of

and with covert Belgian backing. In October 1960, Belgian Prime Minister

Gaston Eyskens Gaston François Marie, viscount Eyskens (1 April 1905 – 3 January 1988) was a Christian democratic politician and prime minister of Belgium. He was also an economist and member of the Belgian Christian Social Party (CVP-PSC). He served t ...

and his Minister for African Affairs informed Ugeux that President of the newly independent State of Katanga

wanted him to become ''Chef de Cabinet'' of the newly appointed Secretary of State for Information

Lucas Samalenge Lucas Samalenge (2 October 1928 – 19 November 1961) was a Congolese and Katangese politician who was Katanga's Secretary of State of Information. Early life and career Samalenge was born on 2 October 1928. He became a nationally elected Me ...

. He left for Katanga's capital

Élisabethville Lubumbashi (former names: (French language, French), (Dutch language, Dutch)) is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and pr ...

and accepted the position. His wife would join him a week later whereas their children stayed in Belgium. When Congolese Prime Minister

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...

and fellow imprisoned politicians

Maurice Mpolo Maurice Mpolo (12 September 1928 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician who served as Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of the Congo in 1960. He briefly led the Congolese army that July. He was executed alongside Prime Minister ...

and

Joseph Okito Joseph Okito (5 February 1910 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and close political ally to Patrice Lumumba who briefly served as Second Vice-President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Republic of the Cong ...

were sent to Katanga during the afternoon of 17 January 1961, Ugeux was at the ''Cinéma Palace'' movie theatre with Samalenge and Tshombe at a screening of the Moral Re-Armament campaign when Tshombe was called to his residence.

Journalistic career

On 21 July 1961, Ugeux leaves Katanga to become a journalist at Belgian newspaper ''

Le Soir ''Le Soir'' (, "The Evening") is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. It is one of the most popular Francophone newspapers in Belgium, competing ...

''.

Family

Etienne was the brother of William Ugeux (1909 — 1997), member of the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (french: Résistance belge, nl, Belgisch verzet) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Be ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and the father of Dominique Ugeux (1949 — 2019), cabinet member of

Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.
Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 2014.< ...

, who had close ties with

Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugeux, Etienne 1923 births 1998 deaths Belgian journalists Belgian political journalists 20th-century Belgian journalists