Mobutism (french: Mobutisme) or Mobutuism (french: Mobutuisme) was the state ideology 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, ...
(present-day
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
) during the latter half of the 20th century, when it was under the one-party rule of the
Popular Movement of the Revolution
The Popular Movement of the Revolution (french: Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution, abbr. MPR) was the ruling political party in Zaire (known for part of its existence as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). For most of its existence, it w ...
. Mobutism encompassed and glorified the thoughts, visions, and policies of Zairian president and self-proclaimed "Father of the Nation,"
Mobutu Sese Seko
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 ...
. The ideology included such major Mobutu initiatives as "
Zairianization."
The
Popular Movement of the Revolution
The Popular Movement of the Revolution (french: Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution, abbr. MPR) was the ruling political party in Zaire (known for part of its existence as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). For most of its existence, it w ...
(MPR) was entrenched as the single legal political party in a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
in Zaire. Originally Mobutu designed the
constitution of Zaire
The Constitution of Zaire (french: Constitution du Zaïre), was promulgated on 15 August 1974, revised on 15 February 1978, and amended on 5 July 1990. It provided a renewed legal basis for the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko who had emerged as the co ...
to have a figurehead opposition party but later claimed that the constitution only recommended but did not demand this and thus a one-party state was created and all other political parties were banned afterwards in 1966. The ideology laid down in the
Manifesto of N'sele
The Manifesto of N'sele (french: Manifeste de la N'sele) was a political document issued in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (later renamed Zaire) on 19 or 20 May 1967 which set out the official political stance of the Popular Movement of the ...
, incorporated "
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
," "
revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
," and "
authenticity
Authenticity or authentic may refer to:
* Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute
Arts and entertainment
* Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic
Music
* A ...
." Revolution was described as a "truly national revolution, essentially pragmatic," which called for "the repudiation of both capitalism and communism," favoured "national revolution." The Manifesto of N'sele also laid out the intentions of the government which included expansion of the national government's authority, a program committed to upgrading labour standards, having the country gain economic independence, and the creation of an "authentic nationalism" in Zaire.
Mobutu led the MPR and Zaire as a dictator, and denounced the idea of multiple leaders and political parties in the country saying: "In our African tradition there are never two chiefs.... That is why we Congolese, in the desire to conform to the traditions of our continent, have resolved to group all the energies of the citizens of our country under the banner of a single national party."
Mobutu and the MPR were presented in propaganda as being attributed to the divine and sought to replace
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
in Zaire with a
religious devotion to Mobutu and the MPR with interior minister
Engulu Baanga Mpongo once saying to supporters of the MPR: "God has sent a great prophet, our prestigious Guide Mobutu. This prophet is our liberator, our Messiah. Our Church is the MPR. Its chief is Mobutu. We respect him like one respects a Pope. Our gospel is Mobutuism. That is why the crucifixes must be replaced by the image of our Messiah."
Mobutu and the MPR pursued a national cultural revival program in Zaire called ''Authenticité'' beginning in 1967 which sought to purge colonial European culture from Zaire and restore local culture, such as by forbidding Christian names and culture while promoting local African names and culture as well as forbidding
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
suits and creating a state-authorized uniform called the ''
abacost''.
''The Tragic State of the Congo: From Decolonization to Dictatorship''
Jeanne M. Haskin, Algora Publishing, 2005, page 44
The ideology survives today in such organizations as Nzanga Mobutu
François-Joseph Mobutu Nzanga Ngbangawe (born 24 March 1970 in Kinshasa) is a Congolese politician. A son of the long-time President Mobutu Sese Seko, he served in the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo under President Joseph Kabi ...
's Union of Mobutuist Democrats
The Union of Mobutuist Democrats (french: Union des Démocrates Mobutistes) is a Mobutist political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is led by Nzanga Mobutu, a son of former president Mobutu Sese Seko.
UDEMO won 9 out of 500 s ...
.
See also
*Lumumbism
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 ...
, a competing ideology based on the ideas of former 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 ...
References
Notes
{{reflist, 2
Mobutu Sese Seko
African and Black nationalism in Africa
Authoritarianism
Eponymous political ideologies
Political theories
Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
State ideologies
Totalitarianism
Zaire