Sophie Lihau-Kanza or Zala Lusibu N'Kanza (8 February 1940 – 2 April 1999) was a Congolese politician and sociologist. She was the first woman of her country to receive a secondary education, the first to graduate from a university, and the first to hold a government office in the
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 ...
, serving as Minister of Social Affairs from 31 October 1966 to 6 December 1970. In her later life she held positions within the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
Early life and education
Sophie Kanza was born on 8 February 1940 in
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 of ...
,
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 ...
, the sixth of seven children
[ to Élisabeth Mansangaza and ]Daniel Kanza
Daniel Kanza Kinsona (1909–1990) was a Congolese politician and a leading member of the '' Alliance des Bakongo''. He served as Premier Burgomaster of the capital of the Congo, Léopoldville, from 1960 until 1962. He later served in the Nationa ...
.[ She received much of her primary and secondary education in Brazzaville, ]French Congo
The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, ...
. At the time of the Belgian Congo's independence in 1960, Kanza was the only woman in the country who had been enrolled in secondary education. She eventually graduated from ''Lycée du Sacré Cœur'' (Sacred Heart High School) in June 1961. In 1964, she became the first Congolese woman to graduate from a university when she received her diploma from the University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...
with a degree in sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
, working in the same department for the university as an assistant lecturer until 1966.[ Kanza studied at ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
from 1973 to 1976, earning a master's degree and a PhD in sociology.
Political career
On 31 October 1966 Kanza was appointed Minister of Social Affairs, becoming the first woman in the country to hold government office. Her appointment came while she was pursuing a PhD at the University of Geneva, but she ended her studies to assume office. She spent most of her initial time in office examining the ministry's struggles to meet the needs of the population. She also advocated for equal education opportunities for both boys and girls, and served as a delegate to the Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
summit in Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) in 1967. She was made a member of the political bureau of the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution on 13 October 1967. She was dismissed as Minister of Social Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle on 6 December 1970. From 1973 until 1977, Kanza was a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system. UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention ...
(UNITAR). She was Deputy Assistant Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) from 1981 to 1985 and Head of Mission to the Director-General of UNESCO from 1985 to 1988.[
]
Personal life
Kanza married Marcel Lihau
Marcel Antoine Lihau or Ebua Libana la Molengo Lihau (29 September 1931 – 9April 1999) was a Congolese jurist, law professor and politician who served as the inaugural First President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Congo from 1968 u ...
, future President of the Supreme Court of Justice, on 26 December 1964, and they had six daughters. However, he fled political persecution in the Congo and they spent most of their later lives separated.
In 1998, Kanza was in a car accident in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, and she became a paraplegic. After this, she left her job at UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
and traveled abroad to advocate for the disabled.[
]
Death and legacy
Kanza suffered cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
[ and died on 2 April 1999. She was buried in the Luozi Territory.]
In 2004, Kanza was inducted into the Congo's Pantheon of National History, one of the first women to be accorded the honour. Her bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
is displayed in the Gallery of Memory. The "Cercle Sophie Kanza", an association of female professors in the Congo, was named in her honour. Three of Kanza's daughters organized a mass of thanksgiving in honor of herself and her husband in Gombe on 28 March 2015. Several important politicians attended the ceremony, including Léon Kengo
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
and José Endundo Bononge.
Notes
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanza, Sophie
Democratic Republic of the Congo diplomats
Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
1940 births
1999 deaths
People from Kinshasa
Expatriates in Switzerland
University of Geneva alumni
UNESCO officials
Politicians with paraplegia
Harvard University alumni
20th-century Democratic Republic of the Congo women politicians
20th-century Democratic Republic of the Congo politicians
Women government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo officials of the United Nations