Charles Daniel Kisolokele Lukelo (1914 – 17 March 1992) was a Congolese politician and a key member of the

Kimbanguist Church , native_name_lang = , image = Simon Kibangu.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Simon Kimbangu , abbreviation = , type = New christian religious movement ...

. He was appointed a minister of state in the first Congolese government and later served as Minister of Parastatals and Minister of Work and Social Welfare.

Early life

Charles Daniel Kisolokele was born in 1914 in

Nkamba Nkamba, also Nkamba New Jerusalem, is a town in the province of Kongo Central of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town is the birthplace of Simon Kimbangu Simon Kimbangu (September 12, 1887 – October 12, 1951) was a Democratic Republi ...

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 eldest son of

Simon Kimbangu Simon Kimbangu (September 12, 1887 – October 12, 1951) was a Democratic Republic of Congo, Congolese religious leader who founded the Christianity, Christian new religious movement Kimbanguism. Kimbanguists consider him to be an incarnation of ...

. Simon Kimbangu was the founder of

Kimbanguism , native_name_lang = , image = Simon Kibangu.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Simon Kimbangu , abbreviation = , type = New christian religious movement ...

, a Christian-inspired religious movement that provoked the ire of Belgian missionaries. When the colonial authorities attempted to arrest him in June 1921, he fled into the bush with Kisolokele and some of his own followers. Kisolokele spent six years in primary school and three years in middle school, the latter in the Colonie scolaire de Boma. Following two years of service as an instructor at the school, Kisolokele became an agent of the public works department of the colonial administration in Maduda. He worked there for 30 years.

Political career

Kisolokele was elected to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

with 733 preferential votes as a member of the

Alliance des Bakongo The Alliance of Bakongo (french: Alliance des Bakongo, or ABAKO) was a Congolese political party, founded by Edmond Nzeza Nlandu, but headed by Joseph Kasa-Vubu, which emerged in the late 1950s as vocal opponent of Belgian colonial rule in what ...

(ABAKO) party in the Congo's first election in 1960, representing the

Cataractes District Cataractes District was a district located in the Kongo Central province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It dated back to the days of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. History Article 3 of the decree of 16 April 1887 provided ...

. He was appointed to serve in the first government of the independent Congo under 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 ...

as a

minister of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

. The government was invested by Parliament on 24 June. On 20 July Kisolokele withdrew his parliamentary mandate in the Chamber. Lumumba's successor,

Joseph Iléo Joseph Iléo (15 September 1921 – 19 September 1994), subsequently Zairianised as Sombo Amba Iléo, was a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was prime minister for two periods. Early life Joseph Iléo was born on 15 ...

, retained him in his government in September. In Iléo's second government in February 1961 he was appointed Minister of Parastatals. In April he became the vice-president of the provincial government of

Kongo Central Kongo Central ( kg, Kongo dia Kati ), formerly Bas-Congo is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Matadi. History At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the g ...

. In July he became Minister of Work and Social Welfare. On 6 December 1969 he was appointed President of the Institut National de Preparation Professionnelle. He was installed in a formal ceremony on 12 January 1970.

Later life

In 1972, during the height of Zaire's ''Authenticité'' policy, Kisolokele changed his name to Kisolokele Lukelo (lukelo meaning "it is revealed now"). He died on 17 March 1992 at a hospital in Brussels. On the tenth anniversary of Kisolokele's death Kimbanguists from across Europe gathered in Brussels to commemorate the occasion. They met with 12 grandchildren of Simon Kimbangu to hold a celebration. A small group of people toured the hospital room where Kisolokele died.

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kisolokele, Charles 1914 births 1992 deaths People of the Congo Crisis Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lumumba Government members Members of the National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo)