Dieudonné Kabongo (1950 – October 11, 2011) was a Congolese-born Belgian comedian, humorist, musician, and actor. Kabongo co-starred in the 2000 film, '' Lumumba'', portraying

Godefroid Munongo Godefroid Munongo Mwenda M'Siri (20 November 1925 – 28 May 1992) was a Congolese politician. He was a minister and briefly interim president, in 1961. It has been claimed he was involved in ethnic cleansing and in the assassination of Prime Mi ...

. He was the first comedian of African descent to achieve widespread popularity in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Biography

Kabongo was born in 1950 in Katanga,

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

, which is now the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. He immigrated to Belgium in 1970. He originally studied electromechanical engineering in

Virton Virton (; Gaumais: ''Viertån''; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. It is also the administrative centre of the district (''arrondissement'') of the same name, as well as the principal town ...

, before embarking on a self-apprenticeship in theater and writing. In 1984, Kabongo and fellow actor Mirko Popovitch jointly won the First Prize at the Festival International du Rire de Rochefort. His film credits included '' Identity Pieces'' in 1998, the 2000 film '' Lumumba'', directed by

Raoul Peck Raoul Peck (born 9 September 1953 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a Haitian filmmaker of both documentary and feature films. He is known for using historical, political, and personal characters to tackle and recount societal issues and historical e ...

, and the 2005 film, '' Le Couperet'', directed by

Costa-Gavras Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras (; born 12 February 1933), known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thril ...

. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Africa Filmfestival in 2010. For his role in '' The Invader'', he received a

Magritte Award A Magritte Award (, ) is an accolade presented by the Académie André Delvaux of Belgium to recognize cinematic achievement in the film industry. Modelled after the French César Award, the formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is on ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Kabongo collapsed and died during a performance on stage at a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

Jette Jette (; ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Ganshoren, Koekelberg, and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, as well as the Fl ...

, a district of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, on October 11, 2011, at the age of 61.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kabongo, Dieudonne 1950 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Belgian male actors Belgian male film actors Belgian male comedians Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Belgium People from Katanga Province Deaths onstage 21st-century Belgian musicians 20th-century Belgian male musicians