François-David "Franck" Ekofo Bonyeku is a Protestant pastor in the

Democratic Republic of the 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 ...

who was forced into exile after he publicly criticized President

Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination o ...

in January 2018.

Career

Ekofo is an ordained minister in the Community of Disciples of Christ, one of the member denominations within the Church of Christ in Congo. He received his Master in Sacred Theology (STM) at

Christian Theological Seminary Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides five degree-level education courses, three dual-degree programs, a Doctor of Minist ...

in Indianapolis then earned a PhD in Religious Studies at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

in France. The title of his dissertation was "Iesus Pais Theou: :L'interprértation d'Ésaïe 53 par Jésus et par l'Église Primitive" .He returned to Congo in 1987, after 8 years outside the country. He became a professor of New Testament at the Protestant University in Congo and also served as a pastor at the International Protestant Church in Kinshasa. He also served as dean of the Faculty of Theology at the Protestant University.

Criticism of Kabila

Ekofo ran afoul of the regime of

when he delivered a sermon calling for political change and complaining about the failures of the Congolese state. At a service on January 16, 2018, commemorating the 17th anniversary of the assassination of President

Laurent Kabila Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

, Ekofo asserted that, as in a relay race, it was time for the baton to be passed to another generation in Congo. He went on to complain that Congo had no effective state and to dream of Congo becoming a country where its abundant natural resources were used to improve the lives of its people. The service, held in the Cathédrale du Centenaire, the leading church in the Church of Christ in Congo, was attended by President Kabila's wife Olive Lembe di Sita, Prime Minister

Bruno Tshibala Bruno Tshibala Nzenze (born 20 February 1956) is a Congolese politician who served as Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2017 to 2019. Education He finished primary and secondary education in Lubumbashi and studied law ...

, Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba and secretary general of the ruling party Henri Mova Sakanyi, among others.RDC
Quand le pasteur François-David Ekofo sermonne le pouvoir,” Jeune Afrique, January 17, 2018
/ref> Immediately after delivering this sermon, Ekofo and his family received death threats. They were forced into hiding, and on February 4, 2018, the United Nations evacuated them from the country.Thaddée Luaba Wa Ba Mabungi, RDC : 16 février 2019, un an après le «sermon» du pasteur François David Ekofo et quid de son «exil» involontaire? ''Afriwave'' January 16, 2019.
/ref>

Personal life

Ekofo is married to pastor Melanie Ekofo with four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekofo, François-David Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Protestant missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo University of Strasbourg alumni