Sophie Kanza

Vorlage:Infobox officeholder Sophie Lihau-Kanza (8 February 1940 – 2 April 1999) was a politician. She was the first Congolese woman to receive a secondary education, the first to graduate from a university, and the first to hold a government office in the Republic of the Congo. In her later life she held positions within the United Nations.

Early life and education

Kanza was born on 8 February 1940 in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo, the sixth of seven children. Her father was Daniel Kanza, a prominent Congolese who would eventually help found the Alliance des Bakongo. Her brother, Thomas Kanza would go on to become the Republic of Congo's first ambassador to the United Nations.

At the time of Congolese independence in 1960, Kanza was the only woman in the country who had been enrolled in secondary education, eventually graduating 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 with a degree in sociology, working in the same department for the university until 1966.

Kanza studied at Harvard University from 1973–1976, earning and Masters and a PhD in sociology.

Political career

In 1966, aged 26, Kanza was appointed by Congolese dictator Joseph Mobutu to be the Minister of Social Affairs, becoming the first woman in the country to hold government office. She also served as Minister for Community Development and Minister for Work, Social Welfare and Habitat. She later served as a representative to the United Nations.

From 1973 until 1977, Kanza was a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). She was Deputy Assistant Director-General at UNESCO from 1981-1985 and Head of Mission to the Director-General of UNESCO (1985-1988).

Personal life

Kanza married to Marcel Lihau, future the President of the Supreme Court, 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, and she became a paraplegic. After this, she left her job at UNESCO and traveled the world to advocate for the disabled.

Death

Kanza suffered cardiac arrest and died on 2 April 1999. She was was buried in the Luozi Territory.

Legacy

In 2004, Kanza was inducted into the DRC's Pantheon of National History, one of the first women to be accorded the honour. Her bust is displayed in a building known as the Gallery of Memory.

References

• Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette: Congo RDC 2015 (avec cartes, photos + avis des lecteurs). Petit Futé, 2015, ISBN 978-2-7469-8720-3 (französisch, google.com). 
• Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch: African Women: A Modern History. illustrated Auflage. WestviewPress, 1997, ISBN 978-0-8133-2360-2 (google.com). 
• J.S. LaFontaine: City Politics: A Study of Léopoldville 1962–63 (= American Studies). Cambridge University Press Archive, 1986 (google.com). 
• Renee C. Fox: In the Field: A Sociologist's Journey. Transaction Publishers, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4128-4320-1 (google.com). 
• Jane Freedman: Gender, Violence and Politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Routledge, 2016, ISBN 978-1-317-12985-1 (google.com).