Peacebuilder Pascal Tshisola Kulungu

Pascal Kulungu is a man with a vision. This Congolese Mennonite Brethren witnessed the agony of his country as it descended into civil war and the ouster of dictator Mobuto Sese Seko in 1996. Mobuto was followed by a new dictator, Laurent Kabila, who was in turn assassinated and then succeeded by his son, Joseph Kabila.

In the years of civil war and confrontation with rebels, some of whom have streamed back and forth over the borders with Burundi and Rwanda, Congo is believed to have suffered between two and three million deaths, had another two to three million who were internally displaced, 20–30,000 children who became child fighters, and 1.1 million children who were orphaned.

Congo has suffered in every way, Kulungu says. Its people are traumatized by massacres, rape and displacement; the economy – despite Congo’s enormous natural wealth – is in shambles, unemployment is high, and many essential services are virtually non-existent.

That’s why he decided, says Kulungu, to create a peacebuilding centre, a project he is calling the Centre for Leadership Development, Peacebuilding and Good Governance.

In existence since 2002, the Centre wants to bring a Christian vision of servant leadership and peacemaking into a society that has known too much violence and conflict. Rooted clearly within the Mennonite Brethren church community and the conviction that the gospel supports a reconciling ministry within society, Kulungu visited Canada and the U.S. last October and November to build a constituency here for his vision. He spent much of that time as alumnus in residence at Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Peacemaking.

People in the Fresno area of California – like Pakisa Tshimika with Mennonite World Conference, Dalton Reimer and Ron Klassen with the FPU Peace Center, and Nzash Lumeya, faculty member at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary – are a part of that group.

Kulungu was a student at Fresno Pacific University in the 1990s. He graduated with a BA in business administration and conflict studies, followed by an MA in administrative leadership with a concentration in peacemaking and conflict studies.

When he returned to Congo, he encountered a country swept up by the maelstrom of war. Fortunately, present leader Joseph Kabila has, despite his youth (he is 31), brought a measure of stability to the country and worked well with four vice-presidents who represent rebel, government and broad societal perspectives within the country. He is also listening to the Assembly and Senate, says Kulungu. A general election is planned for 2005.

Kulungu’s Centre makes its contribution by teaching, counselling, mentoring, giving workshops and seminars, and offering instruction at the Christian University of Kinshasa. Churches will send a group of people to a seminar for training and then take the materials back to be used in the church and community.

Although Kinshasa is a city of eight million, the 39 Mennonite Brethren churches in the city are already able to make a significant contribution to peacebuilding and governance there. Kulungu hopes to create similar centres in Bukavu in eastern Congo and Kikwit and Kajiji in Bandundu province in southern Congo.

He believes there will be considerable understanding for such a message in the wider community. About 50% of the Congolese population claims Catholic affiliation, 25% is Protestant, 10% is Muslim, 10% Kimbanguist and 4.5% animist. Kulungu says he is already networking with other believers.

Mennonite Brethren are involved in community leadership roles in the Congo. Among them are national Assembly members and senators, a provincial governor as well as city mayors and a chief of state. Others occupy elected positions in the church.

“As Christians we have a big role helping other Christians and non-Christians to show what Jesus did in the community [when He] helped people to grow up physically and spiritually,” says Kulungu. “We want to share our knowledge, and remind those who have the knowledge to put it into practice.”

After the suffering of the recent past, Congolese are hungry for peace and rebuilding, Kulungu believes. He says that even though the country has numerous tribes, the people at the bottom are not seriously divided, but rather those at the top. He points to the churches in Kinshasa. “In every church where I go, we have people from different provinces and Congo has 11 provinces.” As Pascal Kulungu looks ahead, he has hope for Congo’s future.

Harold Jantz attends River East MB Church, Winnipeg. Pascal Kulungu can be reached through e-mail.