Zamenga Batukezanga (1933–2000) was a Congolese writer and philanthropist. Zamenga's work explored African culture. He's been named the "most popular Congolese writer" of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Career Zamenga Batukezanga was born on in nkobo- Luozi Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo. In the 1950s, he did his graduate studies at Mangembo and in 1960, a scholarship allowed him to study at l'Université libre de Bruxelles, in Belgium. Back in Congo in 1965, he was appointed Director of Student Social Work. In 1977, he opened a center for the rehabilitation of young people with physical disabilities (Kikesa), which he headed until 1981. In 1984, he was appointed director general of the National Society of Congolese publishers, composers and authors.
Later life and legacy Towards the end of the 1980s, Zamenga decided to leave everything. He refused a post at Unesco in 1986 to devote himself entirely to writing and philanthropic works. He spent the last years of his life in his native region, serving the poor. He died on (age 67) in KinshasaZamenga Batukezanga, 5 ans déjà depuis sa disparition ! Ne Nzau Diop, Le Potentiel, 25 juin 2005
Every year, the Zamenga Batukezanga Literary Prize is awarded to a Congolese writer under the age of 40.
Selected works Souvenir du village, 1971 Bandoki, 1973 Carte postale, 1974 Village qui disparaît dans les promesses, 1975 Les îles Soyo, éditions Zabat, 1979 Lettre d’Amérique, 1980 Un Croco à Luozi, 1980 Psaumes sur le fleuve Zaïre, 1985 Un Blanc en Afrique, 1988 Pour une démystification: la littérature en Afrique, 1989 Un boy à Pretoria, 1990 Laveur des Cadavres, 1992 Pour un cheveu blanc, posthumous work, 2005 La Mercèdes qui saute le trou, posthumous work, 2005
Award 1985: Grand Prize of the 20th anniversary of the 2nd Republic of Zaire for all of his literary work.
Legagy Phambu Ngoma-Binda, Zamenga Batukezanga : Vie et Œuvre, Éditions Saint Paul Afrique, 1990, 80 p Wyatt Mc Gaffey, « Zamenga of Zaire: Novelist, Historian, Sociologist, Philosopher and Moralist », in Research in African Literatures, vol. 13, 2 (Summer, 1982), Zamenga of Zaire: "Novelist, Historian, Sociologist, Philosopher and Moralist" on JSTOR
References
External links Zamenga sur congocultures.net Larousse à propos de Zamenga Batukezanga