Arthur Katalayi
Encyclopedia
Arthur Kalala "The Katalyst" Katalayi (born May 10, 1982), is a French
-born and raised, United Kingdom
and United States
-educated Congolese; originally from Mbuji-Mayi
, in the Kasai-Oriental
province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He serves as a Senior Advisor
and Global Ambassador
for Giving Back to Africa
.
ancestry, Katalayi was born in Lyon
, France
, and raised in Paris
. His namesakes are legendary American
tennis player Arthur Ashe
and mythic Kingdom of Luba
emperor Kalala Ilunga
. Katalayi first visited the Democratic Republic of Congo aged 6; in Kinshasa
, and Lubumbashi
, in the Katanga Province
.
At the age of 16, he left France for the United Kingdom
where he spent a year in London
, before attending the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College until 2001.
for the England
, Katalayi was again weighing up the inviting vista of life in foreign climes.
New Frontier and American Dream
Having always had an eye for more far-reaching adventures than his peers, the United States of America then appeared to be the next natural destination towards Katalayi's progression and global aspirations. As fortune would have it, Katalayi first set foot on U.S. soil in July 2001
, in New York City
, on what proved to be a life-changing, defining voyage. Thereafter, following a stint in Pittsburgh he earned a Bachelor's degree
in 2005, from Salem International University
, where he played college soccer
as a student-athlete on an athletic scholarship
.
Subsequently, Katalayi moved to New Jersey
and was the recipient of a Master's degree
from Rider University
, in 2009.
-based non-profit organization
dedicated to the long-term mission of educating young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The following year, whilst still at Rider, Katalayi gave a presentation about the Democratic Republic of Congo to two Baccalaureate Honors freshmen classes that had recently read 2000 Oprah's Book Club
best-selling novel;The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver
, which is set in the Congo
during the 1960s.
In 2010, Katalayi was named Senior Advisor and Global Ambassador at Giving Back to Africa.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born and raised, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-educated Congolese; originally from Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi serves as the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the third largest city in the country, following the capital Kinshasa and second largest city Lubumbashi but ahead of Kisangani and Kananga. The city is the DRC's third-largest,...
, in the Kasai-Oriental
Kasai-Oriental
Kasai-Oriental is one of the ten provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It borders the provinces of Kasai-Occidental to the west, Équateur to the northwest, Orientale to the northeast, Maniema to the east, and Katanga to the south. Kasai-Oriental is one of the richest diamond producing...
province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He serves as a Senior Advisor
Senior Advisor
In some countries, a Senior Advisor is an appointed position by the Head of State to advise on the highest levels of national and government policy. Sometimes a junior position to this is called a National Policy Advisor...
and Global Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for Giving Back to Africa
Giving Back to Africa
Giving Back to Africa is a 501 Bloomington, Indiana based non-profit organization dedicated to the long-term mission of educating young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo...
.
Early life and education
Of LubaLuba people
The Luba are one of the Bantu peoples of Central Africa. They are indigenous to the Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema regions which were historic provinces of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo...
ancestry, Katalayi was born in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and raised in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His namesakes are legendary American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tennis player Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
and mythic Kingdom of Luba
Kingdom of Luba
The Kingdom of Luba or Luba Empire was a pre-colonial Central African state, which arose in the marshy grasslands of the Upemba Depression in what is now southern Democratic Republic of Congo.-Origins:...
emperor Kalala Ilunga
Kalala Ilunga
Kalala Ilunga was one of the emperors of Luba, an empire which spread over the province of Katanga into Zambia and Zimbabwe. Kalala Ilunga was the eldest son of Ilunga Mbili and nephew of King Kongolo Mwamba...
. Katalayi first visited the Democratic Republic of Congo aged 6; in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, and Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
, in the Katanga Province
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
.
At the age of 16, he left France for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he spent a year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before attending the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College until 2001.
2001 - United States
Three years after leaving FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for the England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Katalayi was again weighing up the inviting vista of life in foreign climes.
New Frontier and American DreamAmerican DreamThe American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
Having always had an eye for more far-reaching adventures than his peers, the United States of America then appeared to be the next natural destination towards Katalayi's progression and global aspirations. As fortune would have it, Katalayi first set foot on U.S. soil in July 2001July 2001
July 2001: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-----July 1, 2001:* Aliso Viejo officially becomes the 34th city in Orange County, California....
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on what proved to be a life-changing, defining voyage. Thereafter, following a stint in Pittsburgh he earned a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 2005, from Salem International University
Salem International University
Salem International University is an American private university located in Salem, West Virginia, in the United States...
, where he played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
as a student-athlete on an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
.
Subsequently, Katalayi moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and was the recipient of a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Rider University
Rider University
Rider University is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian university located chiefly in Lawrenceville, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States...
, in 2009.
Giving Back to Africa
Such a multidimensional background and international upbringing resulted in Katalayi being, sometimes, puzzled about his true identity. However, a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007 seemed to clear the muddied waters and Katalayi joined Giving Back to Africa, an IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
-based non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to the long-term mission of educating young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The following year, whilst still at Rider, Katalayi gave a presentation about the Democratic Republic of Congo to two Baccalaureate Honors freshmen classes that had recently read 2000 Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
best-selling novel;The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver isa bestselling novel about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo, close to the Kwilu River...
by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the former Republic of Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before...
, which is set in the Congo
Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...
during the 1960s.
In 2010, Katalayi was named Senior Advisor and Global Ambassador at Giving Back to Africa.
Publications
- Katalayi, Arthur-Kalala, The Katalyst: A Positive Perspective for a Prosperous Congo., forthcoming.