Dieudonné Kabongo
Encyclopedia
Dieudonné Kabongo was a Congolese
-born Belgian
comedian
, humorist, musician
and actor
. Kabongo co-starred in the 2000 film, Lumumba
, portraying Godefroid Munongo
. He was the first comedian of African descent to achieve widespread popularity in Belgium
.
Kabongo was born in 1950 in Katanga
, Belgian Congo
, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He immigrated to Belgium in 1970. He originally studied electromechanical engineering in Virton
, Belgium
, before embarking on a self-apprenticeship in theater and writing
.
In 1984, Kabongo and fellow actor Mirko Popovitch jointly won the First Prize at the Festival International du Rire de Rochefort. His film credits included Identity Pieces
in 1998, the 2000 film Lumumba
, directed by Raoul Peck
, and the 2005 film, Le Couperet
, directed by Costa-Gavras
. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Africa Filmfestival in 2010.
Kabongo collapsed and died during a performance on stage at a cultural center
in Jette
, a district of Brussels
, on October 11, 2011, at the age of 61.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
-born Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, humorist, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Kabongo co-starred in the 2000 film, Lumumba
Lumumba (film)
Lumumba is a 2000 film directed by Raoul Peck centred around Patrice Lumumba in the months before and after the Democratic Republic of the Congo achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Raoul Peck's film is a coproduction of France, Belgium, Germany, and Haiti...
, portraying Godefroid Munongo
Godefroid Munongo
Godefroid Munongo Mwenda M'Siri was a politician of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a minister and briefly the interim President in 1961. He was involved in ethnic cleansing and in the assassination of President Lumumba.-Biography:...
. He was the first comedian of African descent to achieve widespread popularity in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Kabongo was born in 1950 in Katanga
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...
, Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He immigrated to Belgium in 1970. He originally studied electromechanical engineering in Virton
Virton
Virton is the most southerly town in Belgium and the administrative centre of a Walloon municipality and district of the same name, located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, before embarking on a self-apprenticeship in theater and writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
.
In 1984, Kabongo and fellow actor Mirko Popovitch jointly won the First Prize at the Festival International du Rire de Rochefort. His film credits included Identity Pieces
Identity Pieces
Identity Pieces is a 1998 Belgian/French/Congolese comedy film written and directed by Mweze Ngangura. It premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival.-Plot:...
in 1998, the 2000 film Lumumba
Lumumba (film)
Lumumba is a 2000 film directed by Raoul Peck centred around Patrice Lumumba in the months before and after the Democratic Republic of the Congo achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Raoul Peck's film is a coproduction of France, Belgium, Germany, and Haiti...
, directed by Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is an award-winning Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films, and a political activist. Briefly, in the 1990s, he was Haiti's Minister of Culture.-Biography:...
, and the 2005 film, Le Couperet
Le Couperet
Le Couperet is a Belgian-French-Spanish film. The English title of this film is The Axe.Directed by Costa Gavras and starring José Garcia, Karin Viard and Olivier Gourmet, Le Couperet is an adaptation of the novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake. The film follows the "hero", Bruno D...
, directed by Costa-Gavras
Costa-Gavras
Costa-Gavras, is a Greek filmmaker, who lives and works in France, best known for films with overt political themes, most famously the fast-paced thriller, Z...
. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Africa Filmfestival in 2010.
Kabongo collapsed and died during a performance on stage at a cultural center
Cultural center
A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run...
in Jette
Jette
Jette is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking university of Brussels has built its hospital and medical campus in Jette, while its other buildings are in the so-called Etterbeek campus actually...
, a district of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, on October 11, 2011, at the age of 61.