Fulbert Youlou
Encyclopedia
Abbé Fulbert Youlou was a Brazzaville
-Congolese Roman Catholic
priest, nationalist leader and politician.
, was born the son of a Lari merchant in Madibou, Moyen-Congo
. He was baptized at age nine and three years later, entered a seminary
. He attended mission
schools in Gabon
, Cameroon
, and Mbamu
, where he met Barthélemy Boganda
, the future nationalist
leader of Oubangui-Chari
and the first president of the Central African Republic
. He taught in mission schools in French Moyen-Congo and was ordained as a Catholic
priest
in either 1946 or 1949. In defiance of orders from his superiors, he ran unsuccessfully in the 1956 elections for the French Assembly
and was then defrocked
by the church. Ignoring the church's decision, he continued to wear his ecclesiastical
robes. Due to his defrocking, he was acclaimed by his fellow countrymen as being a victim of discrimination, which helped launch his political career. Soon after, he took control of Amicale, an anti-French, quasi-religious Lari self-help organization founded by the now-deceased André Matsoua
.
He lost the 2 January 1956 territorial assembly elections by a close margin; he finished third with 27.6% of the vote, behind 31% for Felix Tchicaya and 29.1% for Jacques Opangault
. However, the loss only skyrocketed his political profile amongst the Congolese people. With his newfound support, on 29 May he founded the Union Démocratique pour la Défense d'Intérêts Africains (UDDIA; Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests), a political party
supporting close relations with France, to compete with Tchicaya's Parti Progressiste Congolais (PPC; Congolese Progressive Party) and Opangault's Mouvement Socialiste Africain
(MSA; African Socialist Movement) parties. In November 1959, Youlou filed papers declaring his candidacy for the election of the mayor of Brazzaville. However, these papers were in fact supposed to be filed in Pointe-Noire. French colonial officials, knowledgeable of Boganda's drastic rise to power in Ubangui-Shari, did not want to take the risk of letting Youlou's request lapse and causing a large uproar amongst the public, so they informed him of his error. They believed that they could utilize Youlou's influence among the Lari people to their benefit. Youlou won the vote of the majority of Brazzaville's Bakongo
population to become the first black elected mayor in French Equatorial Africa
. His surprise victory drastically altered the political landscape in Congo.
. The UDDIA finally achieved a majority in Congo's legislative assembly the following year. That year, Opangault and Youlou supported political autonomy, which French President Charles de Gaulle
considered giving to the Franco-African Community
. A change of majority in the assembly resulted in the formation of a provisional government headed by Youlou on 8 December 1958.
Antagonism between the Mbochi
(who supported Opangault) and Balali (who supported Youlou) ethnic groups resulted in a series of riots in Brazzaville in February 1959, which had to be subdued by the French army. Youlou used the series of events to attack the opposition. Through gerrymandering
, Youlou's UDDIA party obtained 84% of the legislative seats after only receiving 58% of the vote in the April 1959 legislative elections. Three months later, he formed a new government, which was shortly joined thereafter by Opangault and the MSA. By the time independence was declared in the Republic of the Congo in August 1960, Opangault had agreed to serve under Youlou in a highly symbolic position.
The neocolonial Youlou regime was described as being mildly corrupt, aimless in domestic policy, and deferential to France. The high-profile development projects it undertook did little to help ordinary Congolese citizens, and its pro-Katanga foreign policy irritated many of Congo's left-wing educated urban youth and bureaucrats. When Youlou planned to make the UDDIA the sole legal party of the country, the general population resisted. Youlou's regime was brought to its demise following three days of street riots in August 1963, which became known as "les trois glorieuses
". Youlou was succeeded by a string of leaders who were committed to a form of socialist development for Congo. They were all committed to maintaining a one-party state in Congo.
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
-Congolese Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest, nationalist leader and politician.
Early life
Youlou, whose last name means "Grape" in LariLari (ethnic group)
The Lari is an ethnic group of the Republic of the Congo and the name of the language they speak. A subgroup of the Kongo people, the Laris live in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and the Pool Region, where they constitute almost the entire population. There an estimated 1.2 million Laris living in Congo...
, was born the son of a Lari merchant in Madibou, Moyen-Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
. He was baptized at age nine and three years later, entered a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
. He attended mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
schools in Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, and Mbamu
Mbamu
Mbamu is an island in the Republic of the Congo . It is situated in the Pool Malebo, a lake formed by the River Congo. To the south lies Kinshasa, and the northwest lies Brazzaville....
, where he met Barthélemy Boganda
Barthélemy Boganda
Barthélemy Boganda was the leading nationalist politician of what is now the Central African Republic. Boganda was active prior to his country's independence, during the period when the area, part of French Equatorial Africa, was administered by France under the name of Oubangui-Chari...
, the future nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
leader of Oubangui-Chari
Oubangui-Chari
Oubangui-Chari, or Ubangi-Shari, was a French territory in central Africa which later became the independent Central African Republic . French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of an outpost at Bangui, now the capital of CAR. The territory was named in 1894.In 1903, French...
and the first president of the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
. He taught in mission schools in French Moyen-Congo and was ordained as a Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in either 1946 or 1949. In defiance of orders from his superiors, he ran unsuccessfully in the 1956 elections for the French Assembly
French Assembly
The term French Assembly may refer to any of several French legislative bodies throughout the history of France, including:*The National Assembly formed during the French Revolution on June 17, 1789...
and was then defrocked
Defrocking
To defrock, unfrock, or laicize ministers or priests is to remove their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. This may be due to criminal convictions, disciplinary matters, or disagreements over doctrine or dogma...
by the church. Ignoring the church's decision, he continued to wear his ecclesiastical
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
robes. Due to his defrocking, he was acclaimed by his fellow countrymen as being a victim of discrimination, which helped launch his political career. Soon after, he took control of Amicale, an anti-French, quasi-religious Lari self-help organization founded by the now-deceased André Matsoua
André Matsoua
André Grenard Matsoua was a Congolese Lari religious figure and politician, perhaps the most influential figure in Congolese politics before independence in 1960...
.
He lost the 2 January 1956 territorial assembly elections by a close margin; he finished third with 27.6% of the vote, behind 31% for Felix Tchicaya and 29.1% for Jacques Opangault
Jacques Opangault
Jacques Opangault was a Congolese politician. The founder of the Mouvement Socialiste Africain , he competed with Félix Tchicaya's Parti Progressiste Congolais during two-party rule in Congo during the 1950s. He served as the first colonial prime minister of the Republic of the Congo...
. However, the loss only skyrocketed his political profile amongst the Congolese people. With his newfound support, on 29 May he founded the Union Démocratique pour la Défense d'Intérêts Africains (UDDIA; Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests), a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
supporting close relations with France, to compete with Tchicaya's Parti Progressiste Congolais (PPC; Congolese Progressive Party) and Opangault's Mouvement Socialiste Africain
African Socialist Movement
African Socialist Movement was a political party in French West Africa. The MSA was formed following a meeting of the Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière federations of Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, French Sudan , Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Oubangui-Chari , and Senegal; the...
(MSA; African Socialist Movement) parties. In November 1959, Youlou filed papers declaring his candidacy for the election of the mayor of Brazzaville. However, these papers were in fact supposed to be filed in Pointe-Noire. French colonial officials, knowledgeable of Boganda's drastic rise to power in Ubangui-Shari, did not want to take the risk of letting Youlou's request lapse and causing a large uproar amongst the public, so they informed him of his error. They believed that they could utilize Youlou's influence among the Lari people to their benefit. Youlou won the vote of the majority of Brazzaville's Bakongo
Kongo people
The Bakongo or the Kongo people , also sometimes referred to as Kongolese or Congolese, is a Bantu ethnic group which lives along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire to Luanda, Angola...
population to become the first black elected mayor in French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
. His surprise victory drastically altered the political landscape in Congo.
Entrance into national government
In May 1957, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and deputy to the provisional Legislative Assembly of the Congo by Prime Minister Opangault. Tchicaya's PPC collapsed almost entirely soon afterward, leaving Opanagult and Youlou as the main political contenders in the 1957 legislative elections, which resulted in a stalemateStalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
. The UDDIA finally achieved a majority in Congo's legislative assembly the following year. That year, Opangault and Youlou supported political autonomy, which French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
considered giving to the Franco-African Community
French Community
The French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946....
. A change of majority in the assembly resulted in the formation of a provisional government headed by Youlou on 8 December 1958.
Antagonism between the Mbochi
Mbochi
The Mbochi are a central African ethnic group whose population is concentrated in the northern region of the Republic of the Congo. The current Congolese president, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, as well as many senior government officials, belong to this group....
(who supported Opangault) and Balali (who supported Youlou) ethnic groups resulted in a series of riots in Brazzaville in February 1959, which had to be subdued by the French army. Youlou used the series of events to attack the opposition. Through gerrymandering
Gerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...
, Youlou's UDDIA party obtained 84% of the legislative seats after only receiving 58% of the vote in the April 1959 legislative elections. Three months later, he formed a new government, which was shortly joined thereafter by Opangault and the MSA. By the time independence was declared in the Republic of the Congo in August 1960, Opangault had agreed to serve under Youlou in a highly symbolic position.
The neocolonial Youlou regime was described as being mildly corrupt, aimless in domestic policy, and deferential to France. The high-profile development projects it undertook did little to help ordinary Congolese citizens, and its pro-Katanga foreign policy irritated many of Congo's left-wing educated urban youth and bureaucrats. When Youlou planned to make the UDDIA the sole legal party of the country, the general population resisted. Youlou's regime was brought to its demise following three days of street riots in August 1963, which became known as "les trois glorieuses
Trois Glorieuses (1963)
The Trois Glorieuses was an uprising in Congo-Brazzaville which occurred August 13–15, 1963. The uprising ended the rule of the first Congolese President, Fulbert Youlou, as the opposition trade union movement and Congolese Youth Union struck an alliance with the army.-Background:Congo-Brazzaville...
". Youlou was succeeded by a string of leaders who were committed to a form of socialist development for Congo. They were all committed to maintaining a one-party state in Congo.