Maka Kotto
Encyclopedia
Maka Kotto is a provincial level politician from Quebec
, Canada
and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons
. He is the husband of Longueuil
mayor Caroline St-Hilaire
. He is also a published author and has appeared in film. On May 12, 2008 he won a by-election
to become the Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Bourget
representing the Parti Québécois
.
, Cameroon
, and graduated from high school at Lycée Henri-Martin in Saint-Quentin, France. He studied law, politics, dramatic art and cinema in Nanterre, Bordeaux in Paris.
Before becoming a politician Kotto was an author, comedian, actor, and stage director. He appeared in the 1989 movie Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer (How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired), based on the novel by Dany Laferrière
. He also appeared in a second film in 2000, Lumumba
, starring as Joseph Kasa Vubu.
Kotto was also an educator in dramatic art for nearly 15 years in France and Quebec.
as a Bloc Québécois
in the 2004 Canadian federal election
. In that election he defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Yolande Thibeault
who represented the Liberals
and five other candidates. Upon winning the Saint-Lambert
electoral district, Kotto became the first Afro-Canadian Member of Parliament for the Bloc. He was re-elected two years later winning a comfortable but reduced popular vote and a much larger plurality in the 2006 Canadian federal election
. He defeated five other candidates to win his second term in office.
Kotto served as the Bloc's critic for Canadian heritage
.
in the provincial riding of Bourget
in Montreal
to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of former PQ House Leader Diane Lemieux
. It was his second attempt at provincial politics; he was defeated in his previous candidacy in Viau
by former Liberal MNA William Cusano
.
Kotto resigned his seat in Canadian House of Commons
on March 5, 2008 in order to run in the provincial by-election. His vacancy was officially recognized by the Speaker on March 13, 2008.
On May 12, 2008, he won the Bourget
by-election as a Parti Québécois
candidate with 40% of the vote.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
. He is the husband of Longueuil
Longueuil, Quebec
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
mayor Caroline St-Hilaire
Caroline St-Hilaire
Caroline St-Hilaire is a Canadian politician, currently serving as Mayor of Longueuil under the banner of Action Longueuil as of 10 November 2009...
. He is also a published author and has appeared in film. On May 12, 2008 he won a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to become the Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Bourget
Bourget (electoral district)
Bourget is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. The riding was created in 1960 from a part of Laval...
representing the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
.
Early life and education
Kotto was born in DoualaDouala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
, 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 graduated from high school at Lycée Henri-Martin in Saint-Quentin, France. He studied law, politics, dramatic art and cinema in Nanterre, Bordeaux in Paris.
Before becoming a politician Kotto was an author, comedian, actor, and stage director. He appeared in the 1989 movie Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer (How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired), based on the novel by Dany Laferrière
Dany Laferrière
Dany Laferrière is a francophone Haitian and Canadian novelist and journalist.Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, and raised in Petit Goâve, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haïti before moving to Canada in 1976...
. He also appeared in a second film in 2000, 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...
, starring as Joseph Kasa Vubu.
Kotto was also an educator in dramatic art for nearly 15 years in France and Quebec.
Federal political career
Kotto was elected to the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
in the 2004 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
. In that election he defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Yolande Thibeault
Yolande Thibeault
Yolande Thibeault is a journalist and politician in Quebec, Canada. She was elected a Member of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons for the Saint-Lambert Riding in the 1997 general election. She was re-elected in the 2000 election with considerable majority over other candidates.She is a...
who represented the Liberals
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and five other candidates. Upon winning the Saint-Lambert
Saint-Lambert (electoral district)
Saint-Lambert is a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec. It has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2006 was 94,541.-Geography:...
electoral district, Kotto became the first Afro-Canadian Member of Parliament for the Bloc. He was re-elected two years later winning a comfortable but reduced popular vote and a much larger plurality in the 2006 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
. He defeated five other candidates to win his second term in office.
Kotto served as the Bloc's critic for Canadian heritage
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Minister of Canadian Heritage is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport....
.
Provincial political career
On November 12, 2007, Kotto announced that he would be the candidate for the Parti QuébécoisParti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
in the provincial riding of Bourget
Bourget (electoral district)
Bourget is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. The riding was created in 1960 from a part of Laval...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of former PQ House Leader Diane Lemieux
Diane Lemieux
Diane Lemieux is a politician in Quebec, Canada. She was the Member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Bourget as a member of the Parti Québécois from 1998 to 2007....
. It was his second attempt at provincial politics; he was defeated in his previous candidacy in Viau
Viau
Viau is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal and consists of the neighbourhoods of Saint-Michel and Saint-Michel-Nord...
by former Liberal MNA William Cusano
William Cusano
William Cusano is an Italian-born former politician in Quebec, Canada. He was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1981 to 2007.Born in Italy, Cusano and his family moved to Canada in 1952...
.
Kotto resigned his seat in Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
on March 5, 2008 in order to run in the provincial by-election. His vacancy was officially recognized by the Speaker on March 13, 2008.
On May 12, 2008, he won the Bourget
Bourget (electoral district)
Bourget is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. The riding was created in 1960 from a part of Laval...
by-election as a Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
candidate with 40% of the vote.
Electoral record (partial)
Books
- Kotto, Maka. Femme : libre exaltation poétique. Outremont, Québec: Lanctôt, 2002. 93 p.; 21 cm. (Series: J'aime la poésie 12e) ISBN 2-89485-213-4