Lessons from a Father of Unrighteousness among the Generations of Africa—the Origins of the Folly of Generation Citizen Independence

Analysis and Commentary
There was a generation that witnessed African independence. This is Generation Citizen Independence . . . they did not receive righteous moral instruction as children who grew up during the 50s and 60s.

Imagine that you were growing up in the 1950s under the political folly that was the Belgian influence on the territory called “Congo-Leopoldville”, or as many new it then, “the Belgian Congo”. Just imagine what it would have been like to endure the social ills perpetrated by the European fathers of African occupation and their ill-bred “African” political children that later ruled Africa since the mid-60s?

That is to say, what would it be like to live under the ill-prepared indigenes of the “Congo Free State” given that the Belgian occupiers never aided them to develop the skills to carry on anything called visionary style leadership? So then, again I ask, what was it like to live under a generation of African political leaders who took over the stewardship of the region that went by names like Congo Free State (1908 – 1960), Congo-Leopoldville (1960 – 1966), “Congo-Kinshasa” also known as Democratic Republic of the Congo (1966 – 1971), the Republic of Zaire (1971 – 1997) and then again the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997?

To know what it was like to live under that generation of African political leaders, we must consider one of its worst culprits in the area of nonchalant, wicked thinking. Consider that for the most part, it was the self-declared “Father of the Nation”, Mobutu Sese Seko whose influence shaped the political culture of Congo the longest after independence. This article therefore examines how his unrighteous fatherhood destroyed the possibilities associated with a righteous vision among the generation called Generation Citizen Independence.

Where did Mobutu Sese Seko learn Fatherhood from?

As a preacher and teacher of the legal doctrine known as righteousness, I have often articulated that fatherhood is a very important institution in the shaping of a politician’s psyche and the influence they bring to the political culture of a nation. As a master Father, it is the living God who makes righteous and good fathers. A good father is a source of stability for a family unit. Based on this, he will ideally pursue policies that provide for the spiritual, emotional and material needs of his immediate family. Likewise, politically, a good father will make a nation state spiritually wise, emotionally balanced and materially prosperous.

Joseph Désiré Mobutu (later called Mobutu Sese Seko) came to power as the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zaire, and ruled (not led) from 1965 to 1997. Of importance to this piece is the fact that Mobutu came to power through a coup d’état that was partially the result of the confusion that ensued between President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and his prime minister, Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Of course, many of us students of African political history know what happened when Joseph Désiré Mobutu took advantage of the confusion with the help of American agents of political sabotage. The story saw Mobutu reborn as one of the most unscrupulous fathers to have ever run an African republic. So, what kind of father was Mobutu Sese Seko? Let’s see.

The highlights of Mobutu Sese Seko’s family and political life cannot be properly analysed without first considering that the man was at several points of life, in fierce opposition to the tenets of righteousness. In particular, Mobutu, like many African males today, fell prey to the whims of a woman. Mobutu’s early family life meant that he was tutored by a number of noted uncles, European influences and African military figures. One of these military figures was Sergeant Louis Bobozo. It is documented that Mobutu was schooled politically via his preference for the writings of Europeans like Charles de Gaulle, Winston Churchill and none other than Niccolo Machiavelli of The Prince fame. Did I tell you that Mobutu was a journalist?

However we look that the details of his upbringing or early life, it is clear that to a large extent, Mobutu was not a man who loved God or righteousness. Mobutu was an ill-bred! And a fervent one at that. He is noted to have wound up in the military or “Public Forces” as punishment for his escapade with a woman, in contravention of the rules of the Catholic priests under whose authority he found himself as a young man. These were the beginnings of one of the most IRRESPONSIBLE fathers of unrighteousness to have led in Africa during the post-independence years. And just think, many more exist in the democratic and traditional political structures of Africa today!!

Adulterer, Mis-manager and Murderer
After learning the rules of the game of immorality, disloyalty and self-serving pursuit of power, it is no shock that Mobutu Sese Seko went the way of many African men who find their way into positions of authority without spiritual or moral preparation. Of the women who Mobutu is known to have courted, his formally declared wives were Marie-Antoinette Mobutu and his mistress turned “wife”, Bobi Ladawa Mobutu. The latter went by the customary name of “Mama Bobi”. Mama Bobi is said to have had relations with Mobutu while he was still married to his first wife.

When we consider what the law of righteousness has to say about adultery, it should come as no surprise that the Republic of Zaire fared the way it did under the leadership of a man who in Biblical terms, led the life of a fool from youth. And with that said, let me quote a saying among Church communities today. It goes like this: “sin begets sin”. To be exact, small sins when not checked lead to big sins. It is therefore no wonder that Mobutu’s dislike for righteousness led him to the punishment of having to serve in the Public Forces and later revealed his begetting of sins like adultery, theft of national resources, economic mismanagement and of course, what many African leaders of his generation were known for, murder!

During his time in political office, it is estimated that Mobutu embezzled his nation’s wealth and amassed a fortune to the tune of billions of American dollars. Of course, the money could always be replaced. And that is true. However, what cannot be replaced are the many lives of Generation Citizen Independence that were left repressed and uninspired to pursue divine purpose and contribute to national upliftment. And this was all due to a rogue political elder whose love of worship inspired him to build a cult of personality that was to remain quite strong throughout his political career. Yes, like Mobutu, many African fathers of the 60s post-independence generation have carried on the legacy of roguishness and blatant irresponsibility. This legacy lives on among some African politicians who are running affairs in the democratic dispensation of the twenty-first century.

Foolish African Fathers and how they destroy Families and Nations

A foolish father is a morally deficient man who sows the seeds for generational failure through neglect, lawlessness and the spirit of persecution due to his jealousy towards another generation. Such fathers are a danger to a generation given that often, they cannot stand the possibility of losing their authority over people. They are also well known for NOT wanting to see their sons doing better than they did. These are all manifestations of the spirit of Satan!

As power-hangers, foolish fathers are control freaks who will use their position to destroy others. They are well versed at lying which often leads to manifested hatred for the upright in their societies, and even murder. Such is the story of the famed Biblical King David during his trial of being persecuted by his predecessor, King Saul son of Kish. Such is also the story of many would be African leaders who faced some of the harshest conditions from foolish fathers in leadership. And even the first prime minister of Congo-Leopoldville, the well-known Patrice Lumumba was not spared of the tendencies of foolish fatherhood from the so called “Father of the Nation”, Mobutu Sese Seko.

A Man’s Fatherhood Track Record is the Truth of his Leadership Success or Failure

The Holy Scriptures called the New Testament provide mankind with some of the most interesting and truthful doctrines regarding leadership that have ever been written. For example, two of the seventeen qualifications of a local church overseer or “bishop” is that he be “the husband of one wife” and that he “have his children in subjection with all gravity” (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7, KJV). Just imagine if the likes of Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana or Faure Gnassingbe of Togo had been subjected to the scrutiny of elders who enforced such strict qualifications? Wow!! The Africa of today might be a better place!

So then, how a man treats his wife and how he governs his children ultimately prove whether he is able to be a faithful and just overseer of a national entity in the sight of God and man. This fact is evident from the failures of numerous African political figures of which Mobutu Sese Seko, former president of the Republic of Zaire features prominently as a case study to learn from. But history is not the only evidence of this fact.

Truly, when we look at the current dispensation of political leadership in Africa, men who have not been unrighteous fathers are still quite hard to come by. Nonetheless, they do exist and can be found from all walks of life. This reality means that Africa does not have to settle for fools in authority any longer! It is therefore time for a thorough removal of the trash of African political elders of the likes of those who manifest the qualities of old men with no sense: UNRIGHTEOUS fatherhood. It is also time to provide more would be African leaders with the nurture that teaches them that it is a wise father that makes a wise statesman. Generation Citizen Independence, your time is now officially over. The younger visionaries will now take the helm of African power structures. Amen!!

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Mawuetornam Dugbazah is a professional designer and communications specialist. He writes on contemporary issues of faith, science, politics, economics, righteousness and reason in the Church and beyond. He is also the Principal of Dugbazah Communications (DCOMM), a communications consultancy.