JEAN-PAUL MBUYAMBA: GENEROUS BUSINESSMAN AND SHOZ BIZ MAECENAS

In the concert of continents Africa is always confined to the role of furnisher of raw, alternately moving between Nelson Mandela’s country and the DR Congo, his motherland. He has distinguished himself most as a great, generous showbiz maecenas. For example, his generosity is proven by his gesture in favour of the Congolese artist-musician Joss Diena, a former full member of Cultura Pays Vie—the band run by materials for industrial development of the countries of the north of the planet.

This intercontinental division of labour constitutes a major brake to its socioeconomic takeoff not only because it keeps African leaders bound hand and foot, but mainly because, at the civil society level, it occults a truth: here in Africa does exist a social capital capable of propelling talents upwards and turning them into safe assets for the continent’s prosperity. This social capital comprises men and women of big heart, ready to unconditionally and unselfishly promote Africans who entertain great dreams for the continent. Jean-Paul Mbuyamba is one of them. Who is this man?

Jean-Paul Mbuyamba is a Congolese businessman residing in South Africa. He runs a prosperous businessFelix Wazekua, aka Mukuwa Bongo—who later on joined Koffi “Sarkozy” Olomide’s Quartier Latin before founding his own group. Indeed, although Joss Diena had already gotten a producer in the person of Claude Mashala, Mbuyamba, who firmly believes in this young singer’s artistic potential, invited him in South Africa in order to bring much more into the realization of his album.

It is important to note that, without any intention of reaping proceeds thereafter, he sponsored the artist’s travel and stay in Johannesburg, Durban and other South African cities; similarly he paid all the fees for the disc’s arrangement and the realization of its clips.

This promotional work is a living testimony of the unique character of Mbuyamba’s personality: he is a rare baobab in the Sahara desert of the rough pitiless capitalism that rules over Africa and the world today.

Thus he must be aware of the fact that in Africa do live talents—especially in the arts’ field—which are sleeping for lack of funding, and that financially assisting them is to become his apostolate. Then he could be numbered amongst the fathers of the continent’s delayed socioeconomic and cultural development.