A portrait of Jean-Bellow Melameka: A Congolese leaders and People’S Guardian

Jean-Bellow Melameka is a Congolese expert in communication, international negotiator, rural development initiator and economic strategist. He benefited from United States policy of supporting African youth in the 80s by studying in most prestigious universities of Europe. He got linked up with advisor to former US president George W. Bush Senior at the time western powers were thinking the end of the Cold War against Eastern Block. At the time, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) was under severe observance due to the failure of structural adjustment programs financed by International Monetary Funds. Jean-Bellow Melameka played a key role in bringing the mind of President Jacques Chirac, President Bill Clinton, President Nelson Mandela and some African leaders’ in different meetings to convince head of states on the new geopolitical set up after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Jean-Bellow Melameka has been playing politics in silence since his main role in negotiating join supply operations for Armed Forces of Zaire against possible invasion. He traveled to regional countries trying to bring protagonists to the table with the aim of ending Angola long civil war between MPELA and UNITA. The French Prime Minister LIONEL Jospin had so much consideration in quiet diplomacy that he conferred power to Jean-Bellow Melameka to elaborate a manifesto for the protection of Congo’s resources during war time. The same project was considered in multiples regional meetings and international peace process between Laurent Desire Kabila and rebels groups during the second Congo War. He helped contact persons of both French presidents Nicholas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande to understand the misery of Congolese people in order to develop a perspective of peace between the Congolese government and regional countries.

Jean-Bellow Melameka is Banalia is origaninally from Banalia, a territory and a locality of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the north-central part of the country, 1,300 km northeast of the capital Kinshasa. This area is very rich in minerals and forest diversity. After over 60 years of independence, the territory of Banalia is still inaccessible, rural, unlooked for and over exploited by Chinese companies through contracts that are benefiting some leaders through corruption and machination of population.

Jean-Bellow Melameka is leaving his comfort of well recognized international figure at global politics to focus on local matters in the Province of Tshopo. Most of his colleagues and politicians who work with him affirm that he has a sense of an effective leadership which includes courage, strength, the ability to communicate effectively, knowledge, judgment, integrity, and interpersonal skills. His particularly important quality is vision, along with the power to implement that vision. He wants to end impunity regarding the resources of Tshopo which shall benefit the people instead of egoistic interest that lead to obsolesce of manners. People of Banalia see him as their spokesperson because he can reach the central government in Kinshasa. Currently, Jean-Bellow Melameka is building a structure that will help the elite and leaders of Tshopo to address problems of the province while tackling issues that are bleeding its population’s hope. His entries in Kinshasa make him in the favorite position for political leadership. His integrity is unquestionable from the experience related by great figures of DR Congo such as the late Cardinal Monsengwo, current president Felix Tshisekedi and many others.

This is the kind of heroes our editorial committee would like to introduce to people because corruption, impunity, hostility, demagogy and destruction are contradicting the vision of a better Congo especially within provinces that are out of reach.