Mwami Antoine Munongo Luhinda Shalo
Mwenda V. July 8th 1956 - August 6th 1976
Mwami Luhinda Shalo was born in 1905, under the tumultuous reign of Mukanda-Bantu (see Mukanda-Bantu Biography). He inherited his history from the teachings of the ancient Bayeke; those who belonged to the first generation in Katanga. Their memories were still imprinted with stories from Tanganyika and the recent events which were unfolding in front of their eyes. It should be noted that Msiri was assassinated in 1891, fourteen years before the birth of the future Luhinda. It is with this backdrop that that the life of Antoine Munongo was drawn. We are talking about a life that was rich in Yeke culture, as well as western culture. Antoine Munongo was the quintessential example of this marriage of cultures, to which so many Africans from that generation were confronted. His life was guided by Yeke principles, and forged by fathers who were aware of the challenges that Msiri’s dynasty had to meet. The Mwami Luhinda had an illustrious time in power, and bequeathed us some invaluable legacies.
Antoine Munongo’s father was the Mwami Mwenda Munongo Musanfya Ntanga, and his mother was the Mugoli (queen) Moroyi. Shortly after the birth of Antoine Munongo, his father became the Kingdom’s representative in Kibanda, in the Luba region, where his mother Queen Kabondo Ngoie was from (see Biography of Musanfya). It is for this reason that the young Antoine Munongo was, for some years, raised by his father (uncle in the western sense) the Mwami Kitanika Mabumba, who succeeded Mukanda-Bantu in 1910.
Kitanika encouraged the pursuit of education for his nephews and children alike, so that they would be able to face the Europeans, who had very little esteem for oral tradition, and African culture. For them, written history and the Cartesian way of thinking were the yardsticks with which to measure a culture. And the future Luhinda acquired his knowledge by applying himself giftedly. When he reached the secondary level, Antoine Munongo opted for the Greco Latin studies in the seminary. Higher education was discouraged to the Congolese, and Antoine Munongo, as many Congolese, could not have access to the studies of his choice. However, his intellectual abilities were so impressive that he received a loan, to further his education, for a management and economics internship in Brussels. Such opportunities were very rare, especially in those days. After his studies, Antoine Munongo worked as an interpreter at the Elizabethville courthouse (currently known as Lubumbashi), and he occupied other administrative positions in the same city.
In 1956, after a long and difficult year filled with false accusations, and a consequent house arrest in Jadotville (current Likasi), the Mwami Musanfya Ntanga passed away. Thus, on the 12th of September 1956, after being chosen as the rightful successor, Antoine Munongo was enthroned as Mwami Mwenda Luhinda Shalo (the protector/keeper of the land or kingdom). As is aforementioned, the Mwami Luhinda Shalo became, as his name indicates, the protector of our history and culture. He labored tirelessly, and translated the writings of Mukanda-Bantu and those of Kitanika. He did an inventory of the Yeke songs, which heretofore were fading. He wrote them, with the assistance of his friend Kiwele, in musical notes.
The writing of the Yeke songs was a high point, in that it gave new life to our vulnerable history, prone to man’s deficiencies. The contributions of Mwami Luhinda are plentiful. In 1957, he was one of the Congolese delegates, representing kings of the Congo and Katanga at the Round table talks in Belgium. There, he left an indelible impression. In the 60s, during the unsteady years following independence, he became the voice of wisdom that calmed the worried among our people. Through this precarious time, he decided to make Bunkeya his official residence, giving the village its glorious luster. As a result, lots of people, including his younger brother, made the journey back to Bunkeya to seek the Mwami’s counsel. During his time in Bunkeya, the Mwami modernized our traditional legal system. He oversaw major constructions and renovations, emphasized education for the young, boys or girls, and led our people from the years of colonization to independence.
In 1976, twenty years after his enthronement, the Mwami Mwenda Luhinda Shalo Antoine Munongo died in Bunkeya, surrounded by his family and the Yeke People. To this day, we use the same historical manuscripts and music books he left us. His contributions are invaluable.
The Mwami Luhinda married twice, and fathered many children. Here, we name only the potential successors, in other words men, since the system of succession in the Kingdom of the Yeke is patrilineal:
Mwenda Munongo Bernard (deceased)
Kalasa Msiri Etienne (deceased)
Kitanika Marcel (deceased)
Masuka Joseph (deceased)
Kabobo Grégoire (deceased)
Mushinkula Michel (deceased)
Likuku Godefroid
Bunana Augustin