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Interview with Illinois State University Professor, André Kapanga, Former UN Ambassador for The Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) April 2, 2001
By Nadia Crisan
Photo: Dr. Kapanga presenting his credentials to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan UN/DPI Photo by Milton Grant |
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André Kapanga, former UN Ambassador for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is currently a professor at Illinois State University. He teaches French in the Department of Foreign Languages, and Diplomacy and African Politics in the Department of Politics and Government. Professor Kapanga is married to Dr. Jill Kapanga (Physician) and has three children: Even, Rosalie and Courtney. Professor Kapanga was born in the Congo, the former Republic of Zaire. He left his country and decided to come to the US. His 11 brothers and sisters and both parents are still in the Congo, from where they have had a chance to see André Kapanga, both as a UN ambassador and a college professor. Dr. Kapanga studied at l'Université Nationale du Zaire where he received his Licence in Language Pedagogy and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and at the University of Illinois where he received his M.A. and Ph. D. in Applied Linguistics. He has also written numerous chapters in books and articles for the Washington Post and for academic journals.
ISU: When did you become interested in politics? Is there any particular reason why you chose to become involved in foreign affairs?
André Kapanga: I became involved in 1994, when I, along with some friends decided to fight the dictatorship in the Congo, to fight what Mobutu Sese Seko was doing since 1965. Therefore, in 1994, we decided to create an organization whose objective was to fight against the Mobutu regime, using non-violent means. The name of this organization was ANACOZA, the All North American Conference on Zaire, and I became the chair of the board of directors.
Q: How many people were in the organization?
A.K.: We had approximately 50 people, many of them academics from the Congo, and some Americans, friends of the Congo.
Q: What exactly did you do to fight the dictator, through non-violent means?
A.K.: We demonstrated on the streets, in Washington D.C., at the State Department, the White House, and the Congress. We also wrote letters to the French Embassy, asking for their support, and the US media to convey our view.
Q: Financially speaking, how did you manage to do this?
A.K.: It was quite hard. We did not have funds, but we, the members have all contributed as individuals. Furthermore, our organization was among the first ones which used the Internet to influence politics.
Q: What else did your organization do?
A.K.: We also provided advice for the opposition groups.
Q: Was president Laurent Kabila one of those people you advised?
A.K.: Yes, in 1996, when President Kabila started the ADFL rebellion movement our organization decided to support the ADFL, despite the fact that they were engaged in a violent rebellion.
Q: Moving from your fight against Mobutu's dictatorship to your position as a diplomat (as the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the United Nations), could you please tell us, how did you become ambassador?
A.K.: Since I was the head of the organization and we advised Kabila, when he became president of the Congo in 1997, he asked me if I wanted to serve as the Congo's ambassador to the UN.
Q: Did you know president Kabila before you became ambassador at the UN?
A.K.: No, the first time I met him was in June 1997, when I went back to Congo, after 8 years of not seeing my country at all.
Q: Since you have mentioned this could you please tell us when you first came to the US?
A.K: I came to America in 1982. First, I went to Carbondale, Southern Illinois University, and then to the University of Illinois for my Ph.D. Then, in 1991, I worked as a professor in Nebraska, and finally since 1993, I teach here at ISU.
Q: Do you miss your job as ambassador at the UN?
A.K.: No, I was the one who decided to resign. Each time you start something, definitely, you miss what you were doing, but it was my decision to leave. I decided to go back to academics. Besides this, it was for a limited period. Initially, I told myself that I would only stay for two years, but I ended up being an ambassador for three years.
Q: What are some of the recommendations that you as a former ambassador would make for students interested in international relations and in becoming diplomats?
A.K.: Diplomacy is a very interesting field. It gives you the chance to be exposed to various ways of thinking. You are dealing with different languages, cultures, ways of doing things; you need to adapt to new situations. As an ambassador, one needs to be creative and spontaneous. Sometimes, I think it was a tremendous opportunity for me to negotiate with members of the Security Council and various international organizations. However, my advice for them is to go to the university, study political science or other related fields, such as history, business, and languages. For instance, at the UN, a diplomat in the 5th commission needs to have good background in economics and business. As a diplomat, you need to specialize in something.
Q: Did you like being an ambassador?
A.K.: Yes, it was an experience that I cherished and I would never trade that for anything else. I was one of those who could set policies for my own country. I enjoyed the negotiations with members of the Security Council, working on various resolutions on the Congo. I also enjoyed meeting with other ambassadors and being a member of the ECOSOC, Human Rights Commission, and other Commissions at the UN. In addition, as representative of Congo, I had the chance to be the vice-president of the General Assembly for one year in 1997. Therefore, I had a chance to preside over the General Assembly, when the president was not there. Chairing the GA was one of the most exciting things.
Q: What is the most memorable experience you have as an ambassador at the UN?
A.K.: When we had a debate on the Palestine issue, I had to manage the debate, which was very exciting because the speakers were attacking each other.
Q: What is your favorite country, out of all the places you have visited?
A.K: As an ambassador at the UN, I had a chance to go to Greece, Chad, and Namibia. However, at the UN, my country was in the spotlight. I had to be there all the time. There were many opportunities and invitations for me to go and visit different countries, but I could not leave the UN.
Q: How did you manage to do both jobs: be a professor at ISU and an ambassador in New York at the UN?
A.K.: For the first two years, I was just an ambassador, and I spent most of the time at the UN. The third year, I did both jobs. This was a little bit harder, but I managed it.
Q: Is it hard to be an ambassador and a father or husband at the same time?
A.K.: It was quite difficult, especially, the first year I was in New York, and my family was here, in Bloomington. The second year, they joined me in New York, and then, the third year, we all moved back to Bloomington, and I was doing both jobs; which was actually the most difficult part. My decision to leave the UN was in part because of my family. I wanted to spend more time with my children, and not to be a stranger to them.
Q: Are your children interested in politics?
A.K.: Not so far, but I will make sure they know what is going on in the world. I am planning to take them on various places around the globe, so they can see and learn as much as possible about other cultures.
Q: Who were some of the ambassadors at the UN with whom you had the best relationship?
A.K.: I had a very special relationship with the ambassadors representing the Southern African Development Community (SADC). I am referring particularly to Namibia. I also had better relationships with ambassadors from Gambia, Gabon, Kenya, but also with France, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Canada, and even the US.
Q: Do you still touch bases with your colleagues at the UN?
A.K.: Yes, I do keep in contact with some of them. Actually, I am currently planning a panel discussion here at ISU with former and current ambassador colleagues, to focus on security in Africa.
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement as UN ambassador, or your legacy?
A.K.: This will be my campaign convincing the UN to be involved in the Congo. We all know that the UN is today in the Congo, and this is in part because of my efforts, and I am very proud of this.
Q: Any other memorable moments from the UN?
A.K.: Also, when I was able to get the UN to adopt the first resolution on Congo.
Q: What was the most important lesson you have learned at the UN?
A.K.: I was able to understand that in international diplomacy, hard work can payoff under extremely difficult circumstances.
Q: What is your most difficult moment, while an ambassador at the UN?
A.K.: When I had to convince my own government to let the UN troops do their job in the Congo.
Q: What is your hope for the future of the Congo?
A.K.: I hope the UN can help the Congo, and put an end to the present conflict. Hopefully, that this will not last more than one year.