Portal:Democratic Republic of the Congo/Selected biography/5

Jean Bolikango (4 February 1909 – 17 February 1982) was a Congolese educator, writer, and conservative politician. He began his career in the Belgian Congo as a teacher in Catholic schools, and became a prominent member of Congolese society as the leader of a cultural association. He wrote an award-winning novel and worked as a journalist before turning to politics in the late 1950s. The "Republic of the Congo" became independent in 1960 and Bolikango attempted to organise a national political base that would support his bid for a prestigious office in the new government. He succeeded in establishing the Parti de l'Unité Nationale, but his attempts to secure a position in the government failed and he became a leading member of the opposition in Parliament.

As the country became embroiled in a domestic crisis, the first government was dislodged and succeeded by several different administrations. He served twice as Deputy Prime Minister, first in September 1960 and again from February to August 1962, before returning to the parliamentary opposition. After Joseph-Désiré Mobutu took power in 1965, Bolikango briefly served as a minister in his government. He left Parliament in 1975 and died seven years later.

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