Paul Panda Farnana M'Fumu | |
|---|---|
 Paul Panda Farnana in 1921 | |
| Born | 1888 Zemba-lez-Moanda,Bas-Congo Province,Congo Free State |
| Died | 12 May 1930(1930-05-12) (aged 41–42) Matadi, Belgian Congo |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Education | Horticultural and agricultural school in Vilvoorde, Institute for tropical agriculture in Nogent-sur-Marne |
| Occupation(s) | Agronomist, Activist |
| Known for | First Congolese intellectual, Anti-colonial activism |
| Notable work | Participation in Pan-African Congresses, Critique of Belgian colonial practices |
| Parent(s) | Luizi Fernando (father), N'Sengo (mother) |
Paul Panda Farnana M'Fumu (1888 – 12 May 1930) was a Congolese agronomist and expatriate who lived inEurope in the first decades of the 1900s. He has been considered to be the first Congolese intellectual.
Paul Panda Farnana was born in Zemba-lez-Moanda,Bas-Congo Province,Congo Free State in 1888. He was the son of Luizi Fernando, a government-appointed chief,[1] and a woman named N'Sengo.[2] A Belgian official, Lieutenant Jules Derscheid, offered to bring Farnana toBelgium to receive an education. He accepted, and they arrived inBrussels on 25 April 1900.[1] Once there, Dersheid turned custody of Farnana over to his sister, Louise. Farnana was brought up in an upper-class setting. Louise educated him in music and drawing and sent him to the Athénée Royal d'Ixelles for a secondary education.[3] In 1904, he passed an entrance exam and was enrolled in a horticultural and agricultural school inVilvoorde, graduating three years later with distinction. In 1908, Farnana studied at an institute for tropical agriculture inNogent-sur-Marne, Paris,France. That same year he studied English inMons.[1] This education made him the first Congolese to ever receive a diploma of higher education in Belgium.[4]
In 1909, Farnana was hired as an agricultural specialist by the Belgian colonial government which had since transformed the Congo Free State into theBelgian Congo. In June, he was assigned to theBotanic Garden of Eala, nearCoquilhatville.[1]
Shortly before the outbreak ofWorld War I Farnana was living in Belgium. WhenBelgium was invaded by Germany in 1914, Farnana enlisted in theBelgian Army.[5] He served with the Korps der Congolese Vrijwilligers (Congolese Volunteers Corps) during theSiege of Namur. On 23 August 1914, he was taken prisoner inLiège, together withJoseph Adipanga andAlbert Kudjabo, and deported to Germany where he spent the remainder of the war.[6][7] After his release, he founded an association known as theUnion Congolaise to advocate for the interests of other Congolese veterans of the war.[5]
Farnana participated in the first and secondPan-African Congresses in 1919 and 1921, respectively. He also attended theFirst National Belgian Colonial Congress in 1920.[8] He actively criticized Belgian colonial practices, arguing that the ban on forced labour in the Congo was not being consistently applied and education for the native population was inadequate. He also called for the Congolese to be granted political rights.[9]
In 1929, Farnana went toMatadi to manage anoil mill. He died there nine months later.[10]
Farnana is considered by historians to be the first Congolese intellectual.[8]
Farnana's work was largely forgotten by the public until Congolese historians began uncovering details about his life in the 1970s and 1980s. A Belgian documentary was made about him in 2008.[11]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
