IKENGE

Ikenge (circa 1850- December 20, 1883) was prominent in the early history of Mbandaka, present capital of the Equateur region in Zaire. Like many other chiefs of the region, Ikenge welcomed the first whites to his village, Wangata, hoping to gain political and economic benefits from their presence. But when he realised the Europeans would not bend to his direction, he tried, without success, to force them out of his territory.

Ikenge was chief of Wangata, a village inhabited by the Kundu people, who live in the area southeast of what is now Mbandaka, on the Equator. Wangata was one of about 20 densely populated Kundu towns located on the Zaire River southward from where it is joined by the Ruki River. While these villages vied among themselves for political and commercial advantages, the largest Kundu trade centres were at Mkoli and Bolukwansamba, where Bobangi merchants from Irebu and Lolanga had settled. In addition to the competition between Kundu villages near the river, there was rivalry between the villages of the hinterland and the ones on the river bank. As a result of this, Kundu people from Wangata, whose village originally had been located away from the river, moved closer to the water to circumvent other Kundu middlemen.

Ikenge, the chief of the Wangata-Libongas, or river-bank-Wangatas, was described as a small, heavily built man with a short neck and extremely broad shoulders. Having succeeded the former chief Soka Toungi, he cultivated ambitions of gaining great influence throughout the entire Kundu community. To achieve his goals, he relied on magical powers he had learned from his aunt Kungulu, a soothsayer and a healer. Ikenge’s best opportunity for advancement came in June 1883 when Henry M. Stanley and other agents of Leopold II’s International Association of the Congo (A.I.C.) arrived in the area.

Although Stanley began constructing a station near the Ikelemba River on the Equator, Ikenge succeeded in persuading the explorer and his men to relocate to Ikenge’s own village. There, he signed a friendship pact, first with Stanley and then with Van Geèle, giving them 200 meters of land along the Zaire River in the southernmost part of his village.

Once the whites had settled, Ikenge tried to reap economic profits from their presence. Besides the rent in the form of gifts he received from the station, he levied taxes on traders from other groups who came to deal with the whites. He was, however, unsuccessful in obtaining help from the station to subject his neighbours and enemies. Since they had not come to serve the interests of one local chief, the whites became alarmed. In a letter Coquilhat wrote:

It did not take the Commander of the Equator Station long to realise that he could not depend in any way on Ikenge. An unimportant person, this chief aspires to great power and wealth; and he thinks the White men have come into the country to help him achieve his aim. We would have readily supported him, if he had peaceful views… and desired an alliance.

But while pretending in his speeches that he is a great friend, he causes us a lot of trouble. Not only does he claim the right to tax his neighbours who sell us provisions, he constantly challenges the clauses of our agreement with him… Not satisfied with that, he tried to involve us in a series of unjust quarrels with the most peaceful villages. Fortunately, until now, the other chiefs have been unwilling to join in his activities.

In reaction to Ikenge’s provocations, the whites tried to neutralise him by signing treaties with his neighbours: Minkoto, chief of Mbandaka; Mokabo, chief of inland Wangata, and Molila, chief of Mokoli. Molila promised them land for settlement should they choose to leave Wangata. At Wangata itself, the whites tried to weaken Ikenge by encouraging competition from two other young men: Isambi and Losala-Djouma. Ikenge, however, refused to give in and defended his commercial rights by levying taxes on all transactions at the station.

Finally, after the Europeans refused to pay any more rent for the station, a struggle erupted which involved Ikenge, the other local Africans, and the A.I.C. station. On December 11, 1883, Ikenge ordered an economic blockade of the station. Forced into action, on December 20 Van Gèle and Coquilhat attacked Wangata village. In the ensuing battle, Ikenge, along with five of his men, was killed. He did not die, however, before killing a Zanzibar soldier with his spear. Even though Ikenge had fallen, Wangata’s allies kept up the attack and destroyed part of the station before finally retreating.

After Ikenge’s death, Chief Molila of Mokoli village became the primary link between the Africans and the Europeans. To encourage Africans to deal with the Europeans, he emphasised the economic advantages they now enjoyed since  Ikenge’s death had eliminated the annoying taxes. After some time, the other villages followed Molila’s example and trade at the station returned to normal. To achieve a lasting peace, however, the whites had to compensate Chief Mokabo, a close relative of Ikenge.

From this time on, the Equator Station became a pole of economic and political activity. In 1886, the newly created Congo Free State transferred the Equator Station at Wangata to the Société Anonyme Belge pour la Commerce du Haut-Congo (S.A.B.; the Belgian trading Company of the Upper Congo). In 1891 the centre was moved to Mbandaka village, at the confluence of the Ruki and Zaire rivers, where it was given the name Coquilhatville. More recently, in 1966, Coquilhatville, by then a large city, was renamed Mbandaka. Despite the many changes, Wangata has been part of this town for a long time and is now the name of one of the city’s main areas.

Although personally unsuccessful in his dealings with the agents of European imperialism, Ikenge was influential in laying the groundwork for the future city of Mbandaka.

MUMBANZA mwa BAWELE  na NYABAKOMBI ENSOBATO