NGONSO, SEBASTIEN

Sebastien Ngonso (circa 1940-October, 1965) was a young Congolese poet whose work expressed the anguish and suffering he experienced in life.

In the 1950s Ngonso was a highly regarded student at the Kizambi minor seminary a short distance north-west of Kikwit, where he was preparing to become a priest. During Ngonso’s final year of seminary, a tragic accident upset his plans. In October, while participating in a swimming match, he dislocated his neck while diving and became paralysed. Despite the care he received in the hospitals of Kikwit and Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), he could not use his arms and legs.

Ngonso was then sent to Belgium for treatment, where he regained some mobility, and learned how to use a typewriter. Returning to the Congo, he continued his studies, succeeded in his secondary school examinations, and in 1964, entered Lovanium University.

During these difficult years, Ngonso began to write poetry. His work spoke of his perseverance and his struggle for life. Soon, his talent became recognised, not only by his closest friends but also by a growing audience. His ability was confirmed when he won a prize in a contest sponsored by the French cultural organisation, the Alliance Française. His poetry had an accent of truth, making the anguish of a paralysed man real to all.

At a time when, through his success at the university, he appeared to have won his internal struggle, Ngonso died. In October 1965, on his return trip from a visit to his home village, which he had not visited since 1958, he was killed in an automobile accident.

In memory of Ngonso, a poetry prize bearing his name was inaugurated in 1967 by Lovanium University. Later, his name was also given to a literary circle in Kinshasa.

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