NYAIYONGWA

Nyaiyongwa (circa 1885-1961) ruled the artificially-created Lobala-Likoka sector, between the Ubangi and Giri rivers northwest of present-day Makanza throughout its entire existence from 1940 to 1957.

The history of Nyaiyongwa and of the Libala-Likoka sector reflects the difficulties the Belgian authorities experienced in trying to “rationalise” their administration over the numerous, small ethnic groups living in the lower Ubangi and Giri regions.

Nyaiyongwa was born at Ikobo, a Likoka village located in the middle of the forest which grows near the channel which empties into the Giri at the Mobusi—Bomwanga village. Before the arrival of the Europeans, Ikobo—an agglomeration of small settlements was one of the most populated villages in the Giri river region.

Its inhabitants were famous warriors, known as the Ngili by the Iboko-Mabale people, of what is now Makanza. Ikobo warriors frequently attacked their eastern neighbours, the Libinza of Mobusi, the Mbonzi, the Lobo and the Iboko-Mabale. In 1898, because of Ikobo raids, Matambakemba of the Libinza village of Bosilela asked the whites to settle in his area.

In response to Matabakemba’s request, the Congo Free State officer Sommelier, whose African name was Limpanya, gathered Libinza allies from Bosilela and attacked the Ikobo. The inhabitants of Ikobo then abandoned their village and withdrew deeper into the interior. Although at first they settled at Bakandi, in 1911 the village had to be evacuated following leopard attacks. It was then that the Ikobo people founded the villages of Indonga, Iwondo, lyombo and Ngombe.

When the colonial government organised the area into chiefdoms in 1908, the Ikobo, together with the Bodjinga, were placed under the authority of their Libinza enemies. Mungembe of Bosesera (located on the Giri River 50 km, 30 mi, west of what is now Makanza) became their chief.

Nyaiyongwa’s father Mwasamotoko, who had been the Ikobo chief when the people lived at Bakandi, openly resisted Mungembe. Thus, in July 1911 Mungembe removed him from office and installed Niabongonga in his stead. Ikobo opposition to Mungembe continued, however, until 1912, when a Mobusi sub-chiefdom was created with Mohila as its ruler.

Since Mohila’s maternal uncles lived at Ikobo, the Ikobo people accepted colonial rule and began paying taxes. But the situation was complicated once again when, in 1914, the Mobusi sub-chiefdom was dissolved and included in the Bokambo chiefdom, under Chief Molonga an associate of Mungembe.

Molonga, however, was never able to dominate the Likoka, a people he rarely visited. But when Molonga’s rule ended in 1920, the Mobusi chiefdom was reestablished. Then, in 1925 Mohila was placed in charge of the entire Libinza sector. Because Mohila was a good friend of the Likoka people, government agents at Bomana, located on the Giri River 80 km (50 mi) southwest of Makanza, unhesitatingly included the Likoka in the larger Libinza polity.

During 1925, state officials made a study of the entire Likoka region. In their subsequent report, they proposed the creation of a separate Likoka chiefdom. Niaiyongwa, who was then chief of the Ikobo village of Iwondo, was one of the three candidates for the office of chief of the suggested new polity. But he was considered to be too young for the post, and Munsasa of Indonga, an Ikobo market village, was appointed instead.

Nyaiyongwa’s opportunity to rule came in 1939 when the Belgian colonial government decided to establish a Lobala-Likoka sector which would group these two peoples. Munsasa meanwhile remained head of the Likoka chiefdom, a sub-district of the sector.

In order to appease the Bolanga and Bolebo villagers who were unhappy with Ikobo domination—both Nyaiyongwa and Munsasa being Ikobo—the new headquarters for the sector were located at Bokondo instead of at Indonga, Munsasa’s village, or at Iwondo, Nyaiyongwa’s town. Nyaiyongwa began administering the sector from Bokondo in 1940.

Nyaiyongwa’s main tasks as chief were to improve the roads and waterways in the area. Although he was crippled and unable to walk far, Nyaiyongwa personally oversaw these projects. He opened a road from his headquarters at Bokondo to Mokame on the Ubangi River. He also had a road built linking Mokame and Mikolo. These roads allowed the Likoka and Lobala people to export palm oil and palm nuts, the two principal commercial products of the region.

Among his Ntanda subjects (the Ntanda being those Likoka living in the swampy river area, Nyaiyongwa insured the continuous maintenance of water channels. This allowed state officials and commercial agents from Bomongo located on the Giri River, 90 km (50 mi) southwest of what is now Makanza, access to the region. Concerned for his people’s welfare, Nyaiyongwa also had the first rural school and the first “bush” dispensary in his sector constructed at Bokondo.

Nyaiyngwa also had a deep understanding of African customs. He frequently conducted traditional legal proceedings, winning the respect of his people. Taking the attitude of a father, he knew how to punish, pardon, and protect his subjects. He also would resist orders from the Europeans when he felt these demands might place an excessive burden on the local people. Nyaiyongwa’s profound attachment to traditional values was exemplified by the fact that he, as a chief, never drank water, but only palm wine. Neither would he use a western-manufactured glass, but instead drank his wine from a handmade wooden goblet.

In 1957, the Lobala-Likoka sector was joined by the Djamba sector to the south. Nyaiyongwa, who was now an old man, lost his position and returned to his home village, Iwondo, where he died in 1961.

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