Gbadolite: Difference between revisions

Gbadolite
Gbadolite
Provincial capital and city
	Ville de Gbadolite
	Aerial view of the town
	Gbadolite Location in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
	Coordinates: 4°17′N 21°01′E / 4.283°N 21.017°E
Land	DR Congo
Province	Nord-Ubangi
Zone (territoire) de Gbadolite	December 8, 1972
Cité de Gbadolite	March 25, 1982
Ville de Gbadolite	January 10, 1987
Regierung
• Mayor	André-Teddy Kapalata
Area
• Total	278 km2 (107 sq mi)
Elevation	462 m (1,516 ft)
Population (2015 estimate)
• Total	198,839
• Density	720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)
Climate	Am

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Gbadolite or Gbado-Lite (pronounced [ɡ͡badolite]) is the capital of Nord-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Ubangi River at the border to the Central African Republic and 1,150 kilometres (710 mi) northeast of the national capital Kinshasa. Gbadolite was the ancestral home and residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later self-styled as Mobutu Sese Seko where airport, colleges, malls, supermarkets and libraries were built by the President in a program of modernization. Gbadolite is where Mobutu led the summit that would produce the Gbadolite Declaration, a short lived ceasefire in the Angolan Civil War, in 1989.

History

Mobutu built Gbadolite into a luxurious town often nicknamed "Versailles of the Jungle".^[4] He built a hydroelectric dam on the nearby Ubangi River in Mobayi Mbongo, an international airport, Gbadolite Airport, which could accommodate a Concorde, and three large palaces. As a result, the people of the town had no trouble finding jobs. During Mobutu's regime, Gbadolite also had companies such as CDIA Zaire for farming productions, SOZAGEC for road construction, and SAFRICAS for house construction. The town had a general hospital with high tech facilities, supermarkets or malls, which were destroyed in 1997. Gbadolite had also College Presidentiel, a high school famous for its academic excellence and administered by Jesuit Fathers to whom Mobutu gave the school. This school had a chemistry lab, physics lab, computer lab, Olympic game facilities, and band instruments of all kinds. The town was also famous for its Chapelle Marie la Misericorde, a luxurious church in which Mobutu buried his first wife, Mama Mobutu.

Two palaces were built outside Gbadolite at Kawele. One was an elaborate complex of Chinese pagodas, while the other was a modern mansion. Both were used as residences for Mobutu and guests. The three-story palace in Gbadolite was used primarily for public functions.

Mobutu also built a nuclear bunker that could house more than 500 people and was the largest in Africa; this was the only nuclear bunker in Central Africa. The bunker was connected to the Ubangui River by a secret tunnel, giving access to the military harbour at the village of N'dangi.^[5]

When Laurent Kabila successfully led a rebellion and ousted Mobutu in 1997, Gbadolite was raided, and most of what was in the palaces was looted.^[6] The palaces are now being overrun by vegetation.

In 1998, the Ugandan backed MLC (Mouvement de Libération du Congo) rebel group, led by Jean-Pierre Bemba, captured Gbadolite from Kabila's government and it became the MLC's headquarters.

Gallery

Site of the former Mobutu palace (ransacked)
Soldiers belonging to opposition forces in Gbadolite
Gbadolite Airport

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Villes de RD Congo - Gbado-Lite" (in French). MONUC. 2006-05-29. Archived from the original on 2006-07-25. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
^ Kapalata, André-Teddy (1 April 2023). "L'invité". Journal Francais (Interview) (in French) (7 and 8 am ed.). Gbadolite: Radio Okapi. 14:09 minutes in. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
^ "Ville de Gbadolite". CAID. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
^ "Legacy of corrupt and ruthless dictator who built Versailles in the jungle". The Independent. London. May 5, 1997. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
^ L'Express, 22 December 2008, page 13
^ Michela Wrong (2000). In the footsteps of Mr Kurtz: living on the brink of disaster in the Congo. Fourth Estate Ltd (Harpercollins Publishers). p. 229. ISBN 1-84115-421-0.

Bibliography

Nagifi, Valentin (2003). Les derniers jours de Mobutu à Gbado-Lite (Congo-Zaïre) (in French) (Archive congolaise ed.). Paris: L'Harmattan. ISBN 2-7475-3623-8.

External links

Smith, David (10 February 2015). "Where Concorde once flew: the story of President Mobutu's 'African Versailles'". The Guardian.
"Inside Mobutu's ruined jungle palace in DR Congo". BBC. 8 October 2013.

4°17′N 21°01′E / 4.283°N 21.017°E / 4.283; 21.017

[monuc-1] "Villes de RD Congo - Gbado-Lite" (in French). MONUC. 2006-05-29. Archived from the original on 2006-07-25. Retrieved 2008-09-16.

[2] Kapalata, André-Teddy (1 April 2023). "L'invité". Journal Francais (Interview) (in French) (7 and 8 am ed.). Gbadolite: Radio Okapi. 14:09 minutes in. Retrieved 14 September 2023.

[caid-3] "Ville de Gbadolite". CAID. Retrieved 5 August 2019.

[LegacyOfCorrupt-4] "Legacy of corrupt and ruthless dictator who built Versailles in the jungle". The Independent. London. May 5, 1997. Retrieved December 17, 2010.

[5] L'Express, 22 December 2008, page 13

[6] Michela Wrong (2000). In the footsteps of Mr Kurtz: living on the brink of disaster in the Congo. Fourth Estate Ltd (Harpercollins Publishers). p. 229. ISBN 1-84115-421-0.

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[2]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Infobox settlement
  | name                     = Gbadolite
- | official_name            = Ville de Gbadolite
+ | official_name            = ''Ville de Gbadolite''
+ | settlement_type          = Provincial capital and [[Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|city]]
  | image_skyline            = Gbadolite aerial view.jpg
  | image_caption            = Aerial view of the town
  | pushpin_map              = Democratic Republic of the Congo
  | map_caption              = Location in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
- | coordinates_region       = CD
  | subdivision_type         = Country
  | subdivision_name         = [[DR Congo]]
  | subdivision_type1        = [[Provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Province]]
- | subdivision_name1        = [[Equateur]]
+ | subdivision_name1        = [[Nord-Ubangi]]
- | subdivision_type2        = [[Districts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|District]]
+ | subdivision_type2        =
- | subdivision_name2        = [[Nord-Ubangi District|Nord-Ubangi]]
+ | subdivision_name2        =
  | established_title        = Zone (territoire) de Gbadolite
- | established_date         = December 8, 1972<ref name="monuc">{{cite web|url=http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=11210|title=Villes de RD Congo - Gbado-Lite|date=2006-05-29|publisher=[[United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo|MONUC]]|language=French|accessdate=2008-09-16}}</ref>
+ | established_date         = December 8, 1972<ref name="monuc">{{cite web|url=http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=11210|title=Villes de RD Congo - Gbado-Lite|date=2006-05-29|publisher=[[United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo|MONUC]]|language=French|accessdate=2008-09-16|archive-date=2006-07-25|archive-url=https://archive.today/20060725190121/http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=11210|url-status=dead}}</ref>
  | established_title2       = Cité de Gbadolite
  | established_date2        = March 25, 1982<ref name="monuc"/>
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
  | government_type          =
  | leader_title             = Mayor
+ | leader_name              = André-Teddy Kapalata<ref>{{cite interview |last=Kapalata |first=André-Teddy |title=L'invité |work=Journal Francais |date=1 April 2023 |minutes=14:09 |edition=7 and 8 am |publisher=[[Radio Okapi]] |lang=fr |location=Gbadolite |url=https://www.radiookapi.net/journal-journal-francais/journal-francais-44 |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref>
- | leader_name              = Ngbabesi Crispin<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rodhecic.org/article.php3?id_article=279|title=Nomination dans la territoriale : Les maires et les bourgmestres désignés|date=2005-07-14|publisher=Réseau d'Organisations des Droits Humains et d'Education Civique d'Inspiration Chrétienne (RODHECIC)|language=French|accessdate=2008-09-23}}</ref>
- | area_magnitude           = 1 E+6
  | area_total_sq_mi         =
  | area_total_km2           = 278
  | area_land_sq_mi          =
  | area_footnotes           = <ref name="monuc"/>
- | population_as_of         = 2004
+ | population_as_of         = 2015 estimate
+ | population_footnotes     = <ref name="caid">{{cite web |title=Ville de Gbadolite |url=https://www.caid.cd/index.php/donnees-par-villes/ville-de-gbadolite/?domaine=fiche |website=CAID |accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
- | population_footnotes     = <ref name="monuc"/>
- | population_total         = 113,807
+ | population_total         = 198,839
- | population_density_km2   = 408
+ | population_density_km2   = auto
  | population_density_sq_mi =
  | timezone                 = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
  | utc_offset               = +1
+ | coordinates              = {{coord|4|17|N|21|01|E|region:CD|display=inline}}
- | latd  = 4 | latm  = 17 | lats  =  | latNS  = N
- | longd = 21 | longm = 01 | longs =  | longEW = E
  | elevation_footnotes      =
  | elevation_ft             =
  | elevation_m              = 462
+ | blank_name               = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
+ | blank_info               = [[Tropical monsoon climate|Am]]
  | website                  =
  | footnotes                =
 }}
-'''Gbadolite''' or '''Gbado-Lite''' (pronounced {{IPA-xx|ɡ͡badolite|}}) is the capital of the [[Nord-Ubangi District]] in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. The town is located {{convert|12|km}} south of the [[Ubangi River]] at the border to the [[Central African Republic]] and {{convert|1150|km}} northeast of the national capital [[Kinshasa]]. Gbadolite was the [[ancestral home]] and the residence of [[Mobutu Sese Seko]], the President of [[Zaire]] from 1965 to 1997.
+'''Gbadolite''' or '''Gbado-Lite''' (pronounced {{IPA-xx|ɡ͡badolite|}}) is the capital of [[Nord-Ubangi Province]] in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. The town is located {{convert|12|km}} south of the [[Ubangi River]] at the border to the [[Central African Republic]] and {{convert|1150|km}} northeast of the national capital [[Kinshasa]]. Gbadolite was the [[ancestral home]] and residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later self-styled as [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] where airport, colleges, malls, supermarkets and libraries were built by the President in a program of modernization. Gbadolite is where Mobutu led the summit that would produce the [https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/AO_890622_GbadoliteDeclarationOnAngola.pdf Gbadolite Declaration], a short lived ceasefire in the Angolan Civil War, in 1989.
 ==History==
-Mobutu built Gbadolite into a luxurious town often nicknamed "[[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] of the Jungle".<ref name="LegacyOfCorrupt">{{cite news |url =http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/legacy-of-corrupt-and-ruthless-dictator-who-built-versailles-in-the-jungle-1259907.html | title =Legacy of corrupt and ruthless dictator who built Versailles in the jungle | accessdate =December 17, 2010 | publisher =The Independent | location=London | date=May 5, 1997}}</ref>  He built a [[hydroelectric dam]] on the nearby [[Ubangi River]] in [[Mobayi Mbongo]], an international airport, [[Gbadolite Airport]], which could accommodate [[Concorde]], and three large [[palace]]s.  As a result, the people of the town had no trouble finding jobs, often as servants. During Mobutu's regime, Gbadolite had also companies such as [[CDIA Zaire]] for farming productions, [[SOZAGEC]] for road constructions, and [[SAFRICAS]] for house constructions. The town had a [[Hospital#Types|General Hospital]] with high tech facilities which were destroyed in 1997. Gbadolite had also [[College Presidentiel]], a [[high school]] famous for its academic excellence and administered by [[Jesuits|Jesuit Fathers]] to whom Mobutu gave the school. This School had a chemistry lab, physics lab, computer lab, olympic game facilities, band instruments of all kinds. The town was also famous for its [[Chapelle Marie la Misericorde]], a luxurious church in which Mobutu buried his first wife [[Mama Mobutu]].
+Mobutu built Gbadolite into a luxurious town often nicknamed "[[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] of the Jungle".<ref name="LegacyOfCorrupt">{{cite news |url =https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/legacy-of-corrupt-and-ruthless-dictator-who-built-versailles-in-the-jungle-1259907.html | title =Legacy of corrupt and ruthless dictator who built Versailles in the jungle | accessdate =December 17, 2010 | work =The Independent | location=London | date=May 5, 1997}}</ref>  He built a [[hydroelectric dam]] on the nearby [[Ubangi River]] in [[Mobayi Mbongo]], an international airport, [[Gbadolite Airport]], which could accommodate a [[Concorde]], and three large [[palace]]s.  As a result, the people of the town had no trouble finding jobs. During [[Zaire|Mobutu's regime]], Gbadolite also had companies such as [[CDIA Zaire]] for farming productions, [[SOZAGEC]] for road construction, and [[SAFRICAS]] for house construction. The town had a [[Hospital#Types|general hospital]] with high tech facilities, supermarkets or malls, which were destroyed in 1997. Gbadolite had also [[College Presidentiel]], a [[high school]] famous for its academic excellence and administered by [[Jesuits|Jesuit Fathers]] to whom Mobutu gave the school. This school had a chemistry lab, physics lab, computer lab, Olympic game facilities, and band instruments of all kinds. The town was also famous for its [[Chapelle Marie la Misericorde]], a luxurious church in which Mobutu buried his first wife, [[Mama Mobutu]].
-Two palaces were built outside Gbadolite at [[Kawele]].  One an elaborate complex of Chinese [[pagoda]]s and the other a modern mansion, these were used as residences for [[Mobutu]] and guests. The three storey palace in Gbadolite was used primarily for public functions.
+Two palaces were built outside Gbadolite at [[Kawele]].  One was an elaborate complex of Chinese [[pagoda]]s, while the other was a modern mansion. Both were used as residences for [[Mobutu]] and guests. The three-story palace in Gbadolite was used primarily for public functions.
-Mobutu also built a nuclear bunker, that could house more than 500 people and was the largest in Africa and the only nuclear bunker in Central Africa. The bunker was connected to the Ubangui River by a secret tunnel, giving access to the military harbour at the village of [[N'dangi]].<ref>L'Express, 22. December 2008, page 13</ref>
+Mobutu also built a nuclear bunker that could house more than 500 people and was the largest in Africa; this was the only nuclear bunker in Central Africa. The bunker was connected to the Ubangui River by a secret tunnel, giving access to the military harbour at the village of [[N'dangi]].<ref>''L'Express'', 22 December 2008, page 13</ref>
-When [[Laurent Kabila]] successfully led a rebellion and ousted [[Mobutu]] from power in 1997, Gbadolite was raided, and most of what was in the palaces was looted. The palaces are now being overrun by vegetation.
+When [[Laurent Kabila]] successfully led [[First Congo War|a rebellion and ousted Mobutu]] in 1997, Gbadolite was raided, and most of what was in the palaces was looted.<ref>{{cite book |title=In the footsteps of Mr Kurtz: living on the brink of disaster in the Congo |author=Michela Wrong |authorlink=Michela Wrong |year=2000 |isbn=1-84115-421-0 |page=229 |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Fourth Estate Ltd (Harpercollins Publishers)]]}}</ref> The palaces are now being overrun by vegetation.
-In 1998 the [[Uganda]]n backed MLC ([[Mouvement de Libération du Congo]]) rebel group, led by [[Jean-Pierre Bemba]], captured Gbadolite from Kabila's government and it became the MLC's headquarters.
+In 1998, the [[Uganda]]n backed MLC ([[Mouvement de Libération du Congo]]) rebel group, led by [[Jean-Pierre Bemba]], captured Gbadolite from Kabila's government and it became the MLC's headquarters.
+==Gallery==
 <gallery>
 File:Gbadolite mobutu palace site.jpg|Site of the former Mobutu palace (ransacked)
-Image:Gbadolite.jpg|Soldiers belonging to oppositions forces in Gbadolite
+File:Gbadolite.jpg|Soldiers belonging to opposition forces in Gbadolite
+File:Gbado-Lite airport reception hall.jpg|Gbadolite Airport
 </gallery>
-== See also ==
+==See also==
 * [[Gbadolite Airport]]
@@ Line 70: / Line 73: @@
 ==External links==
+{{Wikivoyage}}
-* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24386990 Gbadolite on the BBC]
+*{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=David|title=Where Concorde once flew: the story of President Mobutu's 'African Versailles'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/feb/10/where-concorde-once-flew-the-story-of-president-mobutus-african-versailles|work=The Guardian|date=10 February 2015}}
+*{{cite news|title=Inside Mobutu's ruined jungle palace in DR Congo|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24386990|publisher=BBC|date=8 October 2013}}
 {{Coord|4|17|N|21|01|E|region:CD_type:city|display=title}}
@@ Line 76: / Line 81: @@
 [[Category:Gbadolite| ]]
-[[Category:Populated places in Équateur]]
 [[Category:Ubangi River]]
+[[Category:Cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]

v t e Capitals of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bandundu (Kwilu) Boende (Tshuapa) Bukavu (Sud-Kivu) Bunia (Ituri) Buta (Bas-Uele) Gbadolite (Nord-Ubangi) Gemena (Sud-Ubangi) Goma (Nord-Kivu) Inongo (Mai-Ndombe) Isiro (Haut-Uele) Kabinda (Lomami) Kalemie (Tanganyika) Kamina (Haut-Lomami) Kananga (Kasai-Central) Kenge (Kwango) Kindu (Maniema) Kisangani (Tshopo) Kolwezi (Lualaba) Lisala (Mongala) Lubumbashi (Haut‑Katanga) Lusambo (Sankuru) Matadi (Kongo Central) Mbandaka (Équateur) Mbuji-Mayi (Kasaï Oriental) Tshikapa (Kasaï)		Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Provinces are shown between brackets