The late Gilbert Mundela shown with his family. Photo: The Gilbert Mundela Foundation.
THE GILBERT MUNDELA FOUNDATION
What is the driving force behind the foundation https://mundelafoundation.org/
We were fortunate enough to experience an upbringing that encompassed the rich traditional Congolese culture, as well as the new American world our parents were adopting. As first generation Americans, we grew up dancing to the musical greats like Tshala Muana, Papa Wemba, Koffi, Zaiko, and even learned the Ndombolo by watching all the music videos. Outside of this, we learned and assimilated with the American culture and spent much of our childhood balancing these two beliefs. Both our mother and father were actively involved in efforts to improve the Congo. While they taught us the beauties and riches of Congo, we spent much of our childhood fearful of what Congo was really like because of everything we saw and heard on the media. It wasn’t until we started coming into our teenage and adult years that we were able to truly see the greater purpose of our families belief and work for the country. As we began to mature and realize the importance of us knowing how to navigate both worlds of Congo and modern America, we began to see our path to connecting both worlds and revitalizing a country that has been taken advantage of for far too long.
“The country of Congo is very much overlooked even in conversations amongst Africans today. The branding and history of the country has carried a stigma that created a large division between Congo and potential newfound opportunities. The cultural impact Congo has also had on the world is often undermined and unrecognized due to the country’s internal friction. It will take creative and likeminded people who understand the world outside of Congo and see the beauty inside and those who truly have an unselfish desire to help the country in a positive way to create a long lasting change.”–Laurent Mundela.
“I didn’t learn much of Congo in schools but, when I was in 3rd grade my Dad came in to do a presentation about Congo in my World History class. At first, I was nervous that my classmates would not appreciate the Congo because of all the negative media, but by the end of his discourse, everyone wanted to take a trip there! He made us all see the good and believe in all the opportunity Congo has to be a strong force in this world.”–Caroline Mundela
“There is much unique greatness to the country that has been overshadowed by negative press and corruption. Now with the country’s first-ever historic democratic Presidency, which our Father was instrumental in helping make happen, we have tremendous optimism that the country will rise again and fulfill the potential it always had to be a thriving and more equitable country for its people.”-Christopher Mundela.
As we continue to work towards the development and increased growth of the foundation please join us in helping shed light on the true beauty of Congo, and help us prepare the next generations to love the country just as our Father had prepared us.
Sincerely,
Christopher, Caroline, and Laurent Mundela
The children of the late Gilbert Mundela.
New York, New York
https://mundelafoundation.org/
