Dr. K. Bunseki Fu-Kiau is one of the most distinguished and insightful scholars of African culture. Born in Manianga, Congo, he was educated in both Western and African systems of thought.
He is initiated into three major traditional “secret societies”, Lemba, Khimba and Kimpasi. These “secret societies” are in reality indigenous educational institutions. Lemba, is of particular relevance because it is the foundation for numerous African based religions and practices in the Americas, including Palo Mayombe in Cuba, Vodou Petro in Haiti, and Candomble Angola in Brazil; brought about through the transport of Central Africa’s indigenous people to the new world during the slave trade.
While teaching in the city of Kinshasa, Dr. Fu-Kiau decided to return to his home, Manianga located in the countryside. There, he founded Luyalungunu Lwa Kumba-Nsi Institute, a pioneering education center dedicated to exploring and documenting traditional Kongo culture. His research and development work at the Institute laid bare the African philosophy of ancient Bantu educational institutions, which has had a significant effect on major western scholars including Drs. Robert F. Thompson, John M. Janzen and Wyatt MacGaffey. Essentially, the cultural philosophy espoused by President Mobutu of Zaire on which he firmly established his national programme of Aughtenticite was based on the works of Fu-Kiau.
Dr. Fu-Kiau came to the United States to continue his education, and to educate Americans, particularly African Americans, about the complexity and depth of African philosophy. Since his arrival, he as done precisely that by means of various lectures and presentations. He has published numerous books and articles including Kongo Cosmology, Kumina: A Kongo-based Tradition in the New World, Kindezi: The Kongo Art of Babysitting, and Self-Healing Power and Therapy, Old Teachings from Africa. He currently resides in Boston where he works as Director of Library Services at the Suffolk County House of Correction, and as Visiting Lecturer at the Tufts University Department of Anthropology and Sociology. He has also instituted two unique courses at the Suffolk County House of Correction: The Jail That Changed My Life and The African World and Culture. These courses are currently being turned into manuscripts for publication.
Dr. Fu-Kiau’s academic background includes degrees in the areas of Cultural Anthropology (B.A.), School Administration (M.Ed.), Library Science (M.S.), and Education and Community Development (Ph.D.). An insightful scholar with a profound knowledge of Central African philosophy and Traditions, he is also a serious and committed educator with a wealth of experience, both in Africa and the United States. Dr. Fu-Kiau is a person of character, dedicated to the betterment of human-kind through tradtional African ideas and means.
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