Mbandaka, 23 March 2011 – Jerôme Bokele is 44 years old. He now sits as a provincial Member of Parliament for his party, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). As a newcomer to the Assembly and owing to his unusual cultural and social background, he pledges to do politics differently. His tenure had generated some controversy for three months, before it was eventually validated during a plenary session on March 12.

This is an historic moment not only for him but also for his Equateur Province and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a whole. Indeed, never had a member of the Pygmy minority been elected a Parliamentarian.

Mr. Bokele was born on 7 May 1967, in Bolenge village, in the Ingende territory, some 200 kilometers South West of the provincial capital, Mbandaka. He is the second in a family of three siblings. His childhood, as he put it, was difficult that "anyone can hardly imagine".

Having completed his primary school education, Bokele was 27 years when he started secondary school at the KasaBale-Longa Institute. "You had to walk 28 kilometers both ways each day, to and from school," he said.

Obtaining his secondary school diploma in 1999, he began his professional career as an elementary school teacher in Ekombe village, also in his native Ingende territory. In the last five months, he combined his teaching position with that of interim Head of the school.

Honorable Bokele says he is "very happy" with his election, "because what happened is like a dream come true. I have never imagined myself becoming a Member of Parliament. It is a source of great pride for my people."

As a newly elected Member of the provincial Assembly, Honorable Bokele said he intends to defend the interests of his province, and stands ready to doing politics differently, notably by staying in tune with his support base and his community. He also pledges not to remain on the margins of society because of his Pygmy origins. He is married and father of a 17-year-old son.

Jean-Tobie Okala/MONUSCO