Laurent_Mbariko
Laurent Jean-Pierre Mbariko (January 19, 1925 – December 30, 1972), from the Kwilu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was a prominent Congolese politician who played a significant role in Congo's independence from Belgium. After elementary schooling in Catholic missionary schools, he followed a fast-track training for teachers. After teaching in the Kwilu, he moved to Leopoldville, the capital, in the late 1940s. He became a leader in the scouting movement, and later became involved in the struggle for independence. His name is among those Congolese leaders who compiled key documents laying out the aspiration for independence from Belgium in the late 1950s.