Congo has only two seasons: dry heat and wet heat. But Moussa Don Pandzou is a child of four seasons. Or at least that is how an old man once addressed him on a street corner in a suburb of Kinshasa.
When we introduce ourselves, we often fall back on one of the many partial identities that make up who we are. Moussa Don Pandzou no longer does that. ‘I say: I am a house full of stories; just tell me which one you want to hear.’ In this book, he tells some of those stories. He does so with a voice and a perspective that are rare in Dutch-language literature. Because these are the stories of people who are rarely given the floor.
Moussa Don Pandzou, born in Brazzaville and who fled to Belgium with his family as a child, has led a remarkable life. Town squares, gangs, the police: these were part of his teenage years. But when a youth court judge sent him to a boarding school, a whole new world opened up. The son of a labourer became a youth worker, an activist and later on even an adviser to a minister, but he could never – nor did he ever want to – shake off his background.
Kind van de vier seizoenen is published by EPO.
On 8 December, Moussa Don Pandzou will present his latest book at AMOR. Psychologist and author Birsen Taspinar will be in conversation with the author and his guests: dancer, choreographer and actor Joffrey Anane, and artist Eveline Bumba.
Young B amplifies Moussa Don Pandzou’s voice with his music. With his latest album, H.O.P.E. he translates Moussa Don’s insights into a powerful artistic expression.
Moussa Don Pandzou is an activist, author, educator, documentary maker and public speaker. In 2020, he co-authored the book Yaya na Leki with Lieven Miguel Kandolo, published by EPO.
