Engagement et responsabilité de l'intellectuel congolais: hier, aujourd'hui et demain.

Almost all African countries have been confronted to different crises since independence. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a paradigmatic case of this African state in a permanent crisis. The question, which is often asked, is where Congolese intellectuals have gone and what has been their contribution to the resolution of the crisis. This article is based on the deplorable silence, resignation or complicity of Congolese intellectuals in critical situations where the nation was in peril. It urges them to rethink their role at a moment when the nation is going through an unprecedented crisis and calls for a new generation of intellectuals able to take up the challenge of state reconstruction and defend the interests of their people as part and parcel of their social responsibility. It first revisits the concepts of intellectual and elite which are sometimes used confusingly despite the fact that they are not synonymous. It then considers critically the long history of resignation of Congolese intellectuals and reflects on the intellectual of tomorrow in the Congolese context. In the author's view, a crisis is not necessarily a handicap. It can also be an opportunity for a renewal and a critical moment which helps diagnose a situation, administer a therapy and sets in motion transformative forces for the society. It challenges intellectuals more than any other members of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]