The Republic of Congo counts one of the most exciting historical evolutions in the Central African sub-region with six leaders having led the country. President Denis Sassou N’Guesso has been busy within the past days in Brazzaville coordinating activities ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Congo that comes up on Sunday August 15, 2010. On Wednesday, President Sassou inaugurated phase one of the construction of a modern infrastructure at the Maya Maya International Airport in Brazzaville, estimated at FCFA 81 billion by a Chinese company and a 17m tall Anniversary monument that will henceforth mark one of the main touristic attractions in Brazzaville.

Despite criticism of growing poverty and hardship in the midst of rich natural resources in Congo, President Sassou’s efforts in stabilising Congo after some 26 years of governance appear evident. He first came to power in 1979 before being voted out in 1992 for Pascal Lissouba to take over until 1997 when President Sassou return as Head of State after a civil war. President Sassou in 2002 piloted a referendum that gave Congo a new Constitution under which he was elected on March 10 that same year as President for seven years. On July 12, 2009, he was re-elected for another seven-year mandate. Congolese today hail Mr Sassou for normalising the political life in the country and for transforming the capital city, Brazzaville, into a huge work place where reconstruction sites on major infrastructure such as roads, telecommunication and others is going on.

In effect, the 50 years of political and economic independence that the Republic of Congo will be celebrating on Sunday could be traced back to the 1944 Brazzaville Conference during which France General de Gaulle opened up for French colonies in the Central African Sub-region to begin political activities towards their claim for freedom from French domination.

The spill over of the spirit of nationalism generated by the Brazzaville Conference was equally felt in Cameroon where the quest for freedom from colonial rule heightened. Cameroon was later to play a key role in the Independence of Congo with the first leader in the country, Abbé Fulbet Youlou, who ruled the country from 1960 to 1963, being a product of the Minor Seminary in Brazzaville, from where he moved to Akono Seminary and later to the Major Seminary in Yaounde where he developed a flare for Philosophy and created contacts with Barthélémy Boganda of the Republic of Central Africa, a student of the same institution. But his decision in 1963 to install a single political party and his removal of a pistol in Parliament to oblige parliamentarians withdraw a vote of no confidence against him in 1960 made him one of the most controversial leaders in Congolese history.

From 13 to 15 August 1963, President Youlou not only imposed a single party regime but decided to imprison leaders of syndicates and that led to what is known in Congo as the “Trios Glorieuses” revolution that brought in Alphonse Massamba-Débat as President from 1963 to 1968. He was elected only by parliamentarians. When he resigned on September 4, the post of President became vacant with Alfred Raoul as interim until December 31, that same year when Marien Ngouabi became President up to March 18, 1977, date of his assassination and the accession to power of Joachim Yhombi Opango.

Denis Sassou N’Guessou came into the picture on February 5, 1979 following the destitution of Yhombi Opango by the Parti congolais du travail (PCT). He lost elections on August 16, 1992 to Pascal Lissouba who failed to manage the country to the satisfaction of some key political actors in Congo and on June 5, 1997 a civil war broke out. It raged on till October 25, 1997 when Sassou Nguessou took over command again as Head of State until date.

During his electoral campaign last year, he promised a way forward in his slogan “chemin d’avenir” to the over three million Congolese who are anxiously waiting to see their living conditions change for the better thanks to Sassou N’Guesso’s leadership. He asked God for pardon over their wrongs on Wednesday evening during an inter-religious service to mark the start of Independence festivities, expressing the desire that the country should witness 50 years of peace, stability and progress in future.

While Congolese celebrate the memories of those who fought hard for the country to exist, it is also time to reflect over concrete steps to render life comfortable for the masses by avoiding the errors of the past.