Kinshasa, March 22nd, 2026 (CPA) – A new book entitled “Culture Saves Peoples”, highlighting Congolese culture as a genuine soft power, authored by the daughter of the late Congolese sculptor Alfred Liyolo, was launched Saturday by the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a ceremony held in Kinshasa. “The strength of a people does not come from elsewhere. It comes from within. It lies in its narratives, its symbols, its ability to create, to transmit and to recognize itself,” said Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, praising the author’s initiative and the importance of culture for a nation.
“Culture is not just a heritage but a force. *Culture Saves Peoples* is a book that builds a bridge between the past, the present and the future,” she added. Through this book, the author recounts her vision of culture as a language of peace.
For Myoto Liyolo, daughter of sculptor Alfred Liyolo, the book serves as an educational tool enabling people to learn about and deepen their cultural identity. It presents culture as a key means of transmitting collective memory. According to the author, Congolese culture is under threat of disappearance and must be promoted as a lever for the country’s recovery. “The Congo has all the assets to become a leader in African soft power. Culture saves peoples because it speaks the truth when falsehood is glorified. It saves because it unites when division is organized. It saves because it elevates when everything conspires to suppress,” she said.
For her, culture is not a luxury reserved for times of peace but a strategy of resistance, a tool for cohesion, and a lever of soft power. “Cultural diversity, artistic creation, geographical size and demography constitute an extraordinary wealth to make the DRC the African soft power by 2025,” she stressed. “This book reveals what we already know but have forgotten to say out loud: that together we are stronger than divided, that our history is richer than colonial borders. It reminds us that our culture can be the most powerful weapon against those who benefit from our silence,” said the author, who also serves as a communications officer at the Prime Minister’s Office. “I am writing this book for our children so that tomorrow they may look at the Great Lakes region not as a battlefield but as a shared land of the future. I write for artists, thinkers, builders—those who refuse to see their talent suffocated by the absurdity of wars and armed conflicts that do not concern them,” she added. “I write it for my father, whose every work is an ode to dignity and an act of patriotism,” she concluded. For her part, the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Yolande Elebe Ma Ndembo, also praised the book, describing it as a wake-up call for Congolese society regarding the role of culture.
Professor Eddy Ntambwe highlighted the relevance of the work for the country’s future, noting that culture will remain a driving force of Congo’s renewal and resilience. The ceremony featured artistic performances staged by the “Marabout Théâtre” group in collaboration with students from the National Institute of Arts. The Suminwa government promotes culture as the fourth pillar of its action program, aiming to showcase the country’s vast cultural heritage.
Comprising 246 pages, the book is published by “Fondations Liyolo” and will be available from Monday in various bookstores across the capital.