When
I thought about writing my autobiography, the main idea was to tell the story
of my life. That implied going through my journey from my childhood in the
Belgian Congo to my old age as a Senior Citizen of the United States of
America. In this book, I described how the tribulations that followed the
independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo heavily affected my youth.
Yet, despite so many challenges including the death of my father André Mahuku
Mugunga on April 1, 1972 when I was only 17 years old, I was able to pursue my
education up to the National University of Zaïre, Campus of Kinshasa, where I
earned a Bachelor Degree in Applied Economics in 1977. At the age of 22 I began
a long career in accounting and auditing which saw me occupy various managerial
positions in the region of the Central Africa Great Lakes until when the
Democratic Republic of Congo plunged into a bitter war. Through several pages,
I explained the origins and the stakes of all the Congolese wars and conflicts
that drove the country into a veritable nightmare in which, unfortunately I
found myself trapped in 1998. After a year in prison in extremely unhuman
conditions, just for being a Tutsi, the Government of the United States came to
my rescue, along with many other misfortune companions. In 2000, I was settled
in Nashville, Tennessee where my family joined me in 2002. And in 2005 I became
an American Citizen. Unfortunately, in 2008 I lost my best friend and wife,
Mama Caritas Rwigema Rukundo to whom I was married for 27 years and with whom I
got five wonderful children. Apart from this sad note and other challenges, I
am grateful to my God for the life He has so far granted me; I was born as a
Congolese indigenous child, I grew up in relatively good conditions, I survived
several disasters, and I have held high-level positions in Africa. I came to
America as a refugee, without speaking English, I got a chance to go back to
school, earned an MBA Summa Cum Laude degree, secured good jobs, and gave my
children the opportunity to pursue higher education. I am happily remarried to
my magnificent wife Thérèse Uwambaye, and I am a proud grandpa.