Abbreviation CCB Website CCB Founded 1942 | Affiliations Jesuit, Catholic Phone +243 814 460 895 | |
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Established 1942; 75 years ago (1942) Purpose Foster popular arts and
human development Location Corner of P. Boka & Kisangani
Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of Congo Address 7 Ave Père Boka, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
Boboto Cultural Center (CCB) was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1942 to contribute to the development of artistic creativity and to the preservation of the Congolese cultural heritage. It offers an opportunity for the display and sale of the artistic works of common craftsmen – paintings, sculptures, and woodcraft – and also hosts conferences in the interest of human development. It is located at Boboto College in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prominence
The cultural center was built in 1942. With Belgium's occupation during World War II CCB housed the Belgian worldwide radio broadcasting center Radio-Léo, the first radio transmitting station in Central Africa. In January 1944 it broadcast the "speech in Brazzaville" of General de Gaulle, seen as a turning point in France's relationship with its colonies.
Boboto conference hall can accommodate 550 and includes a large stage. It hosts major conferences and seminars, as well as performances and film screenings. Among prominent personages hosted at the center were violinist Yehudi Menuhin, painter Marques, prominent in Kinshasa in the 1950s, Brother Marc Wallenda, founder of the Academy of Fine Arts, and painter Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo. The Center has served as a venue for performances sponsored by the US embassy and for public service educational programs. Other groups performing at CCB were the "Theater of Brussels Galleries" and the "Musical Youth". "World Exploration" conferences were held annually until the sixties. CCB includes a library and reading room, along with a collection which includes lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo expeditions.