Death of Barthelemy Boganda: March 29

Death of Barthelemy Boganda is a public holiday in Central African Republic.

Central African Republic, a landlocked country in central Africa, celebrates the anniversary of the death of Barthelemy Boganda, a nationalist and a politician.

History of Central African Republic’s Death of Barthelemy Boganda

Barthelemy Boganda served as Ubangi-Shari’s (now Central African Republic) first prime minister in December 1958 when the country was still under an autonomous status. He served the French Fourth Republic, the government of France from 1946 to 1958.

As a premier politician and member of the French National Assembly, he rallied against racism against the Oubanguians by the French and the independence of Ubangi-Shari. His call for national unity and independence from France paved the way for the establishment of Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa (MESAN).

His efforts were granted by Charles de Gaulle, the then Prime Minister of France during the French Fourth Republic in 1958 when the head of France accepted Boganda’s proposal to create an independent Central African Republic. However, he was killed in a plane crash on March 29, 1959.

Various theories were formulated for the reason of his death but none of them were confirmed but there were proof that Boganda was assassinated when traces of explosives were found in the crash site.

A year later, full independence was realized when the French government granted Central African Republic’s full independence from French rule.

Central African Republic’s Death of Barthelemy Boganda: Traditions, Customs and Activities

Public speeches abound during the anniversary of Boganda’s death with prominent politicians giving talks about the future of the country and the vision shared by Boganda to the establishment of a free Central African state. Since Boganda’s death is a public holiday, public offices are closed.