Joseph Nzita Mavinga

Branch of Justice / Jeremiah 33:15:: a Challenge for Leadership in Congo Joseph Nzita Mavinga

This book is a contextual reading of the texts of jeremiah on ?branch' (23:5-6; 33:14-16). The context from which the reading is done is the present Oolitical situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (hereafter DRC) and the leadership crisis since independence. To analyse the texts on ?branch' in Jeremiah, I pay particular attention to the literary context of texts. In this respect, I approach the Masoretic Text (MT) in a synchronic way and I do not focus on a rigorous study of the texts in discussing their form, source and redaction criticism. The analysis of the current Congolese leadership situation is confined particularly to the governance of President Mobutu Sésé Seko. In particular, the focus is on the second period of his presidency, from 1975 to his dismissal on May 17, 1997. The social situation, during this period, had worsened immeasurably in the country. A close resemblance between the causes and effects of the Judean social devastation due to the rule of kings during the time of Jeremiah and those of the Congolese social destruction since the Mobutu regime is established in this book.