Titanomachy for Freedom – A Call to Rise

 
Andrea Ngombet, speaking after receiving an honorable mention from the Allard Prize, delivers a sharp critique of kleptocracy—not just as corruption, but as a global political project that erodes civic life. Rooted in the realities of Congo-Brazzaville, his speech links local repression to international complicity and issues a call to rebuild democracy through civic courage and grassroots engagement.

Honorable members of the advisory and director boards of the Allard Prize, distinguished guests.   Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to the Allard Prize Board and team for this honorable mention. 

It is a recognition that I receive, not as an individual, but as a citizen, and I dedicate it to the Congolese people, especially to the women and youth who every day endure, resist, and imagine a better future. 

I would also like to acknowledge the sacrifice of my elder, Benjamin Moutsila, who initiated the case involving Ill-gotten assets in France more than 30 years ago.   

And I take this moment to raise my voice for two men whose continued imprisonment remains a stain on the nationhood of Congo Brazzaville, General Jean Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa. They are political prisoners recognized as such by UN experts since 2018. Yet they remain arbitrarily detained.   I call for their immediate and unconditional release.   

Now allow me to speak plainly.   When we hear the words « corruption or kleptocracy », we often picture  yachts, Mansions, lavish wardrobes, but these are only the symptoms. The real danger lies deeper in the quiet erosion of our freedom, our values, our dignity.   Kleptocracy is not merely a theft.   It is a political project, a deliberate strategy to capture the state, subvert democracy, and reduce citizens to spectators.   It transforms crime into social mobility.   It turned power into a tool of permanent violation, not just of laws, but of bodies and souls. In such a system, freedom becomes a luxury.   Truth become fluid.   The honest are punished while the corrupted are celebrated.   

In my homeland, the Republic of Congo, we’ve made a motto out of it: « read to understand Cheat to succeed », and that cynicism is spreading.   Make no mistake, this is not just a local outbreak. It’s pandemic.  From extractive deal, signed under duress to pension funds in the west, fed by blood-soaked resources, a web of complicity, sustained this order.   

But there is a choice.   We must stop fighting illusions, the luxury, the decadence, and start addressing the root cause: civic apathy.   Because the real battlefield is not the palace, but the public square.   It is not the tyrant’s strength, but our silence that gives him power. This struggle is our Titanomachy, our struggle against the Titans, and it begins with small acts of civic courage: repairing a roof without waiting for the state, speaking up when it easier to stay quiet.   Holding power to account, not just abroad, but at home.   

The task is vast, yes, but it is achievable.   

Let us rebuild democracy, not from the top down, but from the ground up. Let us become useful to our community, and from there to humanity, service above self, let us serve.  

Let us resist! 

Thank you for your attention.