Anton Arnold Jozef "Jef" Van Bilsen (13 June 1913, in

Diest Diest () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around ...

– 22 July 1996, in

Kraainem Kraainem () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006, Kraainem had a total population of 13,150. The total area is , whi ...

), usually cited as A. A. J. Van Bilsen in his academic publications, was a Belgian professor who, in December 1955, proposed a 30-year scheme (known as the "Van Bilsen Plan") for creating a self-sufficient independent state out of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Van Bilsen was an active member of the extreme-right

Verdinaso Verdinaso (''Verbond van Dietsche Nationaal-Solidaristen'', ), sometimes rendered as Dinaso, was a small fascist political movement active in Belgium and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands between 1931 and 1941. Verdinaso was founded by Jori ...

party and, in 1942, became a member of the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...

. After the war, he travelled in colonial Africa. Van Bilsen is best known for devising a plan for the long-term independence of the Belgian Congo in the 1950s. The timetable, outlined in December 1955 and in a pamphlet entitled ''Un Plan de Trente Ans pour l'émancipation politique de l'Afrique Belge'' (1955–56), called for a gradual change over 30 years, the time he estimated it would take to create an educated

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

to administrate the new Congo. His plan never came to fruition after Congolese nationalists demanded immediate independence, especially after the

Léopoldville Riots The Léopoldville riots were an outbreak of civil disorder in Kinshasa, Léopoldville (modern-day Kinshasa) in the Belgian Congo which took place in January 1959 and which were an important moment for the Congolese independence movement. The rioti ...

of 1959, leading to a period of prolonged political chaos, known as the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis () was a period of Crisis, political upheaval and war, conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost ...

, and the eventual seizure of power by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in 1965. Van Bilsen taught at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

and

Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

Bibliography

* ''Vers l'indépendance du Congo et du Ruanda-Urundi'' (1958) * ''Kongo 1945–1965: Het Einde van een Kolonie'' (1993)

Bibliography

* * Lieven Saerens. ''Inventaris van het Archief Anton A. Jozef (Jef) Van Bilsen (1913–1996)''. KADOC Reeks Inventarissen en Repertoria nr. 59, Leuven, 200

* * *

External links

Archives of Jef Van Bilsen
i
ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures

A.A. Jozef Van Bilsen
Royal Museum for Central Africa 1913 births 1996 deaths Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Belgian Africanists People from Diest Academic staff of KU Leuven Academic staff of Ghent University {{Africanist-stub Belgian fascists Belgian resistance members