Motema Pembe

Early history

In December 1916, Reverend Father Raphaël de la Kethulle de Ryhove arrived in Léopoldville (present-day Kinshasa) from Bruges, Belgium. The following year, he established Sainte-Anne School (now Collège Saint-Joseph) named after Paroisse Sainte Anne de Kinshasa. In 1918, several football teams were formed in the city, including those representing Kinshasa School, Léo II, the Coastmen (West African migrants from regions corresponding to modern-day Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, and Togo), and Angolan communities. These teams competed in a tournament organized by the Union Sportive de Kinshasa (USK), an organization founded around the same time. Subsequent years saw the establishment of additional clubs, including Léo Club, Renaissance, Standard, Boma Club, Congo Club, and Amicale Kisantu. Matches were held on two main fields: one located on the site of the current embassies of Portugal and the United States, and another in front of the Bralima brewery, on the present site of the Société de Galvanisation de Kinshasa (Sogalkin) and former ACA (Architecture, Construction et Aménagement du Congo) buildings, across from what is now Joseph Kabasele Tshamala Avenue (formerly Avenue du Flambeau) in Barumbu. During this period, players competed barefoot, with football boots only becoming standard after the Second World War, around 1945.

Father Raphaël also promoted extracurricular activities, including scouting and sports, to engage his students. Eighteen years after his arrival, he established three junior-level football teams at the school, adopting the names of Division I teams competing in a formal championship. These teams were called Union, Renaissance, and Standard. Standard was composed primarily of school graduates, including François Mapaku, Albert Mongita, Matthieu Masaya, Gérard Kelon, Michel Kalinga, Pierre Engoba, Ignace Bakute, Hubert Bangala, Alphonse Bandjeka, and Fabien Longange. Since graduates eventually left school to enter professional life, the school sought to maintain its pool of talented players by registering a team in the official championship.

Formation of the first Daring team

By late 1935, Léopoldville's population had reached approximately 80,000, and the USK was renamed the Fédération Sportive Congolaise (FESCO). Under the leadership of Belgian coach Romain Nelissen, in collaboration with Father Raphaël, a unified team was assembled, combining graduates and current students capable of competing at a high level. Players were required to be physically strong to endure demanding matches, particularly in contests characterized by a ruthless style of play, leaving "no place for choirboys on these battlefields". The team initially included Wabola, Joseph Makosso, Philippe Kanza, Louis Mukoko, Jean Kalimasi, Maurice Moket, Joseph Mpeti, François Mukanda, Jean Bolikango, and Gaston Bongonga. The team, however, didn't have a goalkeeper, and the role was unanimously assigned to François Mapaku Lassy, formerly of Standard. Born on 22 February 1918 on Giri Street (near the current Special/Road Police office and behind the Salvation Army School), Mapaku was residing at 23 Haga Avenue, at the Comfina intersection in CITAS-Barumbu, at the time of his recruitment.

On 22 February 1936, the team was formally named Daring de Bruxelles, reflecting a colonial-era aspiration to emulate developments in Belgium; however, some accounts suggest it was initially founded as Daring Faucon. The team adopted red and yellow colors. Although Mapaku initially faced challenges in a football environment dominated by Renaissance (the predecessor of AS Vita Club), perseverance yielded success. Daring won its first championship in 1945, surpassing its rivals to secure the top position, and went on to claim a second Léopoldville championship in 1949. That same year, the team changed its name to CS Imana.

Reorganization

In the mid-1950s, Father Raphaël implemented a significant change in the official colors of Léopoldville's top-division football teams. AS Vita Club, which had previously worn a black "V" on its green-and-white jersey, a symbol inspired by an Allied warplane, was required to adopt green and black. The green-and-white colors were subsequently assigned to CS Imana. Amicale Sportive Dragons (AS Dragons) adopted red and yellow with black shorts, which mirrored the tricolor of the Belgian national flag.

A circular issued by Father Raphaël recommended that teams with a large membership establish branch teams to develop younger talent. Sporting de l'École Sainte Anne functioned as a feeder club to F.C. Union, which competed in the first division and, in turn, became a pipeline for CS Imana. Sporting participated in interschool competitions, often barefoot, alongside teams such as Salut Sport, Roitelet, Olympic, and Courrier d'Afrique. Notable players to emerge from these programs included Ebumba, Nzeza Faustin, Samu Mukoko, and Makonga. In 1952, the transition of players from Union to CS Imana became a systematic process. To rejuvenate the team, graduates of the 1950 cohort were incorporated, including goalkeeper Kibiasi, who supported Otomba, and field players such as Ngelebeya, Ignace Tangu, Lusimba, Bernard Masandji, Makakila, André Matingu, Dieudonné Ebeya, Tekasala, and François Egongo. Existing team members included Toti, Roboni Mbangani, Kalala "Nkadia Pemba", Bohulu, Mpeti, Désiré Ngombo "Ressort", Mercator, Miranda, Henri Djambo, Mofe, Holden Roberto (returning from Elisabethville), Alexandre Ngangu, Pierre Osango, Michel Bolikango, Amara, Maufranc (older brother of Etwe), and Abgepa. The sports committee was chaired by Cyrille Adoula, with Charles Pongo as secretary, and members including Arsène Dionge, Henri Ntela, Marcel Bola, and Arthur Amiso. Sponsorship was provided by Paul Gnilo, owner of the Yaka Awa bar at the intersection of Prince Baudouin Avenue and Luvua Street, and Gabriel Lumbu of the Nzinzi bar in the Dendale commune (now Kasa-Vubu). Subsequent changes in player registration rules required athletes to provide proof of employment and to be clerks, which signaled a shift from reliance on school students to a professionalized roster.