Loka Losambe stands a little over 5’9″, speaks with a noticeably French accent and dresses better than many of his colleagues. Loka was born in present day Zaire when it was controlled by Belgium, as the Belgian Congo. He then went on to study at the National University of Zaire; after his stay at the National University of Zaire he enrolled at the University of Wales (UK) and was witness the transition from a Labour controlled UK to the more conservative UK known to this day.

Loka continued his education by enrolling in the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Many key players in the negritude literary movement have come from the University of Ibadan (Loka estimated around 90% of the most influential writers in the negritude movement studied at the University of Ibadan at one point). He describes his time at Ibadan as culturally alive, and speaks very positively about his time there. Loka also taught at the University of Swaziland.

Perhaps one of the most interesting twists in Loka’s life occurred during 1992, when he accepted an invitation to teach at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa. Loka was witness to Nelson Mandela’s release and the changing of power from that of the white controlled apartheid government to the current South African government. One of the advantages of being in South Africa during that time was what Loka described as the ability to see “all angles at work”, being able to see not only the native South African perspective, but also the European perspective. Violence was a common part of life in South Africa during this time and Loka often saw, and was close to, the political violence that marked one of the most important political and social events of the twentieth century.
Loka left South Africa in 1999 and came to the University of Vermont as a visiting professor. He was struck by the physical beauty of Vermont and the social concern and involvement that the faculty shares with the students. It was this aspect of UVM that eventually drew Loka to accept tenure at UVM, where he teaches several classes related to the major poetic and literary movements of the twentieth century, including the Harlem Renaissance and Negritude as well as African Drama. The progressive, liberal mindset of UVM and Burlington is another aspect of the local community that Loka has and continues to enjoy. Loka emphasized his love of teaching and the fulfillment he receives from his interactions with the students he teaches.

Loka speaks unfavorably about his time in Zaire when Mobutu was in power. There was even one point in 1988 when the government of Zaire revoked his passport, effectively crippling his chances to study abroad. Loka is decidedly vague when describing exactly how he managed to eventually leave Zaire, making sure to highlight that he did in fact eventually leave Mobutu’s Zaire. He has since returned to Zaire and speaks very highly of his native homeland.

Loka is planning a return to Zaire where he intends to study the extent to which post coloniality within pre colonial societies exists. Traditional African epics and oral literature are the areas of concentration Loka intends to focus on.