Barthélemy Boganda
Barthélemy Boganda (1910-1959) was the leading pre-independence nationalist in the Central African Republic. He served as Prime Minister from 8 December 1958 to 29 March 1959, when he died in a plane crash. In 1949, he founded the Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa (MESAN). He is noted for his work towards uniting central Africa, similar to the Pan-African ideas of Kwame Nkrumah. The MESAN was founded as a genuinely democratic and nationalist party; however, it was later hijacked by Boganda's nephew, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, and converted into an instrument of repression during the existence of the "Central African Empire." Boganda was also reportedly related to David Dacko, the first Central African president, and Elisabeth Domitien.
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