May 9/2021 blog featuring the movement to help Leons build a women Afro-Feminism Farm center
To revive the love and appreciation for Mother Nature and the gift she has to offer is to restore black women’s connection to being land stewards.
Grounded in the belief that tending to the land is an approach we in the Western world have ignored and neglected, Leons Kabongo, the Young Jupiter Market Gardener, is passionate about sharing his ways of re-friending our bodies, minds, and spirits. Mr. Kabongo brings a culturally diverse and ethnic approach to farming. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Kabongo has seen how farming led by women can be a way of bridging social, economic, and environmental gaps we find in our communities.
After receiving an MS in Agricultural Production with a focus on Community Development from West Virginia University, the Young Jupiter Market Gardener dives into a deeper approach toward Macro/Micro social issues, by empowering black women, using farming as a means to end. He hopes to bring to light culturally diverse methods of production to truly bring back the love and care of the land we walk on. Currently, Mr. Kabongo lives in Harrisonburg and serves as a Volunteer and Garden Coordinator at Our Community Place, a local nonprofit organization focused on building a safe, loving community of restoration and hope for all, especially those facing homelessness and other adverse experiences. Mr. Kabongo says, "With the hope that one day we can all learn to listen to Mother Nature, one another, and ourselves, I am committed to developing leadership among women and children to make sure that we grow motivated, fun, and resilient agricultural stewards."
Mr. Kabongo hopes to grow from a .5-acre plot of land onto a 40-acre space to grow programs for black women and develop a road map toward building a sustainable future for women leaders of tomorrow. Through land development, stewardship, and nurturing, will revive many black women to come and reclaim what was taken away through white colonization. With your help, let's build Mother Nature to restore our youth and future leaders.
We are raising 1,000,000.00 to build this movement in the Shenandoah Valley and with your support, we are going to achieve this goal.
https://gofund.me/7abd390f
March 5th/2022
Laurent Kapiamba (Left) and Marie Mitongo (Right)
About 9 years ago, a woman, Chef Marie Mitongo ( Top Right) and her husband, Laurent Kapiamba (Top Left) started a community garden at the Salvation Army on ASHBY AVE in Harrisonburg VA. This intension was pure with a hope to facilitate neighborhood development and health promotion. When asked why they felt as if it was right to lunch such program? The only thing they could think of was to increase access to fresh culturally diverse foods, to enjoy nature, and for the health benefits gardening brought into one’s being. Gardening in low-income neighborhoods (46%) were four times as likely as non low-income gardens to lead to other issues in the neighborhood being addressed; reportedly due to organizing facilitated through the community gardens. According to a survey of community gardens in upstate New York; additional research on community gardening can improve our understanding of the interaction of social and physical environments and community health, and effective strategies for empowerment, development, and health promotion. 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
There is a long history of the use of community gardens to improve psychological well being and social relations, to facilitate healing and to increase supplies of fresh foods (Francis et al., 1994; Hynes, 1996; Murphy, 1991; Boston Urban Gardeners, 1982). Knowing this, my parent took it on their own to share a DR. Congo taste of what it is to eat “Come Chez Nous”, meaning to eat like we are back home in a foreign home. You see, many immigrant or anyone who live their home tend to feel a sense of nostalgia of being away from the location which mold you into the person you are today. Food is the only thing which allowed one to go back in those places and relive the feeling of being home. My parents wanted to share this to anyone who were willing to learn a think or two about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and one of its ultimate riches. Food is the fuel that allows one to go out there and have enough energy to work. Food is the fuel that feeds our bodies, minds, and spirits.
With this in mind, it was a must to dive into introducing the Congolese culture of alimentation in the Shenandoah Valley in Harrisonburg VA. Such big shoe to fill it was, and with Laurent being proficient in Public Health Care and Marie as a nurse, they both felt equipped to take on this project development. Like any development project pursuit by immigrants with not land, or organizations backing them up financially it became hard to undergo such massive project on their own. Yes, they had help from local non-profits organization which at the end also just wanted to look out for their own good instead of helping these two folks. So, three years after lunching their dream project, they both were wear out by the community they hope to empowered due to lack of support and knows hows to go about legitimizing land use.
In 2019, their son, Leons Kabongo, picked up where they left off. After graduating from West Virginia University with a MS in Agriculture Production and a focus in Community Development, he came home. It took him from 2016 until 2019 to situate himself in an organization called Our Community Place which is a non-profit organization who’s ultimate goal is to empower, and help any one who are in the margin to find home, employment and a source of activities to help them cope with early childhood experiences lingering in their minds. As the program and volunteer coordinator, Leons Kabongo developed the Young Jupiter Marked Garden LLC. Through this program, the essence of sharing the Democratic Republic Of the Congo food diet has been restored in the Shenandoah Valley in VA.
The Young Jupiter Marked Garden is an LLC, Located at 851 Madison St, Harrisonburg VA 22802.
We are here today to celebrate the first official accomplishment of farm to table by Chef Marie and Chany Home Cook Meal and Catering Service. After waiting for over 9 years, she have diversified her avenue enough to market her finish product into wedding venue.
Vicky (Far Left), Chef Marie (Middle), Nati (far right), and half of the wedding coordinator Blaid behind the door.
Celebration of David Nyiringabo wedding catered by Chef Marie and Chef Chany
(Left) Chef Chany and (Right) Chef Marie.
For booking catering services please contact Leons Kabongo at Youngjupiterfarmmarket@gmail.com
The Eve of the Congolese Election 2023
It is Tuesday, December 19/2023 at 11:07 pm. I just can not sleep to save my soul. "For 16 years since I turned 18, I never had the opportunity to vote. It might be a shock to some of you to read this. It feels right to be the first time in my life to cast my vote for this one is meaningful. I feel as if I’m doing my duties using my rights as a citizen of the Congolese Nation. For 16 years now, I have lived in the United States of America as a permanent resident. For 16 years now, I have felt voiceless, as if someone has stripped me of one of the main rights humans have. I knew that this day would come, the day when I would be able to finally express myself by choosing a leader who represents me, who looks like me, and whom I believe shares a similar ideology. Most of his constituents know him as Fatshi Beton.
"Le peuple d’abord" which translates to "the people first," is Mr. President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi's political philosophy. People have chosen Fatshi Beton to materialize the change he set out to accomplish in 2019. As COVID-19 came in, his plan was put on hold. His pillars were divided into five major activities: the development of the political sector, the development of defense and security, the development of the economic and finance sector, the development of the reconstruction sector, and finally, the development of the cultural and social sector.
"We have seen from the past year how President Tshisekedi Tshilombo is hoping to revive the lives of what he calls 'l'homme.' It is to empower men and women to adhere to these five pillars, which would internally be a bridge that would lead every Congolese constituent out of poverty and in perfect harmony with the National Strategic Plan of Development (PNSD). As I sit here in my living room, I am at a loss for words to describe how grateful I am to be a Congolese in this era where our destiny is in our hands. We have a choice to pick between evil and the light. President Tshisekedi represents our light.
"As we reach the end of this tunnel and the beginning of a great journey, I invite all my dear patriots to rise above the corruption that the intruder will try to push onto us. It is the eve of the great day of our nation, and I am proud to be a Congolese man living in the diaspora who will have the opportunity to vote tomorrow for number 20 on the 20th day of December 2023."
I am going to bed now with the Democratic Republic of Congo in my mind. We have a long way to go and may God vest us of his strength to get through this hump. There will be a day when I too will have to pass on to that platform and have my name out there among the runner-ups for the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Until then, let's vote for Mr. Felix Antoin Tshisekedi who has done so much for our nation and will do so much in the next five years to come as our re-elected president.
After 19 years of living abroad and away from his homeland, Mr. Leons Kapiamba Kabongo is getting back on track to support the development and progress of a united and prosperous DRC under the government of Mr. President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi.