Leja Bulela's 33rd Annual Fundraising Conference & Gala
Columbus OH - June 26-28, 2026
About the Conference: LB33 in Columbus
A Milestone Year in the Discovery City
Welcome to LB33 in Columbus
For the first time in our 33-year history, Leja Bulela’s flagship event is coming to the heart of Ohio! Join us June 26–28, 2026, at the Hyatt Place Columbus/OSU for a powerful weekend of celebration, reflection, and urgent action.
The 2026 Theme: The Heart of Africa: Honoring Congo’s Legacy. Celebrating Our Impact. Inspiring Care for Our Future.
This weekend is more than a gathering; it is a tribute to our Grand Kasai roots and the lifeblood of our humanitarian mission. Every ticket purchased and partnership formed directly supports critical initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo:
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Healthcare Excellence: Sustaining the Kalala Muzeu Health Center to provide life-saving care.
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Educational Opportunity: Investing in the next generation of Congolese leaders.
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Cultural Connection: Uniting the global Congolese diaspora.
The Weekend Experience
Whether you are a longtime member, an OSU student, or a curious Columbus neighbor, there is a place for you here.
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Friday: Immerse yourself in our vibrant Culture Night and Vendor Fair, featuring the music, art, and flavors of the Congo.
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Saturday: Engage with world-class scholars at our Conference, celebrate at our Annual Fundraising Gala, and join our special watch party to cheer on the DRC Leopards as they play Uzbekistan!
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Sunday: Connect during a time of unity and strategic planning for our future impact.
Distance is no barrier to care. Be part of the legacy. Be the heart of the impact.
Get to Know Us
A look at past conferences and more views of the Kalala Muzeu Health Center. Your attendance at the conference goes directly to KMHC and other vital programs for an underserved community.
Friday, June 26:
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | Welcome Reception, Cultural Night, and Vendor Fair
Saturday, June 27:
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Conference (Day)
7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. | World Cup Game Watch: DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan (Go Leopards!) + Annual Fundraising Gala (Evening)
Sunday, June 28:
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | General Assembly & Reflection
Speakers
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Emily Hardick
Graduate Student The Ohio State University Emily Hardick is a Ph.D. candidate in African history (with minor fields in colonial history and dance studies). Her research examines the transnational circulation of dance performance and the cultural politics of performing arts within colonial and authoritarian regimes. Her dissertation, Choreographing (Im)mobility: Touring Performance and the Cultural Politics of Congolese Movement, addresses these themes in the context of colonial and postcolonial Democratic Republic of the Congo, from the 1930s to the early 1990s. This project follows the international tours of Congolese performance troupes, their relationships to international arts organizations, and their role in the performance of colonial subjecthood and postcolonial national identity. Her research has been supported by Fulbright Belgium, the Belgian American Educational Foundation, the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program, and the OSU Mershon Center for International Security Studies, among others. Emily's research is forthcoming in The Journal of African History ; other published writing can be found in Africa Today, African Studies Quarterly, and Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective. As an instructor at OSU, she has taught HIST 2302: History of Modern Africa, 1800-1960s and HIST 2650: The World since 1914. Outside of her dissertation project, Emily is broadly interested in exhibition and museum histories, immaterial cultural practices, and Global North-South mobility. She has explored these themes a member of the Belgo-Congolese artistic research collective Tracer since 2022, which has shown pieces in Belgium, Germany, and the DRC.
Muamba Kabongo
Executive Director Leja Bulela Muamba Kabongo has served as the Executive Director of Leja Bulela, since 2017, where he leads volunteer initiatives and manages operations that support the organization's mission. In July 2021 he traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and participated in a medical brigade to support the Kalala Muzeu Health Center. He helped register patients for free medical care services and health education. A graduate of Sonoma State University with a degree in History, Muamba’s critical thinking and research capabilities have enabled the organization to obtain grants that fund the Health Center's expansion and advance its mission. Muamba lives in San Diego, CA with his wife Colleen.
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Ilunga Kalala
Board President Leja Bulela Ilunga serves as Board President of Leja Bulela, where he focuses on supporting the organization’s mission and long-term sustainability. He is particularly interested in helping ensure that the organization’s work remains clear, accessible, and responsive to the community it serves. Trained as an attorney, he brings a practical, problem-solving approach to governance and decision-making. His work often centers on making complex systems easier to navigate and apply in real-world contexts. Outside of his professional work, he values time spent learning jiujitsu, reading post apocalyptic science fiction, and staying connected to his wife and three children .
tshiunza kalubi
Deputy Executive Director Leja Bulela Tshiunza Kalubi is a first-generation Congolese American originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 2012, he has served on the executive committee of Leja Bulela and has participated in multiple service trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo. A graduate of both Miami University and Saint Louis University, Tshiunza remains actively involved in alumni initiatives for both institutions in Texas, where he lives with his wife, Lena, and their two daughters, Ngondo and Musau. Professionally, Tshiunza is a Project Leader with National Church Residences, a Columbus-based affordable housing developer.
Ousman Kobo
Director, Center for African Studies The Ohio State University With Ohio State since 2006, Kobo’s research and teaching interests include 20th century West African social and religious history; contemporary Islamic history; Sufism; Islam under French and British colonialism in Africa; and the social history of West African migrants in the United States. Kobo has received prestigious awards and grants to support his scholarly work including the MacArthur Fellowship for International Peace and the Boren Fellowship. He also was recognized by the College of Arts and Sciences with the 2021-22 Susan M. Hartmann Mentoring and Leadership Award. During 2012-2013 academic year, he was appointed a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford (UK). He is currently working on his second book manuscript tentatively titled, "The Gun and the Rosary: Subtle Relations of Co-existence between Charismatic Muslim Leaders and French Colonial Administration in Burkina Faso, 1920-1946." He earned his PhD in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s in international relations and a bachelor’s degree with honors from City College of New York.
Mike Schadek
Director of International Affairs and Regional Partnerships City of Columbus, Mayor's Office Mike Schadek currently serves as the Director of International Affairs and Regional Partnerships for Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Mike launched three successful businesses in Southern California and Ohio and has maintained a law practice for the past 25 years. Elected to Upper Arlington City Council in 2011, Mike joined Mayor Ginther’s team in 2016 and serves as the chief liaison between Columbus and all suburban Mayors, Managers and City Council members. Mike currently serves as Board Chair of Greater Columbus Sister Cities International and helps manage international relationships on behalf of the City of Columbus.
Sarah Van Beurden
Associate Professor The Ohio State University Dr. Van Beurden earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium, and her Ph.D. in History from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a historian of modern African and transnational history, with a focus on the cultural history of colonial and postcolonial central Africa. She is interested in the ways culture is constructed, represented, and used in political contexts and has published on the history of museums, art restitution, decolonization, heritage and conservation politics, as well as the history of anthropology and art history. Her book, Authentically African: Arts and the Transnational Politics of Congolese Culture (New African Histories Series, Ohio University Press, 2015) investigates the role of museum politics in the legitimation of the Belgian colonial regime and the postcolonial Mobutu regime in Congo/Zaire. It tells a history of decolonization as a struggle over cultural categories, the possession of cultural heritage, and the right to define and represent cultural identities. Her work has appeared in journals such as The Journal of African History, History and Anthropology, Critical Interventions, and Radical History Journal. Her current research focuses on the history of cultural planning, craft economies, and art education in central Africa. She is a frequent media contributor on topics such as African art restitution and Belgian colonialism and its legacies. For more on the topic of art restitution, see for example: Podcast History Talk, “Who Owns the Past? Museums and Cultural Heritage Repatriation,” produced by Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (January 2019). Van Beurden has held fellowships at the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Texas in Austin, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg and Centre for Global Cooperation Research at University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) and at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, where she was a member of the “Histories of Planning” workgroup from 2014 until 2018. During the 2020-21 academic year, Van Beurden will be a member of the inaugural group of fellows of the Society of Fellows of the Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme. At the Ohio State University, she is an associate professor of History and African American and African Studies, and she is an affiliated faculty member of the Department of History of Art.
The 2026 Theme is The Heart of Africa: Honoring Congo’s Legacy. Celebrating Our Impact. Inspiring Care for Our Future. We are still accepting speakers, if you or someone you know is interested in speaking, please contact us today!
Get Involved
Be the Heart of the Impact
Our 33rd Annual Conference is fueled by the passion of our community. Whether you are a business looking to make a global difference, a local professional eager to lend a hand, or an entrepreneur with a story to share, there is a place for you in Columbus.
Join us in one of four ways:
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Travel & Lodging
Welcome to the Discovery City!
Whether you are joining us from across the Congolese diaspora or traveling internationally, we are thrilled to host you in Columbus, Ohio. Known for its vibrant energy and open-heart hospitality, Columbus is the perfect backdrop for LB33.
Why Visit in Summer 2026?
Summer 2026 is a historic time to be in North America. As the world gathers for global events across the continent, Leja Bulela offers a unique space to connect deeply with the "Heart of Africa" right here in the U.S. Midwest.
While You’re Here:
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The University District: Our venue, the Hyatt Place, is conveniently located just steps away from The Ohio State University, one of the largest and most scenic campuses in the country.
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Short North Arts District: Just a short ride away, enjoy world-class dining, local galleries, and vibrant boutiques.
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International Hub: Columbus is home to a rich tapestry of international communities; you’ll find incredible cuisine and a welcoming atmosphere at every corner.
Pro-Travel Tip: As Summer 2026 is expected to be a high-traffic travel season across the United States, we highly recommend booking your flights and reserving your room in the Leja Bulela Hotel Block as early as possible to secure the best rates.
