| Arthur Katalayi | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1982 Lyon, France |
| Ethnicity | DR Congo |
| Education | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Rider University (M.A.) Salem International University (B.S.) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Philanthropist |
Arthur Kalala "The Katalyst" Katalayi (born May 10, 1982), is a French-born and raised, United Kingdom and United States-educated Congolese; originally from Mbuji-Mayi, in the Kasai-Oriental province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.[1] He serves as a Senior Advisor and Global Ambassador for Giving Back to Africa.[2][3]
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Of Luba ancestry, Katalayi was born in Lyon, France, and raised in Paris.[4] His namesakes are legendary American tennis player Arthur Ashe and mythic Kingdom of Luba emperor Kalala Ilunga. Katalayi first visited the Democratic Republic of Congo aged 6; in Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi, in the Katanga Province. At the age of 16, he left France for the United Kingdom where he spent a year in London, before attending the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College until 2001.[5]
Three years after leaving France for the England, Katalayi was again weighing up the inviting vista of life in foreign climes.
Having always had an eye for more far-reaching adventures than his peers, the United States of America then appeared to be the next natural destination towards Katalayi's progression and global aspirations. As fortune would have it, Katalayi first set foot on U.S. soil in July 2001,[6][7] in New York City, on what proved to be a life-changing, defining voyage. Thereafter, following a stint in Pittsburgh he earned a Bachelor's degree in 2005, from Salem International University, where he played college soccer as a student-athlete on an athletic scholarship.[4]
Subsequently, Katalayi moved to New Jersey and was the recipient of a Master's degree from Rider University, in 2009.[4]
Such a multidimensional background and international upbringing resulted in Katalayi being, sometimes, puzzled about his true identity. However, a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007 seemed to clear the muddied waters and Katalayi joined Giving Back to Africa, an Indiana-based non-profit organization dedicated to the long-term mission of educating young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[8]
The following year, whilst still at Rider, Katalayi gave a presentation about the Democratic Republic of Congo to two Baccalaureate Honors freshmen classes that had recently read 2000 Oprah's Book Club best-selling novel;[9][10]The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, which is set in the Congo during the 1960s.
In 2010, Katalayi was named Senior Advisor and Global Ambassador at Giving Back to Africa.[11][12][13]