HRM King Kufulula Bapindi Manikongo

The king behind the universe

HRM King Kufulula did not borrow Africa as an inspiration. He built ISOLELE from royal identity, responsibility and lived sovereignty rooted in the Bapindi and Kongo lineages. ISOLELE means "the chosen one" in Kikongo, and the name is a promise: that African children will finally see heroes who look like them, speak their languages and carry their history.

He grew up feeling the call of a royal story that was almost erased. As he got older he studied the Kongo Kingdom, the Makanda legacy and the queens, kings and empires removed from mainstream history. At the same time he loved comics, animation and storytelling, but never saw a hero who looked like his people. So he decided to create one, and to make it true to where he comes from.

Zaiire mirrors his truth

The exile, the search, the weight of a crown and the need to reclaim what was separated from you all flow directly into Zaiire's journey across the cosmos. Zaiire, the Prince of Kongo, does not know he is royal when his story begins. He discovers it piece by piece, the way a people rediscovers its history.

He launched Zaiire: The Prince of Kongo and the Necklace of Destiny independently on April 3, 2025, without the support of a major publisher. The book reached the bestseller shelf of an independent bookstore in Nairobi and is distributed in Zambia and South Africa.

Built in the middle of war

ISOLELE was shaped while conflict continued in the DRC. Many of its illustrators live in the Kivu region, and three of them lost their lives to the war. For those who remain, drawing for ISOLELE is more than a job. It is a way to hold on to identity, hope and dignity. The work carries grief, sacrifice and the determination to keep creating beauty for African children despite the violence.

Made in Congo. On purpose.

From art to products, ISOLELE is a statement of economic independence: build in Congo, create with African hands, and send value back out into the world. Katiomics, the KUFU card game, fashion and fragrance are produced on African soil as competitors, not curiosities.

Investing in the children of war

Part of the mission is dedicated to young people in North and South Kivu through free art education, because storytelling and drawing can become armor in the face of war. Through Bana ya ISOLELE, the literacy and arts program, the same stories that fill the books go back to the children they were written for.