Global justice
No Amsterdam energy transition at the expense of eastern Congo
The city will investigate whether its procurement contributes to mining in conflict zones, and share that knowledge in international networks.
✓ Adopted
Political scientist · Administrator · Speaker
Carla
Kabamba
A voice for justice: from the Amsterdam council chamber to the streets, for a world where human rights are no longer violated.
- 2022–2026
- Amsterdam city councillor
- Presidium
- Member of the council’s executive board
- VU Amsterdam
- BSc Political Science
- Bolingo
- Board member, Bolingo Community
Biography
About Carla
Carla Kabamba is a political scientist, speaker and experienced administrator with a background in policy, social issues and public decision-making. She is available as a speaker and for governance, advisory and supervisory roles.
She chairs the Supervisory Board of Stichting Wedowe and is a board member of Bolingo Community in Amsterdam Zuidoost. She also organises meetings and demonstrations about the situation in Congo.
From 2022 to 2026 Carla served on the Amsterdam city council, the first Dutch person of Congolese-Angolan descent to do so. As party group leader she led a team of twelve. She chaired the Council Committee on Housing and was a member of the presidium, the council’s executive board.
She worked for affordable housing, equal opportunities in education and accountable government. Together with Gijs Noordzij she wrote the initiative proposal on tackling waste reports, which the council adopted unanimously in February 2026.
Carla (1986) grew up in The Hague and studied Political Science (BSc) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She took the stage early on as a debater, theatre maker and spoken word artist, and was runner-up at the BBC Young Public Speaking Award in 2003.
“This city must not become homogeneous.”
Speaker
Book Carla for your stage
Keynote, panel, debate or conversation: Carla connects political analysis with personal stories and speaks to people in a language they understand.
01
Global justice
- War in Congo
- War in Sudan
- Palestine
- War in Ukraine
- Global South
- Neocolonialism
- Climate justice
- Dutch responsibility for Congo
02
Housing & the city
- Unaffordable rents in Amsterdam
- Protecting social and mid-market tenants
- Inequality in the housing market
- Damp and mould
- Fire-safe temporary housing
- 30 km/h zones
03
Equality & society
- Being Black in Dutch politics
- Unequal opportunities in education
- Informal caregiving
- Asylum seekers
- The manosphere
- The Maccabi riots
04
Memory & culture
- National Slavery Museum
- Keti Koti
- Kwaku Festival
- OBA Next
- Arts and culture
Civic engagement
Standing up for Congo
For years, the people of Congo have suffered violence and displacement. It is concentrated in the east of the country, where the minerals that end up in our phones are also mined.
Carla organises meetings and demonstrations to draw attention to the situation in eastern Congo and to the role of the Netherlands and Europe. On the city council she tabled a motion against an Amsterdam energy transition at the expense of eastern Congo, which the council adopted.
Community
Bolingo Community
As a board member of Bolingo Community, Carla helps build a home for the African and Afro-Caribbean diaspora in Amsterdam. Learning from the past, seizing opportunities in the present and building a sustainable future, including Bolingo Kids for children aged 4 to 12.
Visit Bolingo Community ↗
In council
Carla in council
From 2022 to 2026 Carla asked the questions that matter: in committees, council meetings, expert meetings and public hearings. Watch her contributions without sitting through hours of meetings.
See all meetingsMotions
What Carla achieved
From clearer information on poverty support to fair minerals for the energy transition: these proposals by Carla won a majority on the council.
- 86
- council instruments as lead sponsor or initiator
- 259
- adopted motions and amendments co-sponsored
Education & youth
Every secondary school invited to The Black Archives
During Black History Month, all Amsterdam secondary schools are pointed to an educational visit to The Black Archives.
✓ Adopted
Care & financial security
No older person on the streets
The city will investigate whether night shelter for older people should be expanded and how structural homelessness among older people can be reduced.
✓ Adopted
In the media
Carla in the news
Black Achievement MonthEvent
BAM Awards Gala 2026(opens in a new window)
Carla Kabamba sits on the independent jury of the BAM Awards, which honour Black role models excelling in their fields. The jury selected 19 nominees in six categories; the ceremony takes place at Nieuwe DeLaMar.
Duurzaam aan de Waal / LUX NijmegenEvent
Schone energie bestaat niet. Duurzaamheidscafé over oorlogen, diepzee en hoe het anders kan(opens in a new window)
At the Nijmegen Sustainability Café in LUX, Carla Kabamba shared her view on climate justice and how, as an Amsterdam councillor, she put the dilemmas of the energy transition on the agenda.
De Nijmeegse StadskrantArticle
Schone energie bestaat niet, concludeert Duurzaamheidscafé(opens in a new window)
Report of the Sustainability Café: political scientist Carla Kabamba explains how she raised responsibility for the entire raw-materials chain in Amsterdam's council. "We are part of a global story. We have to be honest."
Contact
Book Carla
Would you like to invite Carla as a speaker, for an interview or a collaboration? Get in touch.
Or email directly
info@carlakabamba.com