Between 1965 and 1997, Field Marshal Joseph Desiré Mobutu reigned over the Central African nation of Zaire- present day Democratic Republic of Congo. History has depicted his regime as a dictatorship and a kleptocracy with alarming and unprecedented levels of corruption. Over a series of two episodes, we seek to revisit this stage in DRC's history and attempt to discuss through more objective lenses, the person of Mobutu, his reign and its impact. Part one delves into the birth and growth of 'Great Helmsman' in Belgian Congo, the coming of independence, his rise to power and his consolidation between 1965 and 1975.