DR Congo at the World Cup: The power of the living statue

He was at least as noticeable in the stands as the Congolese team was on the pitch. Costumed like Patrice Lumumba, the former prime minister of Congo, which was liberated from Belgian colonial rule, Mboladinga stands on a podium in the middle of the fans, right arm up, palm facing out. Jacket, tie, trousers in the colors of the national flag. As a living statue, it commemorates the African liberation fighter Lumumba, who was murdered and dissolved in acid in 1961. The New York Times wrote a few months ago: “The overthrow and assassination of Lumumba was among the greatest crimes of the Cold War – a conspiracy involving White House staff, CIA agents, UN diplomats, Congolese separatists and, yes, Belgian envoys.”

The Lumumba impersonator is now being imitated himself

Michel Kuka Mboladinga – stage name “Lumumba Vea” – is on the one hand an artist, a juggler. On the other hand, one can consider his art of embodying a murdered national hero to be highly political – which completely contradicts FIFA ideology, in which football and politics are or should be separate from each other. The Lumumba actor may actually not be allowed into the country because the US authorities have imposed entry restrictions for citizens of the DR Congo due to the Ebola virus that is rampant there. But the fact that one can also imagine that the Americans are perfectly happy not to have a person who is supposedly critical of America at the World Cup says something about the tense atmosphere in which the tournament is taking place. Precisely because this personality is a fictional character.

DR Congo’s players, as their win against Uzbekistan proved, can survive without the inspirational power of their superfan. And someone who looked like Lumumba was briefly shown on the big screens in the stadium. The Lumumba impersonator Mboladinga is now being imitated himself, so there are several Lumumbas out and about at the moment. Everything is a bit much at this XXL World Championship.

Meanwhile, video spots have appeared on the Internet that present Mboladinga as a testimonial for a deodorant manufacturer. After all, being a living statue is hard work. No matter how you feel about this advertising number – “Lumumba Vea” has brought the story of Patrice Lumumba to mind on the biggest stage and has certainly told many people in a completely new way. Against England, it is now the turn of the DR Congo footballers to continue spinning their own story.