Congo Celebrates Historic World Cup Advancement with Tribute to Patrice Lumumba, the Slain Anti-Colonial Leader

Original article: Congo celebró en las calles su clasificación con la figura de Lumbumba, el líder anticolonial asesinado por EE.UU. y Bélgica

Historic Celebration in the Streets of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup for the first time, defeating Uzbekistan in Atlanta. This victory sparked massive celebrations across the nation, with thousands of fans flooding the streets in the early hours, rejoicing with chants, music, flags, and parades in a display of unprecedented sporting achievement.

The popular excitement was marked by the noticeable absence of the national team’s most famous fan: Michel Kuka Mboladinga, known as “Lumumba Vea”, who gained fame during the final stages of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco earlier this year. His iconic stillness during matches, paying homage to independence leader Patrice Lumumba, has made him an icon among Congolese supporters across the continent.

The Idol without a Visa

U.S. authorities denied Mboladinga a visa, preventing him from attending the match against Uzbekistan in Atlanta. In his physical absence, thousands who celebrated in Congo carried his image and mimicked his salute, transforming the footballfestivity into a historical commemoration that transcended the match outcome.

Check out the post from communicator Daniel Mayakovski

“In the refugee camps of Goma, the Congolese people took to the streets to celebrate the national team’s advancement in the World Cup, remembering the anti-colonial leader Lumumba and mimicking his salute. Lumumba was tortured, dismembered, and dissolved in acid by the United States and Belgium for achieving Congo’s independence… even then, the imperialists could not erase him from history; 65 years after his assassination, the people still remember him.”

The visa denial comes against a complex historical backdrop. Patrice Lumumba, the figure celebrated by the fan, was the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo following its independence. His nationalist stance and refusal to sell the country’s rich mineral resources made him an «unacceptable target for Western powers during the Cold War,» according to historical records.

The Legacy of Lumumba

Check out the report from Reviviendo Mil Prendas

Lumumba was executed by a firing squad on January 17, 1961, in Katanga province, a crime that was «the direct result of an international and local conspiracy involving Belgian officials, secessionist rebels from Katanga led by Moïse Tshombe, and members of the Congolese army loyal to Joseph Mobutu,» with «the complicity and tacit support of Belgium and U.S. intelligence agencies (CIA).»

To prevent his grave from becoming a site of pilgrimage and veneration, Belgian agents exhumed Lumumba’s and his companions’ bodies days later, mutilated them, and dissolved them in sulfuric acid. This crime, over 60 years ago, remains an open wound in the Congolese collective memory and a symbol of the neocolonial exploitation of Africa’s resources.