More Than a Costume: Michel Mboladinga and the Legacy of Patrice Lumumba.

#2026WorldCup is continuing under the shadow of the terrible policies of Trump's United States. Visa bans, racist rhetoric, the presence of ICE, the United States threatening Iran, another participant in the tournament, during the World Cup, and the FIFA president embarrassing himself even further while trying to soften all of the scandals signed by the United States...

This World Cup will be remembered more for what happened off the pitch than for the football on it.

One of the participants in this tournament is DR Congo. One of the details that sets this team apart from many others is a supporter in their stands. His name is Michel Mboladinga.

Mboladinga has been attending DR Congo matches for some time and portraying the African anti-imperialist leader Patrice Lumumba. He had already attracted considerable attention at DR Congo matches before the World Cup. However, he could not attend the first match of the tournament because the United States also denied him a visa.

Mboladinga was able to attend his country's match against Colombia in Mexico and took his place in the stands. This also attracted significant attention and became international news. However, some media outlets are trying to ignore the political message being conveyed and present him merely as a show figure.

Yet the Patrice Lumumba that Mboladinga keeps alive in the stands is one of the most important symbols of the struggle against colonialism and imperialism in Africa.

Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of the Congo after the country gained independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960. However, shortly after independence, a mutiny broke out within the army, Belgium intervened militarily, and the mineral-rich region of Katanga declared secession under the leadership of Moïse Tshombe. Lumumba opposed the partition of the country and viewed Belgium's intervention as a continuation of colonialism.

In September 1960, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu attempted to remove Lumumba from office. This was followed by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu's coup. Placed under house arrest, Lumumba was captured while trying to reach Stanleyville, where his supporters were based. He was held in Thysville in December 1960 and was sent to Katanga on 17 January 1961.

Being taken to Katanga was effectively a death sentence. Lumumba was taken to Elisabethville together with his two comrades, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. There they were beaten, tortured, and executed by firing squad on the same night. The execution was carried out by a Katangan firing squad under the supervision of Belgian officials and officers.

The most horrifying part of the assassination came afterwards. Lumumba and his comrades were initially buried in shallow graves. Later, the graves were reopened, the bodies were dismembered, and attempts were made to dissolve them in sulphuric acid. The aim was to prevent Lumumba's grave from becoming a site of resistance and remembrance.

In 2002, Belgium accepted "moral responsibility" for its role in Lumumba's killing. In 2022, Lumumba's tooth, the only remaining part of his remains, was returned to his family. A Belgian parliamentary inquiry also stated that the United States played a role in organising opposition against Lumumba behind the scenes and that plans for his physical elimination had also been discussed.

Despite all the plans and brutality of the imperialist powers, Lumumba became one of the most important symbols of anti-imperialism and the struggle for independence both in his own country and across Africa.

For this reason, Michel Mboladinga's portrayal of Lumumba in the stands for years is far more than a simple spectacle within industrial football. It is a message against colonialism, which continues to leave deep scars across Africa, and a reflection of historical memory in the stands.

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