Congolese hero Patrice Lumumba honored

The gold tooth of former freedom fighter Patrice Lumumba was buried on Thursday in Congo. The ceremony sought to bring peace, not only to the grieving family but to the entire Congolese people:

He will now rest in a specially built mausoleum in the capital Kinshasa. Previously, people had been able to say goodbye to the only mortal remains of the former prime minister at various locations.

60 years of pain

For many Congolese, Lumumba is a national hero. In 1961, at the age of 35, he was kidnapped, tortured and assassinated — following a military coup backed by Western powers — with the support of Belgian operatives and the U.S. intelligence agency CIA.

His body, dissolved in acid, was never found.

A Belgian police officer involved in the disposal of the body apparently kept the gold tooth as a trophy. Following the intervention of Lumumba's daughter, it was turned over to the Belgian government, which until recently refused to give it to his descendants.

"More than 60 years of pain" — that's how Juliana Lumumba described her family's feelings in a DW interview in mid-June.

"For us as a family, yes, we have to move on somehow, but to do that we have to bury our father's remains."

The tooth is also a symbol of Belgium's dark history in Congo. A period that Belgium is still struggling to come to terms with, says Juliana Lumumba.

Many Congolese echo her sentiments. Patrick Batiki, a 41-year-old civil servant, thinks Belgium's return of the tooth is important — but not enough.

"They should also compensate the family. By returning the tooth, they are indirectly accusing themselves of being the ones who killed him," Batiki said in interview with DW.

Continuing Lumumba's fighting spirit

Many Congolese see Belgium's recent attempts at reconciliation as a sign of rapprochement. But the moves are considered insufficient to atone for the country's colonial past.

The occupation of Congo — which was initially the private property of King Leopold II from 1885 and later became a Belgian colony — is considered one of the most brutal chapters in African history.

It was Patrice Lumumba who, after his election in June 1960, denounced the crimes and humiliations committed under Belgian rule, promising the Congolese that the country's vast deposits of raw materials — gold, ivory, diamonds, rubber and uranium — would be nationalized.

That way, Lumumba hoped, more people would benefit.

At the height of the Cold War, Lumumba's rise sparked fears in the West that he might turn to the Soviet Union. Just three months after his election, he was ousted from office by a corrupt army colonel, Joseph Mobutu, who arrested and killed him. Mobutu would subsequently oppress the people as a brutal dictator.

The Congolese should continue Lumumba's struggle, said Augustin Bidonda.

The 30-year-old accountant is impressed by Lumumba's courage. In view of this, the $2.4 million (€2.3 million, £2 million) price tag for the mausoleum built by Chinese companies is almost nothing in his opinion. 

"Lumumba deserved more. I would like to see such a story done again in several provinces," he told DW.

Family rift

Nurse Armand Onyangunga also considers Lumba's gold tooth a significant symbol. 

"The Congolese people must know about the struggle that Lumumba waged. It is thanks to him that we sing about the victory of independence," they said.

But there are other voices in Kinshasa criticizing the expensive construction of the memorial.

"It's not the right time to build this," Mpia Mudiandambu told DW. "Look around our neighborhood; people are suffering a lot. This is unacceptable! There are no roads, no electricity, no water, and food supplies are difficult."

Even Lumumba's family is divided. Two of his children opposed the ceremonies organized by President Felix Tshisekedi.

Michel Lumumba and Guy-Patrice Lumumba denounced the political appropriation of their father. "Our father's mortal remains belong to us," they said.

Guardians of democracy

Belgian-Congo expert Ludo De Witte, on the other hand, does not believe the tooth's burial will have much impact on current Congolese politics.

The bigger problem, he said, is that, despite words of regret, the Belgian government is still not clearly addressing its country's dark past. Because Lumumba's assassination had repercussions: It was followed by decades of Mobutu dictatorship and several civil wars in eastern Congo.

But for many young people involved in civil society movements, Lumumba is an important point of reference, said historian Karine Ramondy: "Because these movements really represent what you call the guardians of democracy. You need a movement in a country, and especially in eastern Congo, that embodies the possibility of a better future."

Collaboration: Jean Noel Bamweze (Congo), Wendy Bashy, Priyanka Shankar

This article has been translated from German.