June 4, 2023, it has been 54 years to the day that young students at Lovanium University rose up against dictatorship and for the abolition of colonial traditions. Their fight has been forgotten by Congolese history and yet they were the first to fight against the dictatorship, without asking for food but for their freedom and Africanization. Today, it is important to have a thought for them.
This uprising was marked by many human losses. Among them, Mwamba Symphorien, a great theater actor and committed student, elected mayor of his home and always at the forefront of demands.
On this historic day, more than 5,000 students rose up against the Party-State government for their academic independence from colonial traditions. Unfortunately, the negotiations failed and the march turned tragic.
The students descended the popular districts of Kinshasa, with songs and slogans hostile to the regime, before joining the Headquarters of the Businesses. Following the first shots, the soldiers fired live ammunition, causing many casualties.
Several decades later, the Congo has gone through many challenges, both politically and economically. Articles published on Fatshi Metrie’s blog testify to this: the confidential CIA report revealing East African complicity in the balkanization of the DRC, the 0.6% rise in the national currency on the market official exchanges or even the assassinations which continue to rage in the east of the DRC. Despite everything, the president remains committed to the development of the country.
For his part, the governor of the province of Lituri issued an ultimatum to the armed groups after the visit of the ICC prosecutor. Similarly, six jihadists were killed in clashes with the army in the DRC, and tension remains high in the Rwenzori region.
The UNHCR encourages the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Rwanda to the DRC, while the Sacred Union in the DRC is built without ideology or program.
Finally, the recent rehabilitation of roads in Kinshasa has left pedestrians and motorists in disarray.
As a tribute to the students of Lovanium, it is important to emphasize that their fight for freedom, Africanization and the abolition of dictatorship will never be forgotten.