Benoît Feyt, Dieudo Hamadi and Quentin Noirfalisse present their documentary “Lumumba, the return of a hero” in preview on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at the Cinéma Vendôme in Ixelles, Belgium.
Through the political celebrations of the return of the remains of Patrice Lumumba, symbol of Congolese independence and Prime Minister, the documentary focuses on what remains of man in Congo and Belgium. Indeed, his remains, dissolved in acid, were never found after his assassination in 1961 with two of his collaborators Okito and Mpolo.
The documentary comes a year after an official ceremony organized by Belgium in tribute to Lumumba. However, the murder of the man who had enabled the Congo to achieve freedom remains unpunished. In 2000-2001, a parliamentary commission of inquiry had concluded that “the Belgian government had manifestly disregarded the physical integrity of Patrice Lumumba and that after his assassination, this same government had deliberately spread lies about the circumstances of his death”.
The documentary also tackles the human aspect of this drama, following the children of Patrice Lumumba and other members of his family. Director Dieudo Hamadi, son of one of Okito’s victims and close to the Lumumba family, has made several documentary films on the DRC such as “Makala”, which won an award at Cannes in 2017.
The political context remains tense in the DRC, particularly in conflict regions such as North Kivu, where electoral participation is threatened. The President of the Republic, committed to development, must face many security challenges to move the country forward.
Finally, the rehabilitation of roads in Kinshasa is another topical subject, while the work has not been sufficiently carried out. Pedestrians and motorists find themselves in disarray in the face of poor roadways.
Fatshimetry remains on the lookout for any information on current events in the DRC and in the Great Lakes region