The remarks of Joseph Olenghankoy, President of the CNSA, following the recent desecration of the Mzee Kabila Foundation make one reflect on the memorial heritage of the DRC. According to Olenghankoy, by attacking this symbol referring to a personality who spent all his time defending the interests of Congo, the assailants desecrated a part of the sacredness of the country. This affirmation challenges the entire political class and the national community on the importance of the country’s symbols and constants, which give it meaning and benchmarks.
The DRC has often tended to settle the past without evaluating its achievements and its wealth. The AFDL, for example, threw the baby of the colonial past out with the bathwater. This practice is like an old demon that haunts the supporters of each camp or clan that comes to power. Thus, the country often emerges ex nihilo from each change of power.
Congolese citizens identify more with men than with the nation, more fond of the party than the homeland. This propensity to erase everything in the name of an ideology of devaluation is serious, because it leads the country to lose its bearings and to find itself without a father or mother, and in the long term, to die.
In short, Olenghankoy’s reflection highlights the need for the DRC to preserve its memorial heritage, its constants and its symbols so as not to lose its identity. This implies proposing solutions so that the DRC acquires an inclusive collective memory, which integrates all regions, communities and sub-groups and which allows national reconciliation.