CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — One fan is standing taller than the rest at the African Cup of Nations.
He brought it to the pedestal just in case.
Congolese supporter Michel Ngcuka Mboradinga became a social media star after posing for a statue of the country’s independence hero Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated during the match.
Known for his resemblance to the slain leader, the sharply dressed supporter stands perfectly still with his right arm raised, adopting the position of the Lumumba monument in Kinshasa and maintaining that pose throughout the match.
“I stay still to give strength to the team, to give energy to the players,” Ngcuka Mboladinga told The Associated Press in an interview in his hotel room in Casablanca this week.
He said this would be his last until Tuesday’s match against Algeria in Rabat. Ngcuka Mboladinga, clearly exhausted by the relentless media attention following Congo’s first three matches of the tournament, was furious that every media outlet seemed to have misspelled his name.
However, he appreciated the attention and was happy to bring Lumumba’s support to the team.
“He is the one who gave us the freedom to express ourselves,” Ngcuka Mboradinga said of the Congolese leader. “He sacrificed his life for us and gave us freedom, so he is a hero to us and Lumumba is a spirit to us and an example to us.”
Lumumba is widely praised as a nationalist activist who helped end Belgian colonial rule over Congo in 1960. He became the newly independent country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was killed within a year while fighting a Belgian-backed separatist movement in the mineral-rich Katanga region.
doubts continue How colluding were Belgium and the US? In his death. An investigation by the Belgian parliament later found the government “morally responsible” for Lumumba’s death. A U.S. Senate committee found in 1975 that the CIA had hatched another failed plot to kill Congolese leaders.
Lumumba remains an important place for many people in Congo. symbol of the positive development this country could have achieved After independence. Instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship, depleting its vast mineral wealth.
“He is like family,” Ngcuka Mboradinga said of the visionary leader.
Ngcuka Mboladinga sits still and rehearses for 45 to 50 minutes at a time before each match. from congo knockout roundhe also faces the prospect of having to stay in statue mode through overtime and penalties when the fans around him aren’t at all.
“It’s difficult,” he admitted about staying still while supporters dance around and behind him. “Everyone does their part, they do their part and I do mine.”
He hasn’t met the players yet, but I hear they appreciate his efforts.
“The players know me, but I’ve never spoken to them personally. They’re very happy with what I’m doing,” he said.
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Associated Press on Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
