Congo’s famous living statue, Lumumba Bear, will miss the World Cup playoffs against Jamaica after failing to obtain a visa in time.
Michel Ngcuka Mboradinga, who shot to fame during the African Cup of Nations by portraying the statue of assassinated Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba throughout the match, traveled to Kenya and then Ethiopia to obtain a visa to take part in Tuesday’s play-offs in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Despite his efforts, he ran out of time.
“Unfortunately, even in emergency situations, obtaining an express visa requires at least a one-day process, and even then only under certain conditions,” Ngcuka Mboradinga wrote to X.
“Given the importance of the mission to accompany the leopard and the length of the journey to Mexico (18 to 22 hours with one stop, up to 30 hours with two stops), it seemed impossible to arrive on time and successfully complete this mission,” he wrote. “So I decided to return to Kinshasa to support the ambassadors in a different way.”
Journalist Grevy Tambwe acted as interpreter for Ngcuka Mboradinga’s interview. Associated Press interview In January, he admitted that social media posts were from Ngcuka Mboradinga.
Tambwe told The Associated Press: “I’m a little bit heartbroken by what happened, but I’m fine. I’m in touch with the national team and I’ll be watching the match with other supporters. Michelle will still perform, even if she’s away.”
Ngcuka Mboladinga became a social media star at the Africa Cup after posing as a statue of Lumumba on a pedestal with his right hand raised and remaining motionless during his team’s matches.
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.
In March, a Belgian court issued the following order against a 93-year-old man: Former diplomat goes on trial for assassination. Etienne Davignon, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, is the last surviving Belgian of 10 suspected to have been involved in the killing, and has been charged with “participating in war crimes” for his role in Lumumba’s “unlawful detention and transfer.”
Congo advanced to the last 16 of the Africa Cup. Leopards quickly gain attention after losing to Algeria Switched to World Cup qualifying. If Congo defeats Jamaica in the play-offs, they will become the penultimate team to qualify for the 48-nation tournament. Iraq will play Bolivia The last playoff game was held in Monterrey, Mexico.
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