Congo’s famed “living statue” finally made his World Cup debut Tuesday.
Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who rose to prominence during the Africa Cup of Nations for standing motionless while dressed as a statue of Congo’s assassinated independence leader Patrice Lumumba, attended Congo’s 1-0 loss to Colombia after missing the opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine protocols.
Known to fans as Lumumba Vea because of his resemblance to the late leader, he arrived about an hour before kickoff at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. He wore a bright red jacket and tie, a yellow shirt and blue trousers.
As the match began, he took his usual position on a pedestal behind the Congo bench and stood completely still, right arm raised.
Mboladinga returned to the pedestal a few minutes late after halftime but remained there through the final whistle and briefly afterward.
He declined to be interviewed but nodded and smiled when asked whether he was happy to finally appear at the World Cup.
Congo played Portugal to a 1-1 draw last week in Houston.
Mboladinga also missed Congo’s World Cup playoff match against Jamaica earlier this year, when the team secured a return to the tournament after 52 years, because he was unable to obtain a visa in time. He had traveled to Kenya and then Ethiopia in an effort to secure entry for the match, which was also played in Guadalajara.
Mboladinga became a social media sensation at the Africa Cup for posing as a statue of Lumumba on a pedestal, right hand raised, remaining motionless throughout matches.
Lumumba was an activist who helped end Belgium’s 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 leaders before being assassinated within a year during a struggle against a Belgian-backed secessionist movement in the mineral-rich Katanga region.
A Belgian court in March ordered a 93-year-old former diplomat to stand trial in connection with the killing. Etienne Davignon, who has denied wrongdoing, is the last living of 10 Belgians suspected of involvement and has been charged with participation in war crimes for his role in the unlawful detention and transfer of Lumumba.
