His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in agonising fashion on Tuesday, but the DR Congo’s human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga will be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter.
The colourfully-dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking towards the sky with his right arm raised and palm open
He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government.
They took their place in the stands in Rabat for the last-16 tie against Algeria which the Leopards lost 1-0 to a goal late in extra time.
Kuka’s pose is inspired by that of a statue of Congolese independence leader and former prime minister Patrice Lumumba which stands in Kinshasa.
Lumumba briefly served as the country’s first prime minister in 1960 and was assassinated the following year by a combination of separatists from the region of Katanga and Belgian mercenaries.
His body was dissolved in acid and never found, although it was discovered decades later that remains, including a tooth, had been kept in Belgium.
The killing is one of the darkest moments in the history of relations between Belgium and its former colony.
Congolese fans at the Cup of Nations who spoke to AFP expressed pride at seeing Kuka’s tribute to Lumumba.
Kuka is “our brother”, said 30-year-old Laetitia Malula during a gathering of supporters in Casablanca on the eve of the Algeria game.
“He has chosen to imitate Lumumba…our hero. That is we why we chant his name.”
DR Congo’s participation in the Cup of Nations has come amid an ongoing conflict in the east of the country along its border with Rwanda, where conflict has flared since 2021 with the resurgence of the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.
Kuka did not speak to AFP having apparently taken himself out of the limelight due to the overwhelming media attention.
But 35-year-old Jered Bitobo, head of communication of the supporters group to which Kuka belongs, described his compatriot’s pose as “a sign of peace”.
“He is sending out a strong message, both at local and international level. The open palm is a sign of peace and we need peace in our country,” Bitobo said.
It is understood that Kuka first performed the pose several years ago during matches of leading Congolese side AS Vita Club.
