The relic of Patrice Emery Lumumba, his spirit too, finally rest on his native lands in Sankuru. Since this Tuesday, June 22 in the afternoon, the coffin of one of the heroes of the independence of Congo is exposed in the middle of his village in Onalua. An important step so that mourning can finally be done 61 years after his assassination. The inhabitants came in large numbers to pay homage to him. Account of this last voyage of the Lumumba icon.
With our special correspondent, Paulina Zidi
The main road in the small village of Onalua is completely cut off from traffic. In the center, now stands the coffin of Patrice Lumumba. Next to it, tents and chairs have been set up to accommodate anyone who wants to pay homage to him.
Some have come from very far
And some came from afar, from all over Sankuru province. This is the case of Michel, very moved. He explains to us that given his young age, he did not know Patrice Lumumba, but that he shares his ideas, his ideal of society. He is also very touched to see the family of the first prime minister Congolese, his sons Roland and François, but especially the grandchildren. For them, this visit to the village is a first and Yéma, one of the granddaughters tells us of her happiness to finally put an image on places she has heard a lot about: “ It looks just like I imagined she tells us.
Tears in the eyes
Regularly, people advance towards the remains to meditate. Some have tears in their eyes, others are smiling. An atmosphere of mourning, it is true a little special, because sadness is mixed with a certain joy, that of finally celebrating the national hero to the sounds of drums and traditional songs.
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