On Saturday, December 27 at exactly 15 GMT (6 PM Kenyan time), I am seated at my favourite local football viewing hall, ready to watch an exciting, African football classic—Senegal vs. DR Congo.

And just after the match kicks off at the 68,000-capacity Tangier Grand Stadium in Tangier, Morocco, one of the camerapersons on duty pans the camera through the ecstatic Senegalese and Congolese fans.

But one supporter of the Democratic Republic of Congo got me curious… this supporter stood completely motionless in the stands. I am a good student of history, and I immediately realise his striking resemblance to Patrice Lumumba, DR Congo’s first Prime Minister.

Lumumba is almost a cult-figure in DR Congo, being a major figure in the independence movement against Belgian colonial rule. He helped in leading the country to independence on June 30, 1960.

By virtue of this fact, I quickly conclude that what I had seen was a statue of the independence leader, just fans paying tribute to Lumumba. Jokes on me… It wasn’t a statue.

As the game went on, the camera kept on panning to him, and it dawned on me that indeed, he was a fan literally “playing statue”.

He quickly became a sensation at the AFCON tournament for his extraordinary endurance, as he stood motionless with a raised hand for the entirety match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, courtesy of goals from Cedric Bakambu and Sadio Mane.

Fast-forward to December 30, 2025, the game pitting DR Congo against Botswana, the cameras quickly found the fan, dressed in a striking outfit reflecting the colours of his national team — red trousers, a blue tie, and a yellow blazer. He cut a firm stance, his right hand raised in a salute, and did not move an inch throughout the entire match.

Who was Patrice Lumumba?

After the match, it emerged that the fan — known as Michel “Lumumba” Kuka Mboladinga — is paying tribute to Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated on January 17, 1961.

Lumumba, the original Lumumba, served as Prime Minister for a very short period between June 24 to September 5, 1960.

A succession of political crises shortly after independence saw Lumumba dismissed by President Joseph Kasavubu in September 1960. He was subsequently captured, and assassinated on January 17, 1961.

Nearly 65 years later, Lumumba remains a symbol of African resistance.

The silent-yet-forceful gesture was not let down by the DR Congo players in both instances, bagging a draw against football giants Senegal, and a convincing 3-0 victory over Botswana to advance to the Round of 16.