Place de l'Echangeur, in Limete, was crawling with people on Friday, January 17, 2020. For the occasion, the president of the Laurent-Désiré Kabila Foundation was no exception to the rule. Jaynet Kabila joined the history cohort to greet the historic size of Patrice Emery Lumumba whose nation has shown itself worthy by rising to its height and remaining united.

The date of January 17 is still engraved in the memory of the Congolese. The successive arrivals of officials, including the appearance of the president of the M’zee Kabila Foundation, testified the importance of the event.

After the Prime Minister, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Interior, Gilbert Kankonde followed by several other personalities of the country, Mrs. Jaynet Kabila for her part paid tributes to this great man.

The evidence is that three men, Patrice-Emery Lumumba and his two fellow fighters, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, murdered on January 17, 1961, had the merit of being commemorated for the 59 years of their disappearance. January 17 is one of the important dates in the modern history of the country linked to the name of Patrice-Emery Lumumba.

His sacrifices helped to liberate the country from the yoke and colonial oppression. His given life and those of his fellow fighters have not been and will never be lost lives, one heard among the statements made for this occasion.

The biological and political families of Patrice Emery Lumumba, Joseph Okito And Mpolo Maurice also joined the long list of guests.

As a reminder, because of the Congo's multiple challenges, any contact with the countries of the Eastern bloc was considered as a war for the West. Although liberal, Lumumba was considered as a communist ally.

The reason is quickly found in the head of his ministers, some of whom would have stayed 24 hours or 10 days in these countries. This is the case of Pierre Mulele, Anicet Kashamura, Antoine Gizenga, Maurice Mpolo, Albert Nguvulu Disukiro. They were all qualified by the hard and radical tendency of the Government.

Corneille Kinsala N’soki

(CKS/PKF)