Initiation of preparations for the commemoration of the centenary of Patrice Lumumba in Sankuru

Kinshasa, May 2^nd, 2025 (CPA) – Preparations for the commemoration of the centenary of the very first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, scheduled for July 2^nd, 2025, have been initiated by communities in the province of Sankuru, in the centre of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a prominent figure told the CPA on Thursday. ‘The question of infrastructure was at the heart of a meeting between the artists involved in the preparation of this commemoration, which is intended as an expression of the great achievements of Patrice Lumumba through the centenary of his birth on July 2^nd, 2025. This centenary calls on us to awaken the collective memory and alert the authorities of Sankuru province to get involved in the preparations for this commemoration’, declared Jean-Gomer Okongema, Show Show bandleader and former spokesman for Papa Wemba. ‘Sankuru province lacks basic infrastructure. There is no functioning airport, no tarmac roads, no service stations worthy of the name, not even stadiums or major hospitals. This is the issue that we want to see included in the preparations for the centenary of the birth of the national hero, so that his memory can be honored in a concrete way’, he added. Patrice Lumumba was born on July 2^nd, 1925 in the former province of Kasai Oriental, in Onalua, in what is now the province of Sankuru. He was assassinated in 1961 at the age of 36. This centenary celebrates not only his biological birth, but also his thoughts and his fight for the independence of the Congo. ‘It is up to us, as artists and his spiritual heirs, to remind the world, through our various works, of what Patrice Lumumba was’, said Mr Okongema, adding that the activities will be organized by the Congolese government. ‘For our part, we are joining in the programme of activities under the aegis of the central and provincial governments, with the support of the Patrice Lumumba Foundation, headed by Michel Tokonda and Rolland Lumumba, and Action for Sustainable and Universal Development (ADU), headed by Dr Samy Topango’, added Mr Okongema. A tour of the Grand Equateur that was to have taken place prior to the commemoration has been cancelled, so the artists who had committed themselves to it will be meeting in Lodja on July 2^nd, 2025 to express their aspirations.