Lumumba at 100: Belgium Confronts Colonial Past with Exhibit and Legal Reckoning

As Patrice Lumumba would have turned 100 this July, Belgium is both honoring and confronting his legacy. The Congolese independence hero, assassinated in 1961 with Belgian complicity, is the focus of a Brussels exhibition celebrating his ideals and enduring impact. At the same time, Belgium’s judiciary is revisiting the past: Étienne Davignon, a 92-year-old ex-diplomat, may face trial in 2026 over allegations linked to Lumumba’s assassination. While Davignon denies any wrongdoing, the Lumumba family and Congolese activists see this as a long-overdue step toward justice. The exhibition, titled Lumumba Sans Temps, not only memorializes his life but urges a reckoning with colonial crimes that still echo through Congo and Belgium’s shared, painful history.

The Guardian