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
