DR Congo get support from Patrice Lumumba impersonator in 3-1 World Cup win over Uzbekistan
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DR Congo fan Enock Kabwende impersonating Congolese superfan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, also known as “Lumumba Vea”, in their 3-1 World Cup Group K win over Uzbekistan in Atlanta, Georgia, US on June 27, 2026, to qualify for the round of 32.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DR Congo fan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, also known as Lumumba Vea, in the stands before the 1-0 loss to Colombia in their World Cup Group K game in Guadalajara, Mexico on June 23, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
ATLANTA – Democratic Republic of Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga could not make it for his country’s dramatic World Cup win over Uzbekistan on June 27, but there was an impersonator happy to stand in.
Mboladinga has won worldwide notoriety for standing motionless in the stands, looking eerily like the statue in Kinshasa of the country’s first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, a revered figure in DR Congo after being killed in 1961.
Mboladinga bears a remarkable resemblance to Lumumba, wearing colourful suits with his country’s colours, but after supporting the Congolese in their last match in Mexico, he failed to get a visa for their must-win game in Atlanta against Uzbekistan, in which they won 3-1 to advance to the last 32.
Enock Kabwende, a 28-year-old impersonator, stepped in, also looking like Lumumba but in a dark suit embellished with leopard print.
“I want to keep the culture going,” Kabwende told Reuters, standing at the very top row of the stadium and getting fleeting exposure on the stadium’s giant television screen, eliciting a huge cheer from the almost 69,000-strong crowd.
“He didn’t come here, but we have to represent our country. Patrice Lumumba represents liberty, strong power, prosperity, and freedom in our country,” Kabwende said.
If the real ‘Lumumba Vea’ is able to get a visa for DR Congo’s next match against England in Atlanta on July 1, Kabwende said he hoped they could stand together. “We are family,” he added. REUTERS
