The gold-plated tooth of Patrice Lumumba, the freedom fighter of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is safe and has not been stolen, his daughter told the BBC.
This news comes as a relief to a nation gripped by the fear that the remains of the country’s first respected prime minister were destroyed after his temple was vandalized in the capital, Kinshasa, on Monday night.
But Juliana Lumumba said previous concerns about the security of the area prompted the family to remove the tooth from a safe place.
The tooth was returned to the Lumumba family by the country that once ruled Belgium two years ago – and housed in a special memorial building.
Lumumba was not only popular at home but across Africa for his criticism of colonialism – and became an icon of pan-Africanism.
He was seen as a symbol of change and hope after the difficult years under Belgian rule, when millions of Congolese people died or were brutally treated.
But within months of the country gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, he was dismissed as prime minister.
At the age of 35 he was shot by a firing squad in January 1961, supported by Belgium.
His body was then dissolved in acid, but Belgian policeman Gerard Soete, who oversaw the destruction, took the tooth as a macabre souvenir.
The return of Lumumba’s gold tooth in June 2022 was a cause for rejoicing in DR Congo – and a tour of the vast country was undertaken to pay his respects.
The destruction of the temple has sparked outrage – and when Culture Minister Yolande Elebe Mandembo announced on Tuesday that an investigation had been launched, many feared the worst.
Photos were circulated showing that a glass door had been smashed to gain access to a room where the coffin could not be seen.
But Ms Lumumba was trying to reassure people on Wednesday – saying her father’s tooth was missing during the burglary.
Still, he told the BBC he felt “angry and sad” that his father’s grave had been desecrated.
Patrice Lumumba’s gold tooth – pictured here in 2016 – was kept in a wooden box by Belgian police officer Gerard Soete. [Jelle Vermeersch]
Now 69, he has spent years trying to get the tooth back in Belgium.
“Patrice Lumumba sacrificed himself for the sovereignty and independence of his country and the Congolese,” he said.
“This does not represent our culture, which respects the graves of the dead.”
Local authorities say four suspects have been arrested for defamation, but they have not been publicly identified.
Ms. Lumumba said that the Lumumba Foundation wants to take over the management of the temple due to security concerns and they have been lobbying the government to do so.
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