At AFCON 2025, where drums don’t rest and silence is like a foul to the fans, Lumumba Vea chose stillness and stole the show
During DR Congo’s Group D games, especially their clash against Botswana in Rabat, television cameras have caught sight of a supporter who has refused to move.
Not during goals, fouls, or even during VAR-induced anxiety. For the full stretch of the games, he stood frozen like a museum exhibit that accidentally bought a match ticket. 
Meet Michel Kuka Mboladinga, better known now as ‘Lumumba Vea’, the AFCON fan who turned himself into a living statue in honour of Congo’s first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.
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The AFCON 2025 Moment That Broke the Internet
Dressed in DR Congo’s colours (red trousers, blue tie and yellow blazer), Lumumba Vea raised his right arm and held a pose identical to Lumumba’s famous statue in Kinshasa. He stayed motionless throughout DR Congo’s 3–0 win over Botswana, a match that sealed the Leopards’ place in the Round of 16.
He has done this from the first game the DR Congo team played in the competition. But, from this match, the internet clipped it, captioned it, and crowned him AFCON’s most disciplined supporter. While other fans danced, sang, and lost their voices, Lumumba Vea lost absolutely nothing, not even his balance.
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Who Is Lumumba Vea?
Lumumba Vea is a 53-year-old Congolese football supporter whose uncanny resemblance to Patrice Lumumba is now his calling card. Before every game, he sets up a small podium, strikes the pose, and commits to football’s now most demanding position: standing still.
“I remain still to give strength to the team, to give energy to the players,” he told the Associated Press (AP). Apparently, motivational speeches are not the only way to do it; statues work too.
The act has grown so popular that members of the Congolese Supporters Club now form a protective ring around him as fans rush for selfies.
While Nkuka Mboladinga hasn’t yet met the players, he says word has reached him that they’ve noticed and appreciate the gesture. “They know me,” he said with a smile. “They’re very happy with what I’m doing.”
Why ‘Patrice Lumumba’ Still Matters
Patrice Lumumba led Congo to independence from Belgium in 1960 and became the country’s first prime minister. Within a year, he was assassinated amid political turmoil and foreign interference. His death remains one of Africa’s most painful political turning points.
For many Congolese, Lumumba represents freedom, sacrifice, and the future that never fully arrived. “He’s like family,” Lumumba Vea says. “He sacrificed his life for us.”
Football, History, and One Very Strong Calf Muscle
Lumumba Vea’s sensational act is no fluke; he prepares by rehearsing stillness for up to 50 minutes at a time.
During the tournament, he maintained this composure for entire matches, including a group-stage clash against Benin that stretched to nearly 115 minutes without him so much as blinking.
Today, his country, the rest of Africa, and the world have taken notice, eagerly anticipating his appearance at every DR Congo fixture.
In a tournament known for its noise, it appears the biggest noise in the AFCON 2025 has come from a silent, still stance.
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