January 8 – Algeria’s extra time 1-0 win over DR Congo to secure a place in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter finals has been marred by accusations of racism and disrespect off the pitch.
The controversy surrounds DR Congo fan Michel Kuka Mboladinga, known as ‘Lumumba Vea’, who has become one of the most striking images at the finals.
While fans around him are erupting with joy and support of their national team, Mboladinga, dressed in a suit and glasses as Congolese independence hero and leading pan-African political figure Patrice Lumumba, stands still for the whole 90 minutes with his arm raised mimicking a statue of Lumumba in the country’s capital Kinshasa.
The quiet tribute has stood out in the backdrop of raucous support in Morocco’s stadia that has lit this tournament up. Fans have praised the gesture and respected the tribute to Africa’s fight for independence.
But the tribute has done nothing for Al Jazeera journalist Khadija Benguenna, who is Algerian, and who posted a photo of Mboladinga with a caption saying, ‘Shame, honestly, this ‘creature’ stood for 120 minutes’.
The use of the word ‘creature’ triggered a backlash, with Benguenna first editing the caption before deleting the post.
Benguenna wasn’t alone in her mockery.
After the winning goal was scored, Algerian forward Mohamed Amoura turned to where Mboladinga was in the stands, and copied his raised-arm pose, before dropping suddenly to the turf. His actions and the mockery implied, immediately sparked fury on social media.
Amoura has since apologised saying that he did not understand the significance of Mboladinga and that he did not mean to cause offense.
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