Latest news with #Davignon
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Lumumba everlasting': Belgium marks Congo's slain leader's 100th birthday with exhibition
If he had lived, Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, would have marked his 100th birthday this month (on 2 July). This unreached milestone is being marked by an exhibition in Brussels at a time when Belgium, the former colonial power, is facing renewed questions about his death. Lumumba was 35 when he was overthrown during a political crisis, then tortured and assassinated by a firing squad in January 1961, along with two associates, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo. Nearly 65 years after the murders, which were carried out by Congolese rivals with the support of Belgian officers, Lumumba's family are still searching for answers. In an unexpected development in June, Belgium's federal prosecutor referred a 92-year-old former diplomat, Étienne Davignon, to the Brussels criminal court over alleged war crimes related to the killings. Davignon, who was dispatched to Congo as a 28-year-old diplomatic intern on the eve of independence in 1960, is the only survivor among 10 former officials accused by the Lumumba family in 2011 of involvement in his assassination. The charges relate to Lumumba's unlawful detention, his denial of a fair trial and 'humiliating and degrading treatment', although a charge of intent to kill has been dismissed. Davignon has denied all claims of involvement. Christophe Marchand, a lawyer for the Lumumba family, said: 'The idea is to have a judicial trial and to have the truth about what happened, not only the role of Étienne Davignon – because he was one part in the whole criminal plan.' Lumumba was a charismatic champion of Congolese independence who made some disastrous decisions during his short-lived premiership. One historian has described his assassination as Congo's 'original sin' that shattered hopes of unity and prosperity in the newly independent country. In 2001 a parliamentary inquiry concluded that Belgian ministers bore a moral responsibility for the events that led to the Congolese leader's gruesome death. Marchand said the parliamentary inquiry had made clear that 'Belgian civil servants took an active part in the transfer of Lumumba from Léopoldville (Kinshasa) to Katanga', where he was murdered. Although the lawyer thought the investigation should have begun earlier, he considered it very significant that Belgium's highest prosecutor had now concluded there was enough evidence for a trial. 'There are very few cases where a former colonial state agrees to address colonial crimes and to consider that they have to be tried … even if it's a very long time after,' Marchand said. A hearing has been scheduled for January 2026, when a judge will decide if a trial should go ahead. Davignon has rejected the case as 'absurd'. The aristocrat is a scion of the Belgian establishment, a former vice-president of the European Commission, who has been involved in numerous Belgian blue chip companies. Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world after newsletter promotion Speaking to SudInfo this July, Davignon said he had been questioned by the earlier parliamentary inquiry 'where it was found that I had no direct or indirect responsibility for what happened to Lumumba'. He accused the prosecution of being overzealous and 'having gone into things a bit blindly'. Belgium's foreign ministry said it was not able to comment out of respect for the separation of powers, while noting that it was not implicated in the prosecutor's dossier. Nancy Mariam Kawaya, a coordinator at the Congolese Cultural Centre, which is hosting the Lumumba centenary exhibition, said: 'The murder needs to be judged so Belgium can be at peace with the story, so the Congolese can be at peace with the story and we can write a new chapter. 'I want to trust that justice will do its work now,' she added. The exhibition, she said, sought to widen the focus beyond Lumumba's death. The subject of his violent end 'takes so much space' that 'we don't realise that people don't know who he was, his ideas … What was actually his fight?' The small exhibition of paintings by Congolese artists at the cultural centre seeks to fill that gap. One artist imagines an idealised centenarian Lumumba, with cropped grey-white hair, gazing enigmatically into the distance. There are more unsettling works. Another painting depicts modern-day Kinshasa as an unpopulated metropolis of skyscrapers and soup of rubbish, reflecting the scourge of modern-day plastic pollution in the Congolese capital. In another work Lumumba, crowned with a halo, sits on a plastic chair in a rubbish dump as two shoeless young boys stretch out their hands. One of the boys, his hands dripping in blood, is holding a smartphone – a bleak reference to the minerals used to power the world's devices that have fuelled years of conflict in the DRC. Opened in 2023 by the city of Brussels, the Congolese Cultural Centre is part of efforts to turn the page on Belgium's fraught relationship with its former colonies. The exhibition, which runs until 30 July, is entitled Lumumba Sans Temps, a play on words. Sans temps (without time, or everlasting) sounds like 100 years (cent ans) in French and is intended to underline the timelessness, say organisers, of Lumumba's message of unity, rather than division along religious or ethnic lines. 'Lumumba remains our contemporary,' contends Dady Mbumba, the exhibition's curator. 'Lumumba fought for liberty, for equality, for unity,' he said, stressing the importance of the latter after decades of conflict in the DRC. Mbumba, who was born in Congo and lives in Belgium, wants better knowledge of Lumumba's life and the colonial past in both countries. 'It is a history that we share … although difficult and painful.'
France 24
18-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Belgium seeking to put ex-official on trial over killing of Congo's Lumumba
Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday that they were seeking to put a 92-year-old former diplomat on trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. Etienne Davignon is the only one still alive among 10 Belgians who were accused of complicity in the murder of the independence icon in a 2011 lawsuit filed by Lumumba's children. If he goes on trial, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face justice in the more than six decades since Lumumba was murdered. A fiery critic of Belgium's colonial rule, Lumumba became his country's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960. 02:09 But he fell out with the former colonial power and with the United States and was ousted in a coup a few months after taking office. He was executed on January 17, 1961, aged just 35, in the southern region of Katanga, with the support of Belgian mercenaries. His body was dissolved in acid and never recovered. Davignon, who went on to be a vice president of the European Commission in the 1980s, was a trainee diplomat at the time of the assassination. He is accused of involvement in the "unlawful detention and transfer" of Lumumba at the time he was taken prisoner and his "humiliating and degrading treatment", the prosecutor's office said. But prosecutors added that a charge of intent to kill should be dropped. It is now up to a magistrate to decide if the trial should proceed, following a hearing on the case set for January 2026. "We're moving in the right direction. What we're seeking is, first and foremost, the truth," Juliana Lumumba, the daughter of the former Congolese premier, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. The prosecutor's decision is the latest step in Belgium's decades-long reckoning with the role it played in Lumumba's killing. In 2022, Belgium returned a tooth -- the last remains of Lumumba -- to his family in a bid to turn a page on the grim chapter of its colonial past. The tooth was seized by Belgian authorities in 2016 from the daughter of a policeman, Gerard Soete. A Belgian parliamentary commission of enquiry concluded in 2001 that Belgium had "moral responsibility" for the assassination, and the government presented the country's "apologies" a year later.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Top supermarket is selling a £2.49 dupe that ‘smells exactly' like £23 L'Occitane hand cream
A TOP supermarket is selling a £2.49 dupe that 'smells exactly' like the cult L'Occitane hand cream that retails for £23. It's only natural for our skin to become dry when the weather is so changeable, but Lidl have just the buy to keep you smooth and soft this season. 2 A money saving whizz took to social media to show off the amazing beauty dupe available in Lidl at the moment. In the post Ashleigh said: "Lidl is the place for beauty dupes" before they showed off their amazing find. For £2.49, shoppers can get a 100ml tube of D'avignon Shea Hand Cream, which is made with 20% shea butter. The hand cream may remind beauty fans of L'Occitane's Shea Butter Intense Hand Balm, which costs £23. Commentating on the Instagram post one fan wrote: "Can confirm the hand cream really smells like and is as thick and lovely as the loccitane one!" Another added: "I bought one try it and went back to get more. It's a great L'occitane dupe. The ingredients list is identical." While a third fan said: "Got some more yesterday as too good same as l'occitane that have have been using for over 20 years." Lidl customers also have the choice of two different scented D'avignon hand and body liquid soaps. For £2.99 each, there is a rose option, as well as lavender option. The liquid soaps are arguably reminiscent of L'Occitane's Shea Butter Lavender, and Rose soaps - priced at £24 each on the official website. I tried Aldi's new anti-aging skincare range Meanwhile, Beauty fans have been racing to Home Bargains for a £128 skincare holy grail dupe which is on sale for just £27.99. And a major retailer has launched a £30 skincare box with £113 of trending products including Lumene and Byoma. Lookfantastic also released a new beauty box recently, and the Trending Beauty Box comes with nine viral favourites worth £110 for £40. Plus, another retailer has slashed the price of the £479 Dyson Airwrap to £285 in flash deal. Top beauty trends for 2025 Hayley Walker, Beauty Expert at Justmylook spoke exclusively to Fabulous about the big beauty trends for 2025. Haircare Hair gloss treatments are a must-have as beauty enthusiasts love the salon-quality shine and enhanced colour delivered by the trending treatment. Hair glosses are multifunctional, as they nourish the hair while offering a vibrant, healthy-looking finish, combining 2025's core trends. This treatment is perfect for those seeking an affordable, at-home glow-up. 2025 will focus on skin repairing and texture-enhancing treatments. Skincare Rejuran treatment, a celebrity-endorsed procedure, will see a rise in demand this year as many seek to enhance their skin's appearance. The procedure entails injecting polynucleotides derived from salmon DNA to enhance skin texture and elasticity. 'Rejuvenation is expected to dominate 2025 skincare trends as many seek to achieve a flawless, youthful complexion. Skincare will also include back-to-basic products for a simplified routine. Ginseng cleansing oil and panthenol cream are among the trending products for 2025. The cleansing oil is excellent for dissolving make-up and impurities without clogging pores and is enriched with nourishing properties to leave the skin feeling and looking refreshed and radiant. Make-up Make-up trends will follow suit to achieve youthful and radiant looks. Under-eye brighteners will be sought-after products for delivering coverage while enhancing natural radiance. This beauty tool will complement natural beauty while improving and brightening dull skin. Make-up looks will be bigger and bolder in 2025 with cluster lashes expected to surge this year. These lashes bring the glam to glamorous looks as they deliver dramatic volume to enhance everyday or special occasion looks. Peel-off lip stains circulated the beauty industry in 2024 and are expected to dominate in 2025. The growing popularity of this product is due to its ability to provide long-lasting, transfer-proof colour to lips, enhancing a natural aesthetic. Additionally, cherry-coded aesthetics are expected to be everywhere this year as the deep, rich hue can be achieved using peel-off lip stains or bold lip looks for a dramatic effect. Nails 2025 will be another year of countless, show-stopping nail trends. Goddess Nails and Aura Nails deserve an honourable mention as these designs channel an ethereal, celestial aesthetic for bold, self-expressing nails. Finally, at home LED masks are big news and while they have been around a while, their popularity continues to grow. The best LED face masks promise to provide many of the skincare benefits previously only seen in salons, at a much more affordable price. And we have revealed the best LED face masks of 2025 in our tried and tested feature where we reviewed models from £75 to £720.
