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More than two years after his death in Brussels, the body of Etienne Tshisekedi was repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he was finally buried in the land of his ancestors.
Etienne was a dominant figure in the Congolese political scene. Appointed briefly Prime Minister in the 1990s, he was considered an eternal opponent.
For four decades, he denounced successive abuses of the government, first under the so-called "Marshal-President" Mobutu Sese Seko, then Laurent-Desire Kabila and finally Joseph Kabila – the son of Laurent Kabila.
The former leader of the opposition was stubborn, angry and often impulsive – a personality far from being irreproachable and considered by many to be unpredictable.
Jean Lebosomo, official and member of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party that counts among those who came to pay a last tribute this Saturday Etienne had founded, with others, in 1982.
Jeans had made a shirt for this event, with the face of his "hero" printed.
"He was the father of democracy," he said. "He taught us not to fear and fight for our rights," he said.
"He has not had the opportunity to enjoy the results of his struggle, but we will follow the path he has traced for us."
Nicknamed affectionately "the old man" or "maximo leader" by his followers, he was very popular in Kinshasa.
The capital was his stronghold, the seat from where he led his political resistance for 40 years.
Etienne died of a pulmonary embolism (a lung disease) at age 84, on February 1, 2017, in a hospital of Brussels – the capital of the former colonial power, Belgium.
At that time, political tensions were high in the DRC, and the veteran leader was in the midst of a long and exhausting confrontation with the then president, Joseph Kabila, who had postponed the elections to several times, extending its mandate.
"Fought for several decades"
But even after his death, he was still perceived as a threat by the authorities.
For two years, his body had been kept in a morgue in Brussels, pending the authorization of the Congolese government to be repatriated to his home.
"It would be a recognition of the noble cause that he carried," said Nathan Tshinkunku, one of his grandnephews. He fought for several decades "for our rights and the rise of democracy in the DRC".
Yes Etienne was finally able to return to Kinshasa and receive a national funeral there, because his son, Felix Tshisekedi, was proclaimed the winner of the December 2018 presidential election.
Felix, 55, was sworn into the presidency in January during the first peaceful transfer of power since the country's independence in 1960.
The rise to power of Felix took place after highly disputed results and as a result of a secret power-sharing deal with Kabila, who stepped down from the presidency but still holds the reins of many key sectors. A compromise, a lot of whispers, would have opposed Etienne.
Felix positions himself as the political heir of his father and wears the same flat cap.
The two-day funeral, during which the president did not speak publicly, held one of the first promises he made.
Officials from the Catholic Church, representatives of the UDPS, as well as several African heads of state, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, attended the meeting.
"We forgive those who have offended you," said the eldest granddaughter of Etienne. The deceased could become a "national hero".
Relay the torch
The national funeral was organized with several delays and the 80,000-seat Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa, where the ceremonies were held, was never complete.
A few thousand people gathered around the roads to see the hearse, transporting the mortal remains, in a black coffin covered with Congolese flags and UDPS, until their last resting place. .
It was nothing compared to the huge crowds that Etienne could mobilize during his lifetime.
Etienne Tshisekedi has been the face of the opposition of the DRC for decades [Patricia Huon/Al Jazeera]
Some wondered whether the residents of the capital were tired of waiting for the return of their body or a lack of enthusiasm for the new president.
UDPS members attending the funeral remember with tenderness
"He was a principled man, deeply rooted in his beliefs.This was not anyone who wanted to make sure that his son would be the one who would succeed him at the head of the party afterwards. his death, "said a party member, who declined to be named, said.
Albert Moleka, his former chief of staff, said: "Now, Felix has to find his own way to lead."
Martin Fayulu, one of the presidential candidates, who still disputes the results, paid tribute to Stephen's "fight for democracy and justice" but said he would not attend the funeral.
Etienne was buried in an unrealized mausoleum of 2.5 million dollars to Nsele sure the distant suburbs of Kinshasa.
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