THAT BITES

Belgium Returns Congolese Activist Patrice Lumumba’s Gold Tooth

The gold-plated crown was removed from the independence leader’s corpse which was dismembered and dissolved in acid in 1961.

In a ceremony steeped in symbolism, Belgium returned the gold tooth extracted from Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba after he was murdered by Belgian officials in 1961 to his family members. Lumumba’s body was dismembered and destroyed to avoid creating a shrine against Belgium’s colonial rule in the Congo. The return of the tooth—which is not guaranteed to be Lumumba’s because of a lack of the activist’s DNA to check it against—was facilitated by Belgium’s King Philippe who expressed his “deepest regrets” over the horrific treatment of the Congolese hero. The tooth had been in the custodial care of the daughter of the Belgian police commissioner who was charged with Lumumba’s dismemberment. Lumumba became the country’s first prime minister in 1960 after years of colonial rule only to be murdered after asking the Soviet Union for help to stop a brewing civil war.