AFRICAN MONUMENTS: The Mémorial Patrice Emery Lumumba (MPEL), is a monument in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the Place de l’Échangeur de Limeté along Boulevard Lumumba. It houses a gold-crowned tooth, which is the only known remains of Patrice Lumumba, DRC’s first prime minister and independence hero. Lumumba was assassinated in 1961 with his body dissolved in acid by Belgian police officer Gerard Soete and accomplices to conceal the crime. The tooth, kept by a Belgian officer, was returned in June 2022 after advocacy by Lumumba’s family. The memorial’s construction began in January 2022, with the government aiming to complete it by June 30, 2022, coinciding with the DRC’s 62nd independence anniversary. It serves as a “sanctuary of collective memory,” honoring Lumumba’s vision of sovereignty and pan-Africanism. #drcongo🇨🇩