Sculptor on a mission to bring peace in DR Congo

BUTEMBO, DR CONGO

In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Great Lakes region, carpenter-turned-sculptor Sauveur Mulwana has left a trail of monumental statues as part of his mission to revive local history and boost peace.

The 42-year-old moved back home to Butembo, a city of more than a million near the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, when his carpentry business was razed by the eruption of Nyiragongo volcano in Goma.

Butembo is home to the ethnic Nande people of DR Congo and Uganda, so it follows that one of the most eye-catching works by Mulwana is an immense portrayal of Nande king.

Set on a bright blue pedestal on a roundabout, it shows mwami (king) Kighombwe II Lusengo Kirugho, who died in his 80s in 2010 after a lengthy reign, wearing a western-style suit.

Mwamis still wield power, notably allocating land in this agricultural region that now must accommodate huge numbers of refugees after years of conflict.

“Mwami Kighombwe helped keep the Nande together and is a symbol of tolerance,” Mulwana said.

“Mwamis’ beliefs and customs were vital to Butembo’s peaceful future.”

When he and his wife moved to Butembo in 2002, he was struck by the fact that the city “had absolutely no works of art”.

“I felt vulnerable when I realised that the modern way of life had led to an end of story-telling, to Africa’s well-known traditions of oral transmission,” he said.

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So he decided he would step in to help the people keep their history, culture and heritage.

He spent the next three years reading books and interviewed elders.

The result in 2007 was Butembo’s Historical Monument, erected on a square in the heart of the city.

It highlights the Nande farming and hunting tradition as well as their evangelisation during the Belgian colonial era, as well as their modern-day traders.

“I want future generations to remember the work culture of the old Butembo,” he said.

Another Mulwana statue features Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko, also born in Butembo, who died in 2000 after denouncing the presence of Rwanda and Uganda-backed militias in DR Congo during the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003.

Outside Butembo city hall sits Mulwana’s bust of Laurent-Desire Kabila, the former leader and father of President Joseph Kabila.

Kabila Sr was killed in 2001.

To fund his works and feed the family, Mulwana produces copies of the Lourdes grotto for Roman Catholic churches, decorative items for hotels and makes furniture.

“This man is wonderful,” said Butembo deputy mayor Godefroid Kambere. “He’s forever giving us great surprises.”

Mulwana said “I’m a Nande first and a Congolese second but I’m proud to contribute to the development of peace in the DR Congo.”