An illustration of former Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) President Mobutu Sese Seko, at the Academy of Fine Arts in the Gombe commune in Kinshasa
Arsene Mpiana/AFP via Getty Images
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Arsene Mpiana/AFP via Getty Images
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Young people gaze up at large photographs of Mobutu Sese Seko, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) national museum.
A charismatic and outrageously corrupt former dictator, Mobutu seized power in the 1960s and ruled the country with an iron fist for over 30 years. At the height of his power, Mobutu was courted by royalty and presidents — and put Zaire on the map with the legendary Rumble in the Jungle, the 1974 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
