31/08/2020
We join many friends around the globe in sadness at the news of the passing of Mwimba Texas, wrestler and great activist for the rights of albinos in the DRC. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
There is so much to tell about him and I donโt know where to start reallyโฆ
He was born and raised in the province of Bas-Congo in Congo DRC with a medical condition that determined his life: albinism.
Being a person with albinism in many part of Africa is not the best gift life could grant you. Although, the Ndundus (albino in Lingala) in the Congo are better off then their Tanzanian and Burundian counterparts - killed and mutilated by witch doctors - they are stigmatised and discriminated by the congolese society.๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝBut that did not stop Mwimba Texas who, from a young age, developed a taste for martial arts, self defence, tactical and wrestling (a popular sport in DRC).
Over his 30 years of carreer, he fought 650 wrestling fights and won 646 of them. He revolutionised the wrestling world in DRC by teaching โclassical wrestling where only strength, technic and intelligence ruled the gam" as a mean to end end up Vodoo wrestling.
In the 90s he launched what he called โsocio-humanitarian wrestlingโ and travelled in DRC to visit military camps, penitentiaries and hospitals to perform wrestling matched in order to brighten up the days of the ones in need and offer them essential goods and food.
In 1998, he set up the Mwimba Texas foundation to help PWA in DRC and in Africa by using his notoriety to change the perception people had about albinism. And he was very successful at it! He was funny, witty and determined! He inspired me to create the White Ebony Project and I dedicated a whole chapter of my book โWhite Ebonyโ to him because he fought all his life to strengthen the rights of the oppressedโฆ
Today, I learnt the very sad news: Mwimba Texas passed away. I am sure the whole country is grieving as I am.
Rest in peace dear Mwimba.
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Par oรน commencerโฆil y a tellement ร dire ร son sujet..
Il est nรฉ et a grandi dans la province du Bas-Congo avec un condition mรฉdicale qui allait dรฉterminer sa vie: lโalbinisme.
Malheureusement, naรฎtre atteint dโalbinisme en Afrique nโest pas un cadeau du tout. Et bien que Ndundus (albinos en lingala) sโen sortent un peu mieux que leurs frรจres Tanzaniens ou Burundais par exemple -tuรฉs et mutilรฉs par les sorciers - ils continuent dโรชtre rejetรฉs et discriminรฉs par la sociรฉtรฉ congolaise.
Mais ceci nโa jamais arrรชtรฉ Mwimba Texas, qui depuis son plus jeune รขge sโest intรฉressรฉs ร lโart martial, la self-defence, la lutte et le catch (sport trรจs apprรฉciรฉ en RDC).
Au cours de ces 30 ans de carriรจre, il a combattu 650 fois et ร remportรฉ 646 victoires. Il a rรฉvolutionnรฉ le monde du catch en RDC en instaurant โun catch classique oรน seul la force, la technique et lโintelligence dominent le jeuโ afin de mettre un terme au catch fรฉtichiste.
Dans les annรฉes 90, il a lancรฉ ce quโil a baptisรฉ โle catch socio-humanitaireโ et ร traversรฉ le pays pour organiser des matchs dans les camps militaires, les pรฉnitenciers et les hรดpitaux afin dโรฉgayer le quotidiens des plus dรฉmunis.
En 1998, il a fondรฉ la Fondation Mwimba Texas en mettant sa notoriรฉtรฉ au service des personnes atteintes dโalbinisme en RDC et en Afrique pour changer la perception que la population ร sur cette condition mรฉdicale. Et ce fรปt un vrai succรจs! Il รฉtait drรดle, il avait de lโesprit et il รฉtait dรฉterminรฉ. ll mโa inspirรฉ ร crรฉer le projet Blanc Ebรจne et je lui consacrรฉ tout un chapitre dans mon livre Blanc Ebรจne parce quโil a dรฉdiรฉ sa vie ร se battre pour le respect des droits des personnes les plus oppressรฉesโฆ
Aujourdโhui, jโai appris avec beaucoup de tristesse que Mwimba Texas nous a quittรฉ! Je suis certaine que le pays entier est en deuil comme je le suisโฆ
Repose en paix cher Mwimbaโฆ
