The Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte (formerly known as Stade Kamanyola), or simply the Stade des Martyrs, is the national stadium of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in the Kinshasa commune of the capital Kinshasa. With a seating capacity of 80,000, it is the largest stadium in the DRC and the fourth-largest stadium in Africa. It serves as the home stadium for the Congolese football national team, AS Vita Club, and DCMP, making it the largest multifunctional venue in the country.
Originally constructed in 1993, the stadium was renamed in 1997 to honor the ministers, including Évariste Kimba, Jérôme Anany, Emmanuel Bamba, and Alexandre Mahamba, who were publicly hanged in Léopoldville (present-day Kinshasa) on Pentecost, 2 June 1966.
It hosted the 2023 Jeux de la Francophonie, which accommodated approximately 3,000 athletes from over 40 countries, featuring athletics, basketball, football, wrestling, and cycling.
History
Etymology and construction
Originally named "Stade Kamanyola," the appellation Kamanyola is rooted in the Kamanyola groupement, situated in the Walungu Territory of South Kivu Province. The region was a border town and historic site where Mobutu's Forces Armées Zaïroises landed a key victory against the Mulelist insurgency and captured the Kamanyola Bridge in 1964. To commemorate this pivotal victory, Mobutu immortalized the name Kamanyola into various aspects of his opulence, including his extravagant yacht, Kamanyola Division, and later commissioned the construction of "Stade Kamanyola." The construction commenced on October 14, 1988, and it was complete five years later on October 14, 1993. The official inauguration took place on September 14, 1994, with a friendly exhibition match between the Leopards of Zaire and Malawi. The financial investment amounted to approximately $38 million and was expertly overseen by a Chinese consortium, in consonance with the grandiloquent projects emblematic of Mobutu Sese Seko's reign. It replaced the former National Stadium, Stade Tata Raphaël. Tout Puissant Mazembe, a Congolese professional football club based in Lubumbashi, frequently contested away fixtures at the stadium.
From Stade Kamanyola to Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte
Following the ousting of Mobutu from power by AFDL (Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-Zaïre) led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in 1997, the stadium was renamed "Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte" in memory of four ministers purged by Mobutu Sese Seko and hanged at the site on June 2, 1966: Évariste Kimba, Jérôme Anany, Emmanuel Bamba, and Alexandre Mahamba.
In 1998, during a football match between AS Vita Club and Motema Pembe at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, government troops opened fire, resulting in the tragic loss of four people. On December 5, 2004, the Democratic Republic of the Congo achieved its first victory over South Africa in a historic match at the Stade des Martyrs.
Controversy
In the early days of Laurent-Désiré Kabila's rule, the stadium became the center of controversy and criticism from human rights organizations. It was alleged to have been used as a prison for dignitaries of the former Mobutu regime and individuals suspected of collaborating with it. Reports from organizations like Journaliste en danger (JED), a Congolese non-governmental organization for the defense of press freedom affiliated with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), highlighted the use of the stadium as a military camp, where many people were held for extended periods in dungeon-like conditions.
Renovation (2008–2023) In 2008, the government underwent a major renovation of the stadium in response to FIFA's recommendations to bring it up to international standards. The rejuvenation included upgrades to the wardrobe facilities, sound systems, lighting, electronic marker tables, seating arrangements, press gallery, security systems, and fire safety measures. The project cost a significant $15 million and involved a team of four experts, including technicians from the Netherlands, South Africa, and Norway. To ensure top-quality turf, the Dutch company Edell Grass brought in 140 tons of synthetic rollers and 150 tons of sand in containers from the port of Boma to Kinshasa.