A monstrosity to honour Magistrate Bria
By Lingyun SUWAN | LNC Translated into English by Karen Ann SULLIVAN l LNC
(Bangui, 13 May 2026 – LNC) If you are in Bangui and happen to be walking between the 2nd and 5th arrondissements, you will see a grotesque structure called a monument, commissioned by Councillor Benjamin Grekoï. This ‘work of art’—if one can call it that—was erected to honour the memory of the late Modeste Mathurin Bria, a senior Central African magistrate tragically murdered on 17 November 2013 by Seleka rebels. We learn that the construction of this thing was made possible thanks to funding from the wife of a senior executive at a major bank, whose identity has not been revealed at her request. But as in the Central African Republic they hold ceremonies for just about anything, this eyesore has not been officially unveiled. Councillor Grekoï claims to have referred the matter to the Ministries of Justice and Public Works, without receiving a favourable response so far. For the time being, the relentless bad weather has somewhat affected the structure. Heavy rains have damaged the protective metal sheets, forcing the organisers to remove them for repair work. Councillor Benjamin Grekoï also lamented the lack of willingness to pay tribute to major national figures. “I have noticed that, in this country, prominent figures are often forgotten. We could pay tribute to them through monuments, as we have done for Abel Goumba or Adama Tamboux.”
LNC
Date: 13 May 2026
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