Héritier Lumumba (formerly known as Heritier 'Harry' O'Brien; born 15 November 1986) is a Brazilian-Congolese, former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

, and the current High Performance and Strategic Partnerships director of the Congolese National Rugby Federation. Known for his ability to turn defense into offense and his effectiveness in various roles, Lumumba was a trailblazer in the Australian Football League as its inaugural

Multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

Ambassador and the first and only player of Brazilian and Congolese descent. Lumumba's professional football career commenced with the Collingwood Football Club in 2004. With Collingwood, he gained All-Australian honors, won an

AFL premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...

, and was recognized for his leadership qualities, earning a place in Collingwood's leadership group. In 2014, Lumumba was traded to the Melbourne Football Club, where he made an immediate impact on the team and continued in a leadership role until his retirement in 2016, due to a concussion. In addition to his distinguished on field career, Lumumba played a significant role in promoting

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and community engagement. Former

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principl ...

, Julia Gillard, nominated Lumumba as a multicultural ambassador of Australia, via the people of Australia program. His stance on racial and cultural issues has also invited public scrutiny and controversy. However, his dedication to fostering dialogue on the critical social issues remains a constant thread in his public persona. Post-retirement, Lumumba has transitioned into roles in High Performance, Strategic Partnerships, and in

Ethnobotanical Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...

research.

Playing career

Collingwood

The Lumumba played most of his football as a medium defender. He was selected with pick 21 in the 2004

AFL Rookie Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft (sports), draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League ( ...

by Collingwood, and made his debut in Round 18 of 2005 against Fremantle at the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

. He kicked a goal against the

Kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

shortly after his debut, and did enough to be retained on the rookie list. In 2006 he showed more improvement and was elevated to the senior list again during the year, this time due to the absence of Sean Rusling, playing a total of nine games. Coach

Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthou ...

at one point in an interview challenged the AFL's rules on rookies in response to not being able to permanently play Lumumba in the seniors on the basis of his excellent form. He was elevated to the senior list for season 2007. In 2008, he came 5th in the

Copeland Trophy The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged best and fairest for Collingwood during the year. The Copeland Shield, as it was formerly known, was donated by Ern Cope ...

count, Collingwood's best and fairest. In 2009, he came 4th in the Copeland Trophy. He played in numbers 43, 30 and his final number 8. In 2010, he won All-Australian honours playing off the half-back flank. He was instrumental in Collingwood's 2010 grand final replay win over St Kilda and kicked a long goal from the boundary line late in the game.

Melbourne

On 15 October 2014, after issues with the club and management, Lumumba and Collingwood agreed to part ways and he joined the Melbourne Football Club in a three-club deal with Mitch Clark going to and

Travis Varcoe Travis Varcoe (born 10 April 1988) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the Geelong Football Club from 2006 to 2014 and for the Collingwood Football Club from 2015 to 2020. He currently ...

joining Collingwood. Lumumba made his Melbourne debut in round 1, 2015, against , in what was also his 200th AFL game. He kicked a goal in a 26-point win for his new club. Lumumba missed the round one match against in 2016, before playing the next five matches; he missed the remainder of the season after suffering from concussion symptoms. Despite being cleared to train by Melbourne doctors, he did not return to pre-season training in November after being advised to retire by several specialists. He retired from AFL football in December.

Racism allegations

In 2017, the documentary ''Fair Game'' was released about Heritier's life and his stories of racism while playing professional football. He called the culture at Collingwood a "boys' club for racist and sexist jokes" and stated that his teammates nicknamed him "chimp", a term with a strong history of connotations as a racial slur against black people. He stood up to the racism and continues to do so. On

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

's '' The Project'', Lumumba was interviewed by

Waleed Aly Waleed Aly (born 15 August 1978) is an Australian journalist, academic, and lawyer. Aly is a lecturer in politics at Monash University working in their Global Terrorism Research Centre, and a co-host of Network Ten's news and current affairs ...

about his experiences and was disappointed in Aly's response to the interview, as Lumumba felt that he approached the interview with the "preconceived idea that we would both see eye to eye on the basic truths of racism/

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

... However, it is now very clear to me, that he and I have fundamental differences in our understanding of what racism/white supremacy is, and how it should be effectively dealt with." Lumumba felt that he was undermined by Aly and claimed that Aly was indifferent to racism. In 2020, the feud was again reported in the media when Lumumba called ''The Project'' "unethical and dishonest" in their treatment of him. He said that Collingwood coach,

Nathan Buckley Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator. He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising S ...

, told him to back off his accusations because it would throw the club president,

Eddie McGuire Edward Joseph McGuire AM (born 29 October 1964) is an Australian television presenter, journalist and Australian Football League commentator. He is also an occasional '' Herald Sun'' newspaper columnist. He hosts Channel Nine’s Millionai ...

, "under the bus". Collingwood wanted to sit down with Lumumba to reconcile, but Lumumba refused until he received a full acknowledgement and apology over his treatment. Lumumba's accounts of racism were rejected by former coach

, Buckley and McGuire, but they were affirmed by a number of players including Chris Dawes, Brent Macaffer, Leon Davis,

Andrew Krakouer Andrew James Krakouer (born 4 February 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Krakouer is the son of Jim Kr ...

, Chris Egan and Shae McNamara. Former Melbourne coach Paul Roos also confirmed hearing Lumumba's account and was "shocked" when Lumumba told him of the culture at Collingwood and what he had endured. In 2021, the ''Do Better'' report was leaked to the Australian media. The report found the Collingwood Football Club guilty of systemic racism. This has led to calls for ''The Project'', and hosts

and

Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...

, to apologise on-air. Helliar has written an apology, "This report is heartbreaking. To @iamlumumba I am truly, unequivocally sorry. I should have believed you. I will do better." A few days later, the interview was no longer accessible on the program's Facebook account. A former executive producer at ''Network 10'' stated, "What 'The Project' should do right now is show a bit of that clip, have Waleed and Pete sit there and talk about it and the lessons they've learned and what they'll do going forward."

Personal life

Lumumba was born to a

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see " preto"). Most members of another group of people, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a range of degree of African ancestry. ...

mother and a Congolese- Angolan father in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, and moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Western Australia when he was 3 years old. He was raised by his Australian stepfather and was 19 years old when he was reunited with his father, after spending 13 years apart. He supported the

Essendon Bombers The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

as a child, with his family owning a pet dog named Sheedy after the long-time Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy. He went to school at Rossmoyne Primary from 1994 to 1999 and then

Rossmoyne Senior High School Rossmoyne Senior High School is a public co-educational high day school in the City of Melville, located on Keith Road, Bull Creek, a southern riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1968, the school provides education for ap ...

. Lumumba's surname was changed to "O'Brien" when he was 9 years old and was given the nickname "Harry" shortly after, becoming known as "Harry O'Brien". In December 2013, he changed his surname back to "Lumumba" and discontinued the use of the nickname "Harry", citing his journey of

decolonisation Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence m ...

as the reason for the change. Lumumba became the AFL's first multicultural ambassador and worked to engage migrant communities through football. He was the AFL's multicultural ambassador from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard recognised Lumumba as one of the

People of Australia Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...

ambassadors. He was also made the ambassador to the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

's visit to Australia in June 2011.

Statistics

, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2005 , , 43 , , 4 , , 1 , , 1 , , 22 , , 16 , , 38 , , 8 , , 7 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 5.5 , , 4.0 , , 9.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2006 , , 43 , , 9 , , 0 , , 0 , , 51 , , 43 , , 94 , , 25 , , 12 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.7 , , 4.8 , , 10.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , , 30 , , 23 , , 0 , , 1 , , 153 , , 93 , , 246 , , 74 , , 57 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.7 , , 4.0 , , 10.7 , , 3.2 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, , 8 , , 24 , , 2 , , 1 , , 189 , , 140 , , 329 , , 106 , , 45 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 7.9 , , 5.8 , , 13.7 , , 4.4 , , 1.9 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2009 , , 8 , , 25 , , 5 , , 0 , , 230 , , 172 , , 402 , , 106 , , 45 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 9.2 , , 6.9 , , 16.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2010 , , 8 , , 26 , , 6 , , 4 , , 264 , , 142 , , 406 , , 99 , , 62 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 10.2 , , 5.5 , , 15.6 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2011 , , 8 , , 24 , , 1 , , 2 , , 245 , , 176 , , 421 , , 110 , , 43 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 10.2 , , 7.3 , , 17.5 , , 4.6 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, , 8 , , 24 , , 3 , , 2 , , 239 , , 146 , , 385 , , 94 , , 58 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 10.0 , , 6.1 , , 16.0 , , 3.9 , , 2.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , 8 , , 19 , , 7 , , 10 , , 263 , , 161 , , 424 , , 105 , , 47 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 13.8 , , 8.5 , , 22.3 , , 5.5 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , 8 , , 21 , , 3 , , 5 , , 222 , , 198 , , 420 , , 82 , , 55 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 10.6 , , 9.4 , , 20.0 , , 3.9 , , 2.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2015 , , 8 , , 19 , , 2 , , 1 , , 143 , , 127 , , 270 , , 61 , , 61 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 7.5 , , 6.7 , , 14.2 , , 3.2 , , 3.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, , 8 , , 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 41 , , 45 , , 86 , , 21 , , 8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.2 , , 9.0 , , 17.2 , , 4.2 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 223 ! 30 ! 27 ! 2062 ! 1459 ! 3521 ! 891 ! 500 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 9.3 ! 6.5 ! 15.8 ! 4.0 ! 2.2

Honours and achievements

Team *

: 2010 *

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...

(2): 2010, 2011 Individual *

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

: 2010

Books

Lumumba published a book in 2014 called ''It's Cool to be Conscious'', that includes personal stories from his life, both on and off the field. *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumumba, Heritier 1986 births Living people VFL/AFL players born outside Australia All-Australians (AFL) Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club Premiership players Melbourne Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Brazilian emigrants to Australia Australian people of Brazilian descent Australian people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Australian people of Angolan descent Brazilian people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Brazilian people of Angolan descent Sportspeople of Angolan descent Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) People educated at Rossmoyne Senior High School One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players