(First Published On The 3rd Of October 2022) (Edited On The 27th Of October 2022) The Congolese Government Along With Local Leaders Have Announced The Versailles Of The Jungle Will Become A Museum To Teach Congolese Children About The Former Zairian Dictator Who Reigned From 1965 Until Being Ousted In 1997

The vast but dilapidated Gbadolite Palace once owned by former Zairian President, Mobutu Sese Seko, is set to be reinvigorated by regional leaders in Kawele, North Ubangi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The DRC was known as Zaire from 1965 until the First Congo War broke out against Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, causing him to flee to Morocco where he died months after being deposed by Socalist rebels.

Though the name change to the DRC was made official in 2003, many countries still use the name Zaire in order to avoid confusing the nation with it's neighbour the Republic of Congo, and Zairian Nationalists continue to wage a guerilla war against the DRC government in Kinshasa (Formally Leopoldville) wishing to reform Zaire.

Between his rise to power and his fall from it, Mobutu Sese Seko defrauded the country's cauffers in order to fund his lavish spending habits like any other African dictator, but many still follow him for bringing a self destructive state into one of Africa's most profitable nations during the late 20th Century.

25 years later, the Versailles of the Jungle has become part of the Congolese Jungle, with overgrowth causing the ruined Gbadolite Palace to become riddled with vines and grass emerging from broken pieces of concrete, tile, and floorboards. 

The Congolese Historical Ministry has announced it will be partnering with local leaders in restoring the site as a museum to showcase the authoritarian regime Mobutu Sese Seko led in Zaire, which he inherited following the Congo Crisis between 1961 and 1964 following it's independence from the Belgian Empire.

According to Professor Romain Ngama from the Gbadolite University which owns the land where the ruined estate is located: "The dictatorship was there, which has it's bad sides, but also has it's good sides.

Mobutu helped Zaire evolve, even though he ruled as a typical African despot, but now that Democratic Socialism has caused us to loose our way we need his style of leadership and social admiration back in a time of Anti-Government movements and zero respect for state authorities".

The renovation and conversion work on Gbadolite Palace is slated to be completed by 2026, and is set to open between 2028 and 2034.