16 Facts About Sindika Dokolo

Sindika Dokolo was a Congolese businessman and art collector, married to Isabel dos Santos since 2002, the eldest daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos, then President of Angola.

Sindika Dokolo died on 29 October 2020, in a free diving accident near Umm al-Hatab Island in Dubai, UAE, at the age of 48.

Sindika Dokolo was born in Kinshasa, capital of Zaire in 1972 to Augustin Dokolo, a businessman, bank owner, millionaire, and collector of African arts, and his Danish wife Hanne Kruse.

Sindika Dokolo was brought up in Belgium and France and graduated from the Lycee Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague in Paris.

Sindika Dokolo was a member of the board of the Angolan cement company Nova Cimangola.

Sindika Dokolo had invested in various sectors, including diamonds, oil, real estate, and telecommunications, in Angola, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Mozambique.

In January 2020, leaked documents indicated that Sindika Dokolo had made millions from a suspiciously one-sided partnership with the Angolan state diamond company, SODIAM, to buy a stake in Swiss luxury jeweller De Grisogono.

Sindika Dokolo stated that his connection to the arts is not intended to be recognized as a great collector, but rather "to present African artists to the world".

Sindika Dokolo started expositions like the SD Observatorio at the Valencia Institute of Modern Art, the Trienal de Luanda, or the Check List Luanda Pop at the 52nd Venice Biennale.

In December 2013, Dokolo attended the opening of the VII Biennial of Sao Tome and Principe, international art exhibition in the country, where the art works of Sindika Dokolo Foundation were presented.

In October 2014, Sindika Dokolo took part in the 1:54 contemporary African art, held in London with the participation of many well-known personalities, including Lupita Nyong'o.

In 2015, Sindika Dokolo launched a worldwide campaign to force Western museums, art dealers and auction houses to return Africa's art.

Sindika Dokolo was dedicated to "recovering the stolen pieces during the colonial era", a mission accomplished with the help of an international team.

On 10 August 2017 Sindika Dokolo founded the movement Les Congolais Debout, which opposed DRC President Joseph Kabila's continued stay in power beyond the two terms set down in the 2006 constitution.

In 2002, Sindika Dokolo married Isabel dos Santos, the eldest daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos, then President of Angola.

On 29 October 2020, aged 48, with assets still frozen in Angola, Portugal and Netherlands, Sindika Dokolo died in a diving accident off the coast of Dubai.