KINSHASA (Reuters) – The latest in a series of mystery monoliths to capture the imagination of science-fiction fans around the world met a fiery end in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday when it was torched at a roundabout in the capital.
The 12-foot metallic structure first appeared in Kinshasa’s Bandal neighbourhood over the weekend on Sunday morning. On Wednesday morning, a crowd of curious onlookers snapped selfies and debated its possible origins.
Videos posted on social media later in the day showed residents destroying the structure with sticks and then setting it on fire.
Similar alien-looking pillars were spotted in a Utah desert in the United States in November, and then in Romania and Turkey, sparking conspiracy theories and comparisons to the monoliths in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
In the movie, an alien monolith is a recurring symbol that appears to play a role in human evolution.
“We woke up and saw this metallic triangle,” said Serge Ifulu, a local resident. “We were surprised because it is a triangle that we often see in documentaries about freemasons or illuminati.”
Similar mysteries have gone viral on Congolese social media before.
