The sword thief

Equipped with a Leica, the young photo reporter was once again in the right place at the right time. “Most of the time, I was just incredibly lucky,” is Lebeck’s often-quoted laconic comment. His legendary picture of the sword thief was taken on June 29, 1960, as Belgian Congo was celebrating its independence in Léopoldsville – now renamed Kinshasa. “In 1960 Africa was a riddle, a mystery. Within twelve months, France, Britain and Belgium had granted independence to 17 colonies south of the Sahara. For a young journalist like myself, this suddenly so self-confident continent offered an ideal opportunity for reportage,” the photographer remembers.

The open limousine carrying the Belgian monarch, King Baudouin, dressed in a snow-white uniform, next to the newly appointed Congolese President, Joseph Kasavubu, had already passed by Lebeck when a man suddenly pushed his way between the car and the escort, and snatched the King’s ceremonial sword – the symbol of colonial power. With quick reflexes, Lebeck framed the man charging towards him and took the shot; it was only after the picture had been developed, that he realised that he had captured a “decisive moment”. Without his picture, the world would probably never have known about the incident – it was the image of the sword theft itself that turned the image into a symbol for the end of the era of colonialism.

Lebeck was one of the leading photo reporters of his times. The sword thief was to become – in Lebeck’s own words – his photographic calling card, as well as his most important image ever. 

Lebeck was featured under Leica Classics in LFI magazine issue 6/2014. The exhibition Robert Lebeck: Portraits von Menschen und Ländern (Portraits of Peope and Countries) continues on display in Monschau up until September 13.