Luc Van Damme was only two years old when he was taken from his Rwandan mother in 1960 and sent to start a new life in Belgium.
During the colonial period, the Belgian government separated mixed-race – or métis – children from their mothers so they could not be used as tools of revolt.
Because of this, Luc grew up with a host family, losing contact with his siblings and mother for over 15 years.
It was only in April 2019 that Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel apologised for the “kidnapping” of métis children like Luc.