Patrice Lumumba

A privileged education

Patrice Lumumba was born in Onalaua. He attends the Catholic school of the missionaries then, raises shining, a Protestant school held by Swedes. Until 1954 (year of the foundation of a network of state education and first university) colonial Belgium developed only little the system of education, entirely entrusted to the religious missions, the school gives only one rudimentary education and aims more at training workmen or clerks, but self-educated Lumumba, will be plunged in handbooks of history to study more in-depth the French revolution, the history of Haiti, the United States and Russia. He worked like employee in a mining company of the province of the South-Kivu until 1945, then as journalist with Léopoldville (today Kinshasa) and Stanleyville (Kisangani), period during which he wrote in various newspapers.

In September 1954, it receives its chart of “registered”, honor chichement granted by the Belgian administration to some blacks (hardly 200 on the 13 million inhabitants of the time).

It is while working for the mining company which it includes/understands that its country is a large raw material supplier whose role is capital in the worldwide economy. It understands that the colonial administration tries to abrutir the Congoleses so that they do not take conscience of the fabulous potential which their country has whose borders were fixed randomly. Lumumba having included/understood that militates then for Congo linked contrary to all the other leaders indépendantistes.
In 1955, it creates an association " APIC" (Association of the indigenous personnel of the colony) and the occasion will have to discuss with the king Baudouin travels from there to Congo, on the situation of the Congoleses.

The Minister of Congo of the time, Auguste Buisseret wants to make evolve/move Congo and in particular set up an public education. Lumumba adheres to the liberal party with other notable Congolese. With several of them, it goes to Belgium on invitation of the Prime Minister.

The combat for independence

In 1956, it is imprisoned one year for a money business (Belgian biography of overseas). Released by anticipation, it takes again its political activities and becomes sales manager of a brasserie.
The Belgian government takes some measurements of liberalization: trade unions and political parties will be authorized for the municipal elections which must take place in 1957. The Congolese political parties are sponsored by those of Belgium and Lumumba is initially included in the friendly liberal one.

In 1958, at the time of the World Fair, of the Congoleses are invited in Belgium. Outraged by the degrading image of the Congolese people which are conveyed by the political exposure, Lumumba and some companions contacts with the circles anti-colonialistes.
tie As of its return to Congo, it creates the Congolese National movement (MNC), in Léopoldville the October 5th 1958 and, for this reason, takes part in the Panafrican Conférence of Accra.
It can organize a meeting to give an account of this conference during which it asserts independence in front of more 10 000 personnes.
First political contentions in October 1959: the MNC and other independence parties organizes a meeting with Stanleyville. In spite of a strong popular support, the Belgian authorities try to seize Lumumba - it is the riot and about thirty morts.
Lumumba is stopped a few days later, is judged in January 1960 and is condemned to 6 months of prison the January 21st.
At the same time the Belgian authorities organized meetings with the freedom fighters in which finally Lumumba takes part, which is thus released de facto the January 26th.
To the general surprise, the Belgium grants to Congo the Indépendance which is fixed at the June 30th 1960. At the time of the ceremony of accession to the independence of the country, on June 30th, 1960, he makes a virulent speech denouncing the abuses the Belgian colonial policy since 1885.
Instead of addressing itself to the king present at the ceremony, Lumumba began its short speech with a greeting " with the Congoleses and Congoleses, the combatants of independence… " Its speech proclaimed highly that independence marked the end of the exploitation and discrimination, beginning the one new era of peace, social justice and freedoms.

A short political career

The MNC and its allies gain the organized elections in May and, on June 23rd, 1960, Patrice Émery Lumumba Prime Minister of Congo indépendant.
becomes the first Nevertheless, while waiting for the formation of the first promotions of Congolese officers, most of the executives of the army remain Belgian and the black soldiers revolt, killing the white officers and raping the Belgian women. Practically all the Belgian executives will take the fuite.
then Lumumba issues the Africanization of the army and double balances it soldiers. Belgium answers by the sending of troops to protect its nationals in Katanga (the mine field) and supports the secession of this area carried out by Moïse Kapenda Tshombé. In September 1960, the president Joseph Kasa-Vubu revokes Lumumba as well as the nationalist ministers. Lumumba declares whereas it will remain in function. With its request, the Parliament won over to its cause revokes president Kasavubu.
Following a coup d'etat, Joseph Désiré Mobutu seizes the power, creates the Collège of the general Police chiefs and assigns with residence the Congolese leaders. In December 1960, Lumumba escapes from the capital to try to gain Stanleyville, area where it has many partisans. It is stopped whereas it passed the Sankuru to Mweka and it is transferred to the military camp from Thysville on order from Mobutu. Their transfer was one moment under consideration with the Fort of Shinkakasa to Boma.

The January 17th 1961, Lumumba, Mpolo and Okito are led by plane to Elisabethville, to the Katanga, and are delivered to the local authorities. Lumumba, Mpolo and Okito will be led in a small house under military escort or they will be bound and humiliated by the persons in charge katangais like Moïse Tshombé, Munongo, Kimba, Kibwe, Kitenge but also the Gat Belgians and Vercheure. They will be shot the evening even by soldiers under the command of a Belgian officer. But, of the Belgian official secret documents, now déclassifiés, whose reading does not leave doubts about the fact that it is well Belgium which takes the greatest responsibility in the assassination of Lumumba . Didn't the count Harold d' Aspremont Lynden, Belgian minister for the Businesses African and close to king Baudouin, write on October 5th, 1960 that the main aim to be continued in the interest of Congo, Katanga and Belgium is obviously the final elimination of Lumumba ? They are Belgians, precise De Witte, who directed all the operation of the transfer of Lumumba to Katanga, until his disappearance and that of its body . Belgium was indeed the only country to have recognized Katanga like independent state and its small army was directed by Belgian officers. The following day, an operation will be carried out by Belgian secret agents to make disappear in the acid the remainders from the victims cut out before of pieces. Several of its partisans will be carried out in the days which will follow, with the participation of soldiers, or Belgian mercenaries. Tshombé then launches the rumor according to which Lumumba would have been assassinated by villagers. This starts an insurrection among the country population, which takes the weapons under the direction of Pierre Mulele with the cry of “has Lumumba” or “Mulele May”: the peasants conquer nearly 70% of Congo before being crushed by the army of Mobutu.

Lumumba was very regretted after its death by all the community of the non-aligned countries, including by one of its torturers, the Mobutu general who devoted it national hero in 1966. The return of Egypt of his Pauline wife and her children was regarded as an national event.

The day of its death, the January 17th, is one bank holiday in Congo-Kinshasa.

The action of the former colonizers in full cold war

One wondered much about the role of the western powers, of the the United States in particular in the death of Lumumba, under the pretext which it made fear a drift of Belgian Congo towards the the USSR. Indeed Lumumba called upon the Soviets at the time of the Guerre of Katanga because UNO did not answer its requests for military aid to put an end to the civil war.

The United States and Belgium mainly responsible for died for Lumumba. The United States of Kennedy wanted to eliminate it to avoid a swing of the African giant in Communism and Belgium saw in him and its theses of economic independence a threat for its economic interests in particular in the mining sector. These two countries supported the effort of war of Mobutu against the May-May. The Belgian mercenaries made the operation Omegang to crush resistance May-May to Kivu. The murder of Lumumba was elucidated by Belgian justice under the impulse of François Lumumba which carried felt sorry for against X, and of the Belgian sociologist Ludo de Witte.

The Belgian government recognized in 2002, a responsibility in the events which had led to died of Lumumba:

In the light of the criteria steady today, certain members of the government of then and certain actors Belgian of the time carry an irrefutable share of responsibility in the events which led to died of Patrice Lumumba. The Government estimates since it is indicated to present to the family of Patrice Lumumba and to the Congolese people his deep and sincere regrets and its excuses for the pain which was inflicted to them from this apathy and this cold neutrality.

Its family

Patrice Lumumba was married and father of five children: Francois, Patrice junior, Julienne, Roland and Guy. Before its imprisonment, Lumumba was arranged so that his wife and her children can leave the country. They went to Egypt where François passed the remainder of his childhood, before going in Hungary to continue its studies. It returned to Congo in the Nineties, the beginning of the rebellion against Mobutu, and created a small political movement lumumbist. Although its movement remains not very powerful, there remains implied in the Congolese policy and tries to defend the ideas of his father. There are also the brothers of Patrice nearest to alive sound: Louis Richard Lumumba father, married to Marie Claire Otshumba resulting from the couple: Paul Henry Lumumba, Lumumba Seraph, Mike Lumumba and Louis Richard Lumumba wire the last Alexandre lumumba truths heirs to the ideas of his uncle: Patrice Emery Lumumba.

Quotations

After the ceremony of the independence of June 30th, 1960, a journalist asks Lumumba what pushed it to make of the policy. Answer:

I was born in a family from believers, one always said me you must be good… but what me I did not include/understand it is how those which teach that it is necessary to be good are not good themselves.

With its death, Lumumba ceased being a person. It became all Africa. (Jean-Paul Sartre)

One says that the son of Tolenga died, but those which say that cannot show its corpse. (Raoul Peck)

References

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