May our People Triumph: Poem, Speeches & Interviews

by Patrice Lumumba, Sankar Srinivasan (Preparation)

Lumumba was the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was born in Kasai province of the Belgian Congo. He was educated at a missionary school and worked in Leopoldville (Kinshasa) and Stanleyville (Kisangani) as a clerk and journalist. In 1955 Lumumba became regional president of a Congolese trade union and joined the Belgian Liberal Party. He was arrested in 1957 on charges of embezzlement and imprisoned for a year. On his release he helped found the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) in 1958. In 1959 Belgium announced a five year path to independence and in the December local elections the MNC won a convincing majority despite Lumumba being under arrest at the time. A 1960 conference in Belgium agreed to bring independence forward to June 1960 with elections in May. Lumumba and the MNC formed the first government on June 23, 1960, with Lumumba as Prime Minister and Joseph Kasavubu as President. His rule was marked by the political disruption when the province of Katanga declared independence under Moise Tshombe in June 1960 with Belgian support. Despite the arrival of United Nations troops unrest continued and Lumumba sought Soviet aid. In September Lumumba was dismissed from government by Kasavubu, an act of dubious legality. On September 14 a coup d'etat headed by Colonel Joseph Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko) and supported by Kasavubu gained power. Lumumba was arrested on December 1, 1960 by troops of Mobutu. He was captured in Port Francqui and flown to Leopoldville in handcuffs. Mobutu said Lumumba would be tried for inciting the army to rebellion and other crimes. United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold made an appeal to Kasavubu asking that Lumumba be treated according to due process of law. The USSR denounced Hammarskjold and the Western Powers as responsible for Lumumba's arrest and demanded his release. The United Nations Security Council was called into session on December 7 to consider Soviet demands that the U.N. seek Lumumba's immediate release, the immediate restoration of Lumumba as head of the Congo government, the disarming of the forces of Mobutu, and the immediate evacuation of Belgians from the Congo. Soviet Representative Valerian Zorin refused U.S. demands that he disqualify himself as Security Council President during the debate. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, answering Soviet attacks against his Congo operations, said that if the U.N. force were withdrawn from the Congo "I fear everything will crumble." Following a U.N. report that Lumumba had been mistreated by his captors, his followers threated (on December 9) to arrest all Belgians and "start cutting off the heads of some of them" unless Lumumba was released within 48 hours. The threat to the U.N. cause was intensified by the announcement of the withdrawal of their U.N. Congo contingents by Yugoslavia, the United Arab Republic, Ceylon, Indonesia, Morocco, and Guinea. The Soviet pro-Lumumba resolution was defeated on December 14 by a vote of 8-2. On the same day, a Western resolution that would have given Hammarskjold increased powers to deal with the Congo situation was vetoed by the Soviet Union. Lumumba was then transported on January 17, 1961 from the military prison in Thysville near Leopoldville to a "more secure" prison in Jadotville in the Katanga Province. There were reports that Lumumba and his fellow prisoners, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, were beaten by provincial police upon their arrival in secessionist Katanga. Two months later, Lumumba was executed along with his two aides. In February of 2002, the Belgian government admitted to "an irrefutable portion of responsibility in the events that led to the death of Lumumba." In July of 2002 documents released by the United States government revealed that the CIA had played a role in Lumumba's assassination, aiding his opponents with money and political support, and in the case of Mobutu with weapons and military training.

174 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2015

About the author

Patrice Émery Lumumba (born Élias Okit'Asombo; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960.

Only twelve weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis. The main reason why he was ousted from power was his opposition to Belgian-backed secession of the mineral-rich Katanga province.

He was subsequently imprisoned and executed by firing squad under the command of the secessionist Katangan authorities. The United Nations, which he had asked to come to the Congo, did not intervene to save him.

Reviews

[angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus this is so enlighten and so important to read. fuck the UN. fuck belgium. fuck leopold. H. Lumumba, what a beautiful spirit. kind, loving, truthful, the people's prince. He's done so right to all of Africa. God rest him.

Rest in Power Lumumba.

[Khalifa Said]

If someone will come to ask me whether the ideals visions that Patrice Lumumba had for his country the Congo have materialized, I'll say, and I think anyone else who follows the DRC's events closely will concur, none of them did.

Lumumba's words are more relevant today than when he was uttering them. The DRC is day after day sliding backwards in almost all walks of life: socially, politically, economically, and even, culturally.

And while I believe that the foreign peddling into Congo's internal affairs does all but exacerbate the tension a big portion of the blame should directly be targeted to the DRC political leaders who have decided never to listen to their beloved compatriots.

Imagine a person like Joseph Kabila, the president of the DRC, who declined to step down as president despite the Constitution so demanding. His is a behaviour that Lumumba would personally describe as "barbaric."

Lumumba was ready to die defending his people's respect and dignity while Kabila is ready to kill to ensure his grip into power. There is where we've reached.

I can say Lumumba's, to me, is a dream never accomplished.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight in Lumumba's aims and goals, but also the struggles he had to deal with.
Especially when it comes to the correspondence with the U.N. General secretary Hammarskjöld the intentions and the inaction are shocking.

Even though the mid-60s Soviet commentators that are added to the book are to handle with care, they give an sad insight in the actions taken by the West and how Belgium and France managed to suppress the Congolese people and drive forward the separation of their own sole capitalist interests, mixed with the ongoing racism against non-whites.

[Richmond Apore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, just a few of Lumumba's speeches and some interviews. The organization of the book was quite sophomoric and haphazard, especially the interviews. They seemed so random and not contextual to the life of Lumumba.

[Laura Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very worthwhile read. So much has been written about Patrice Lumumba, it's a privilege to be able to read some of his own words.

The second section is dedicated to other people's accounts of him, mostly by journalists who met him. This gives another perspective on the man and politician, although the accounts are quite similar, with a similar sentiment.