More than Words
Since the late 1800’s, almost all of Africa had been under European colonial rule, but this changed drastically in 1960. Sixteen African nations gained their independence that year, including the former Belgian Congo, which became the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 30. One of the key personalities that made this possible was Patrice Lumumba, who experienced widespread support in gaining independence and became the first Prime Minister of the DROC. However, he lost much of this support once he was in office, and lasted fewer than 200 days. Lumumba’s ability to communicate was a key reason for his success and failure.
Patrice Lumumba was born in the Kasai Province of the Belgian Congo on July 2, 1925 as a member of the Batetela tribe, and received his primary education from a Catholic mission school. At age 18, Lumumba moved to Kindu and became a corporate clerk. After moving to Leopoldville for vocational school, he moved to Stanleyville to work as a postal clerk (Lemarchand 199). It was in Stanleyville that Lumumba began his political career, and according to Crawford Young, he had become “president or secretary of no less than seven associations in Stanleyville in 1953” (295). Lumumba’s involvement in these organizations also had a strong impact, he increased membership in the Association des Evolués de Stanleyville from 162 to over 1,000 members in four years, and was “regarded as the most eminent spokesman of Liberal ideas” by 1959 (Lemarchand 202). Lumumba’s public presence was not limited to his political organizations, he was also the editor of L’Echo Postal, and often wrote about the “problems of racial, social, and economic discrimination” in three other newspapers (Lemarchand 199)...
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... Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 296-347.
--. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
Heinz, G., and H. Donnay. Lumumba: The Last Fifty Days. New York: Grove Press, 1961.
Hoffmann, Paul. “Stanleyville Seizes 12 Belgians To Avenge Jailing of Lumumba.” New York Times 21 Jan. 1961: 4.
Lemarchand, René. Political Awakening in the Belgian Congo. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1964.
Lumumba. Dir. Raoul Peck. Videocassette. Zeitgeist Films. 2001.
“Lumumba Moved; Reported Beaten.” New York Times 19 Jan. 1961: 7.
Lumumba, Patrice. Congo, My Country. 1962. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969.
Young, Crawford. Politics in the Congo: Decolonization and Independence. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1988. 63-84.
“Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
A man violently opposed to and deeply enraged by the injustice that is at the roots of the Africa...
It is widely debated why exactly King Leopold decided to conquer the Congo, but the general consensus seems to be that it was out of the belief that “the highlands of the Congo may be as rich in gold as the mountains of the western slope of the American Continent” (Stead). In the mid-1870s, the King hired Henry Stanley, who was familiar with many parts of Africa, to help him go about conquering. During the following years Stanley stayed in Africa, talking various tribes into signing over their lands and rights. After this was completed the King officially took over the Congo, renaming it the Congo Free State. This was especially ironic because all natives of the country were either forced to give up their way of life in exchange for virtual slavery in the ivory trade, agriculture, or the rubber traffic, or die trying to escape fate. Leopold was undeterred by the amount of suffering and death in the Congo, brought on by his rule. Belgian soldiers and officials were known for their cruelty in their methods to make, and then keep, Congo natives wo...
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
While Leopold II, the King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, The Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of neglect and apathy Belgium had towards Congo. The Congo Free State, established “in the margins of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “gain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold was securing control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling colonies, as they believed that colonies “would merely soak up resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from...
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
When Congo gained its independence from Belgium it struggled to develop and remained a weak state. There were many factors that led to Congo being unable to progress and create strong institutions within its countries borders. “Political divisions along the ethnic lines were prevalent, though this fact could be misleading. Ethnicity became the primary source of political mobilization i...
Lovejoy, Paul E. Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1983. Print.
In “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe incorporates the theme of marginalization. Instead of the typical scenario in canonical works, the focus is on the tribe Umuofia in Africa:
Katzenellenbogen, Simon. “The 1945 Pan-African Congress and its Aftermath.” World History Archives. 2 May 1995. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/30/058.html.
Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest of the country out of fear of the mutinous army that was out of control looting and killing.
Duffield, Ian. Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah. History today 31.3 01 Mar 1981: 24. s.n.