Recalling Patrice Lumumba

This week we re-cast light on one of Africa’s great sons who was also a gallant champion of the anti-colonial struggle, Patrice Émery Lumumba. Lumumba’s government had only lasted seven months before it was toppled by the imperialist, neo-colonialist, tribalist and reactionary forces. Lumumba and his two colleagues would be shot by firing squad and their bodies chopped into pieces and pulverised with concentrated sulphuric acid. What did this son of Africa do that was so terrible to disserve such a cruel and horrific death?  The answer is nothing. Lumumba only wanted to see his people free in a united Congo. That is all.  Lumumba was killed by the Belgians and their lackeys just because they saw him as a “cheeky nigger” and an “upstart”. For the tribalist Congolese, Lumumba was seen as a threat to their selfish and narrow-minded agendas. They were also jealous of this articulate and confident African (as usual, Africans have a propensity of pulling down their shining stars and propelling mediocre individuals to higher heights). Patrice Lumumba was born on 2 July 1925 and assassinated on 17 January 1961. He was just 36 years old when he died.

The conspiracy to murder Lumumba was hatched primarily by Belgium and then endorsed by the United States of America. It also had tacit approval from most Western powers. The United Nations Organisation was also complicit to this murder with its Secretary General the late Dag Hammarskjöld being extremely unhelpful to Lumumba and his government. Declassified documents reveal that the president of the United States, at the time, Dwight Eisenhower, through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had sanctioned the assassination of Lumumba. On the other side of the Atlantic, H.F.T. Smith, who later headed MI5 (The United Kingdom’s counter-intelligence and security agency), wrote: “I see only two possible solutions to the problem. The first is the simple one of ensuring Lumumba’s removal from the scene by killing him. This should in fact solve the problem….”*

Lumumba’s shadow continues to loom large over the Congo and Africa, because of his colossal persona and profound sincerity - which he carried to his grave. Whilst in custody and facing death, Patrice Lumumba remained steadfast in his beliefs and ideals. He was neither cowed nor broken, in spite of his impending demise. He also reiterated his love for his country. Lumumba’s last act was to write a letter to his wife. We have extracted certain parts below:

My beloved companion,

I write you these words not knowing whether you will receive them, when you will receive them, and whether I will be alive when you read them. Throughout my struggle for the independence of my country, I have never doubted for a single instant that the sacred cause to which my comrades and I have dedicated our entire lives would triumph in the end. But what we wanted for our country – its right to an honourable life, to perfect dignity, to independence with no restrictions - was never wanted by Belgian colonialism and its Western allies, who found direct and indirect, international and unintentional support among certain senior officials at the United Nations, that body which we placed all our trust when we called it for help.....

Neither brutal assaults, nor cruel mistreatment, nor torture have led me to beg for mercy, for I prefer to die with my head held high, unshakeable faith and the greatest confidence in the destiny of my country rather than live in slavery and contempt for sacred principles….

Do not weep for me, my companion, I know that my country, now suffering so much, will be able to defend its independence and its freedom. Long live the Congo! Long live Africa!*

How can a man of such valour and honour be killed in such a brutal way? Why was Lumumba hated so much, when he gave so much to his country and citizens – including his life? After Lumumba was illegally removed by his adversaries, Joseph Mobutu was installed as the new leader of Congo. Mobutu’s regime was one of the most depraved on the continent, yet at every turn it was propped up by the West, especially the United States. Mobutu pillaged the nation’s wealth with impunity and literally drove it into an abyss of untold despair and misery.

Leaders like Lumumba are a rare breed in Africa - where despots and tyrants thrive. We are not in any way suggesting that Lumumba was a saint. He was only human and had his faults, however, when one looks at his commitment (even in the face of death) one cannot but wonder what would have happened to the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo – DRC) if Lumumba had not been killed? We are only left to speculate. We then come to the question: why are we Africans plagued with moribund leaders? Why are we so cursed? From North Africa to Southern Africa, the continent is littered with tyrants, despots, dictators, you name it. Then there is the spectre of geriatrics, octogenarians and septuagenarians presiding over a very young and youthful continent. When these old men relinquish power it is only to hand it over to their children (always sons). 

The SDC says no to this African malaise! We assert that Africa must be free from these tyrants and useless leaders. Long live the spirit of Patrice Lumumba! Long live the ideals of Patrice Lumumba!

*Cited from: The Assassination of Lumumba. By Ludo De Witte (2001). London: Verso.

A pensive young and charismatic Lumumba

Lumumba before he was killed