Patrice Lumumba’s life was not easy, but it definitely had a purpose and meaning. In 1925, Patrice Lumumba was born in the family of a Congolese peasant from the oppressed Batetela people (Muneeb, 2019). Most of the African leaders were taken under control by the colonizers very early, trained and educated in the metropolitan capitals. On the other hand, Lumumba went to a Protestant school in his homeland and began working here as a postal clerk. Patrice stood out among his peers with a subtle mind and knowledge. A promising young man in 1955 was even introduced to the King of Belgium, Baudouin, who then examined his African possessions. An arrest hampered Lumumba’s successful career – he was accused of stealing postal orders. Supporters of the politician still call the allegations of financial fraud unproven; nevertheless, Patrice was imprisoned. He was saturated with radical ideas for six months in prison and quickly parted with youthful moderate views. Now it was a principled supporter of the independence of the Congo.
However, before prison, Lumumba showed himself in political life. He wrote articles for the local press, led a semblance of a postal workers’ union, and joined the Belgian Liberal Party. In 1958, he had already created his own party – the National Movement of the Congo (MNC) (Muneeb, 2019). At the end of 1959, Lumumba was arrested again; now, the colonial authorities have done this to eliminate a dangerous competitor (Muneeb, 2019). But the people were indignant at such obvious arbitrariness, and the politician had to be released. The enemies again captured Patrice, and in January 1961, he was brought to Katanga to the main one – Tshombe (Muneeb, 2019). After that, the Western media wrote that Lumumba fell into the hands of the separatists and was shot without trial.
The life of Patrice Lumumba is connected with the history of imperialism in Congo. In the late 1950s, Africa was referred to in the world press as a “raging continent.” At the beginning of the century, it was divided into seven European powers – Spain, Italy, France, Britain, Germany, Portugal, and Belgium. After the end of the Second World War, the power of Europe was undermined, and the Soviet Union presented its claims to world leadership. The struggle for the independence of the peoples of the world has acquired unprecedented proportions. In 1960 alone, 17 countries became independent, and imperialism in Congo fell down.
Belgium controlled the Congo Free State and Ruanda-Urundi, respectively, the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Belgium received Rwanda-Urundi under its control only in 1922 as the League of Nations mandated territory (Muneeb, 2019). Congo was considered the personal possession of the Belgian King Leopold II. The colony was extremely cruelly exploited, its population had halved, and the country was simply robbed with weapons. The locals were exposed to plans to supply rubber, ivory, and food. For unfulfilled conditions and refusal to work, the natives were maimed and killed.
The management of Africa by the middle of the century ceased to be profitable, as it was too expensive for both colonial empires and European transnational companies. At the beginning of 1960, a conference was held in Brussels, as a result of which the independence of the Congo was recognized (Muneeb, 2019). Already in May, the first elections were held in the country, and Patrice Lumumba’s party won a third of the seats in parliament, and he became the country’s first prime minister in history. On June 30, 1960, a solemn ceremony was held in honor of the country’s independence.
For a very long time, the circumstances of the death of a politician were hidden from the general public. This dirty page of the era of the end of colonialism was brought to light by the son of Patrice Lumumba Francois. He made an inquiry to Belgium about how his father died, and only at the beginning of the 21st century was a special commission created in the Belgian parliament to investigate this issue. It turned out that associates of Mobutu Sese Seko, who later established his dictatorship in the country for more than 30 years, took part in the capture of Lumumba. Lumumba was cruelly murdered because he was in charge of the Congo getting independent. Belgian politicians visited the captive Lumumba, and Patrice was shot and buried after insults and bullying.
I think that the story around Lumumba creates ramifications because it involves the influence of two opposite ideologies. On the one hand, it is USSR, and on the other hand, it is the Western World. Some considered the politician as an evil communist who was working for USSR, and Europe was not glad about this idea. I personally was terrified by the stories around the murder of Patrice Lumumba. I think that this person is a patriot whose goal was to give his country freedom. Lumumba was a brave politician who took action to liberate Congo but faced a lot of challenges because of the opposition forces.
Reference
Muneeb, R. H. (2019). Patrice Lumumba his life and political role in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1961-1925). Adab AL Rafidayn, 49(76), 699-520.