Patrice Lumumba a true African martyr

Mr. Patrice Lumumba would be remembered for his role during the independence struggle of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), born into the family of Mr. François Tolenga Otetshima, in the Katakokombe region of the Kasai province of the Belgian Congo on the 1st of July 1925. The Lumumba’s were Catholics just like most Congolese who were converted into the new religion of the white man.

The young Patrice went to a Protestant primary school, a Catholic missionary school, and finally the government post office training school where he passed the one-year course with distinction.

He had a brief work life, working at Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) and Stanleyville (now Kisangani) as a postal clerk and as a travelling beer salesman.

Lumumba’s odyssey in politics started in 1956 when he was imprisoned for embezzlement. Spending a year in prison, he was able to write a book -Le Congo, Terre d' Avenir-setting out his views on colonial rule. With the news of Ghana independence in 1957 political activities in DRC was awakened.

In December of 1958 he travelled to Accra where he attended the All- African Peoples conference; on his return he joined a group of other young Congolese- évolués as they were called back then; they formed the Movement National Congolais (MNC).  The MNC just like Kwame Nkrumah’s CPP gained the support of the people on a national basis along the line of Nationalism.

Political and economic autonomy of the DRC lead to the riots of January 1959 which came as a shook to the Government in Brussel. To help restore calm, the Belgian government announced political reforms.

 By November 1959, fifty-three political groups were officially registered; a few month later the number had increased to 120.  Almost every party sprang from tribal origin except a few like the Movement National Congolais (MNC) that was nationalistic in nature.

The Belgian government afraid of being drawn into the Algerian type of war, invited leaders of thirteen political party to Brussels in January 1960 to discuss the terms and timetable for independence. The Belgian negotiators had been hoping for an agreement which would lead to a phase transfer of power over a period of about four years, but they were faced by a united Congo front that was demanding for immediate elections and independence on 1 June 1960.

Elections took place by May 1960 of 137 seats Lumumba’s (MNC) won 33 seats, the largest number of seats won by a single political party. In collaboration with its political allies, MNC could count on 41 seats in the parliament. The colonialist were unduly reluctant to allow Lumumba form a government, but turned to the opposition who did not have up to the required number of seats in the parliament. However, when MNC managed to obtain majority seats in the Chamber of Deputies-64 out of 137 seats- they were obliged to form a government headed by Lumumba.

Few days after independence, disaster struck leading to civil disobedience.  In desperation, Lumumba appealed to the United Nation (UN) for help. A resolution, was passed at the UN and foreign troops mostly from African countries were sent to DRC. But Lumumba wanted the UN troops to expel the Belgian troops who had taken over part of the DRC at the start of the civil disobedience because of the death of many Europeans.

Lumumba in known for his volatile nature, on 16^th  July 1960 he  issued an ultimatum to the UN to send away the Belgian troops from the Congo or he will invite the Soviet Union to intervene. This single act angered the President of the United States of America (USA), Eisenhower.

President Eisenhower fearing the possibility of another Cuba on the 22 July 1960 ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to eliminate Lumumba by any means possible.

On the 14 September 1960 with help of the CIA, Lumumba’s government was over thrown in a Coup and the 29 year old Army chief of staff Colonel Mobutu took over.

Mr. Lumumba was arrested on 1^{st December} 1960 in Kasai province, half way to Stanleyville his political stronghold. According to an eye witness account when Lumumba was brought to Mobutu’s residence, Mobutu scrutinized Lumumba with a malicious air, spat in his face, then said to him, “Well! You swore to have my skin, now it is I who have yours”.

During the early morning of 17^th January 1961 Lumumba was flown to Elisabethville and handed over to his political enemies.

At about 10 p.m., Lumumba was led away by three Belgian Military police men to an unknown place where a grave has already been dug. Lumumba in fears asked “are you going to kill me”. The answer was yes from the Belgian.  From an eye witness account Lumumba was quoted as saying “If I die, tant pis, Congo need martyrs”.

He was executed by firing squad by a Belgian officer and buried in an unmarked grave.

Lumumba would be remembered for his fight for independence and telling King Baudouin of Belgium in a speech during independence that “We are no longer your monkey”.

After 41 years, the Belgian government expressed its profound and sincere regrets and its apologies for Belgium’s role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. The Foreign Minister told parliament that a $3.25 million fund in Mr. Lumumba’s name had been created to promote democracy in Congo where the slain leader’s son leads an opposition party.

The CIA denies responsibility in the assassination.

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For comments and contribution I can be reached by mail: africaonlinehistory@gmail.com

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

On this day 25/10/1993 a Nigeria Airways A310 that was en route from Lagos to Abuja was Hijacked.

The hijackers demanded to be flown to Frankfurt,Germany and the resignation of the Nigeria's Interim government that was formed on 27/08/1993 by the Military junta of General Babaginda .

The aircraft was denied permission to land in N'Djamena, and was diverted to the Niamey Airport for refuelling. It was stormed by Nigerien commandos 4 days later; the co-pilot was killed during the operation.

Berlin Conference of 1884 and Its Effect on Africa

After four centuries of transatlantic slave trade, the Industrial revolution was born and this marked a change in the Euro African relationship from buying and selling of slaves to a conquest for the African continent by European powers.

The scramble for the African continent was for its riches and this lead to the exploitation of the continent.

Before the conquest and fragmentation of the continent in 1884 the whites lived in small enclaves along the coastal line which were basically trade outpost with the locals, with the exception of South Africa and Algeria that had experienced a great surge of Europeans into her land.

The quest for trade amongst Europeans lead to frequent clashes along the Congo and Niger River mouths.

At the request of Portugal in 1884 a meeting was called by the German Chancellor von Bismarck of all major western powers to resolve the lingering conflict over the control of different parts of Africa.

When the conference opened in Berlin on November 15, 1884, fourteen countries were represented by plethora of ambassadors. The countries represented at the time included Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (unified from 1814-1905), Turkey, and the United States of America. Of these fourteen nations, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of the colonies in Africa at the time.

The initial task of the conference was to agree that the Congo River and Niger River mouths and basins would be considered neutral and open to trade.

Despite its neutrality, part of the Congo Basin became a personal Kingdom (private property) for Belgium’s King Leopold II and under his rule, over half of the region’s population died.

The map used to divide the African continent was grossly inaccurate; large areas were described as terra incognita. When the meeting was over, new boundaries and territories were created, nearly one half of the new frontier imposed on Africa were geometric lines.

As a result of this conference African societies were rent apart, in all the new boundaries cut through some 190 culture group.

 The Berlin Act was an important change in international affairs.  It created the rules for “effective occupation” of conquered lands, ensuring that the division of Africa would take place without war among the European powers.  Through the Berlin Act, the European powers justified dividing a continent among themselves without considering the desires of the indigenous peoples.  While this appears extremely arrogant to us now, it seemed to them to be the obvious extension of their imperialism. 

The Berlin Conference is one of the clearest examples of the assumptions and preconceptions of this era, and its effects on Africa can still be seen today. 

The arbitrary boundaries the Europeans imposed often divided an ethnic group and also brought enemies under the same government causing strife that still exists today.

The boundaries of present day Africa were largely determined at the Congress of Berlin.

Great Britain desired a Cape-to-Cairo collection of colonies and almost succeeded though their control of Egypt, Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan), Uganda, Kenya (British East Africa), South Africa, and Zambia, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), and Botswana. The British also controlled Nigeria and Ghana (Gold Coast).

France took much of western Africa, from Mauritania to Chad (French West Africa) and Gabon and the Republic of Congo (French Equatorial Africa).

Belgium and King Leopold II controlled the Democratic Republic of Congo (Belgian Congo).

Portugal took Mozambique in the east and Angola in the west.

Italy's holdings were Somalia (Italian Somaliland) and a portion of Ethiopia.

Germany took Namibia (German Southwest Africa) and Tanzania (German East Africa).

Spain claimed the smallest territory - Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni).

In 1960 when most African countries gained her independence division along ethnic and cultural line became the other of the day and poverty became a common thing amongst the populace.