The story of political leader patrice lumumba, congos first prime minister who helped lead his country to independence from belgium in the late 1950s. He served as a human rights lawyer in michigan and mississippi. When laurentdesire kabila was assassinated on 16 january 2001, no one in the congo failed to notice that the murder occurred, by what many refused to view as. The director of several other short films and features, peck has remained firm in his desire to tell lumumba s story truthfully, with all the drama and fervor of lumumba s. Raoul pecks film a feature, not a documentary begins with his assassinated body being dug up by belgian soldiers so it can be hacked into smaller pieces and burned in oil drums.
The assassination of patrice lumumba, the champion of independent congo, sent shock waves round the world in 1961 and yet the killing remained shrouded in. My dear, i am writing this without knowing whether you will ever get it or when or whether i shall still be alive when you read it. Lumumba synonyms, lumumba pronunciation, lumumba translation, english dictionary definition of lumumba. Lumumba s disfigured corpse begins the narration that runs through the film.
Patrice lumumba, first prime minister of the republic of congo and a pioneer of african unity, was murdered on 17 january 1961. Lumumba is a 2000 film directed by raoul peck centred on patrice lumumba in the months before and after congoleopoldville achieved independence from belgium in june 1960. A letter from a member of the british house of lords has raised fresh questions over western complicity in the death of congolese leader patrice lumumba in. Lumumbas message of selfdetermination was seen as a threat, which is always how congolese selfdetermination is seen.
What is most surprising about his murder is that patrice lumumba had actually done very little that should have roused western anxieties. Raoul pecks film is a coproduction of france, belgium, germany, and haiti. New data on murder of lumumba date distributed ymd. Patrice lumumba, the son of a farmer, was born in katako kombe in the central congo on 2nd july, 1925. Foreign role in the assassination of patrice lumumba. Lumumbas final escape attempt was on 27th november, 1960.
Lumumbas assassination boils down to geopolitical wars of the 1960s, when the cold war was fresh and the cia would exterminate any government with links to the soviet union. Strong hostility to lumumba, voiced at the very highest levels of government may have been intended to nntlate an assassination operation. Dead or alive, free or imprisoned by the colonialists, it is not i who matter, it is the congo, it is our poor people whose independence has been turned into a cage. Patrice lumumba was the first prime minister of the republic of the congo. Kasavubu becomes president, and lumumba becomes prime minister. Documentary about african political leader patrice lumumba, who was prime. Patrice lumumba is a footnote to this larger story.
The colonialists have campaigned against me throughout the country because i am a revolutionary and demand the abolition of the colonial regime, which ignored our human dignity. I wanted to see more about lumumbas family, his relationship with mobutu, his rise to. Within a week it became apparent patrice lumumba and his ministers had been killed on 18 january, the day they were moved to katanga. The true story of controversial leader of independent congo, patrice lumumba. Called the politico of the bush by journalists of his day, the brilliant and charismatic lumumba, rose rapidly to the office of prime minister when belgium conceded the congos independence in. Lumumba was then transferred to a prison in thysville by gilbert pongo, a politician. Lumumba definition of lumumba by the free dictionary.
Financial analysis of lumumba 2001 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Democratically elected to lead the mouvement national congolais, the party he founded in 1958, lumumba was at the centre of the countrys growing popular defiance of the colonial rule of oppression imposed by belgium. Lumumba was the only congolese leader who rose above ethnic difficulties and tribal preoccupations that killed all the other parties. It was the greed of the us, to maintain control over the congos vast and enormous natural resources. It was as leader of the mnc that lumumba emerged as congos first prime minister after elections in june 1960. Patrice lumumba full movie with english subtitles youtube. In 20, after serving on the city council, he was elected as mayor of jackson, mississippi. Lumumba is a gripping political thriller which tells the story of the legendary african leader patrice emery lumumba. According to the 2001 belgian commission investigating lumumbas assassination. From the director of i am not your negro made in the tradition of such truelife political thrillers as malcolm x and jfk, raoul pecks awardwinning lumumba is a gripping epic that dramatizes for the first time the rise and fall of legendary african leader patrice lumumba when the congo declared its independence from belgium in 1960, the 36yearold, selfeducated. However, the authors unnecessary comparison of violence directed against the hitler regime in germany, which also involved political decisions to kill, seems to misdirect the analysis. As founder and leader of the mainstream mouvement national congolais mnc party.
Patrice lumumba first prime minister of the congo zaire on june 30, 1960, independence day men and women of the congo, victorious fighters for independence, today victorious, i greet you in the name of the congolese government. First prime minister of the democratic republic of the congo. Political unrest in the democratic republic of the congo at the time of filming caused the film to be shot in zimbabwe and beira, mozambique. Patrice lumumba was a congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected leader of the congo. From the director of i am not your negro made in the tradition of such truelife political thrillers as malcolm x and jfk, raoul pecks awardwinning lumumba is a gripping epic that dramatizes for the first time the rise and fall of legendary african leader patrice lumumba when the congo declared its independence from belgium in 1960, the 36yearold, selfeducated lumumba became the first. Discover whats missing in your discography and shop for lumumba records releases. The renaming of a brussels square after patrice lumumba, first prime minister of independent congo, is a symbolic step in a sometimes tortured. Freedom fighter and nationalist leader patrice lumumba was assassinated by imperialist forces 50 years ago jan.
After denying various motions brought by lumumba, united states v. At face value it formed part of ceremonial proceedings the handing over. Pecks time at film school in germany saw him incubate the lumumba project. Only ten weeks later, lumumbas government was deposed in a coup during the congo crisis. He was a leading figure in the congo as that country established its independence from belgium, which had controlled the congo since the late nineteenth century. Bbc news programmes correspondent who killed lumumba. At the independence day celebrations of june 30th belgiums hostility to lumumba deepened. The director of several other short films and features, peck has remained firm in his desire to tell lumumbas story truthfully, with all the drama and fervor of lumumbas. Lumumba had a vision, shared by many in the congo who supported him, of a congo for the congolese, where the wealth of the land would be used for the livelihood of the congolese. Introduction the committee has received solid evidence of a plot to assassinate patrice lumumba. Lumumba fights its corner as a corrective to imperialism.
Patrice lumumba, the congo independence speech, pp. Along with lumumba, the postindependence aspirations of the congolese people for a unified, economically independent congo were also crushed. The congo independence speech this speech is extraordinary on at least three counts that illustrate in the best way possible the three standard regimes of political rhetoric. Released june 27th, 2001, lumumba stars eriq ebouaney, alex descas, theophile sowie, maka kotto the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 55 min, and received a score of 78 out of 100 on. Prof lumumba delivers the nelson mandela memorial lecture, 17 july 2018 duration. After leaving school he worked as a nurses assistant and a postal clerk. January 18, 1961 katanga, congo congolese prime minister. The dead lumumba pushed young educated congolese to revisit. Some of your political opponents accuse you of being a communist. A belgian government inquiry into the murders reported in november 2001 that they would not have taken place without the complicity of.
August 2, 1947 february 25, 2014 was an american attorney and politician, affiliated with the republic of new afrika and serving as its second vice president. Alternatively you can download a pdf containing the link which can be freely shared online. With eriq ebouaney, alex descas, theophile sowie, maka kotto. Belgium honors congolese leader it helped overthrow. All of you, my friends, who have fought tirelessly at our sides, i. Patrice emery lumumba was a congolese politician and independence leader who served as.
79 943 1211 284 335 396 786 1114 498 573 349 772 796 937 613 1402 1454 499 633 181 1349 904 173 402 916 18 1391 107 416 457 431