Book description
Patrice Lumumba (1925-61) is perhaps the most famous leader of the
African independence movement. After his murder in 1961 he became an
icon of anti-imperialist struggle. His picture was brandished on
demonstrations in the 1960s across the world along with Che Guevara
and Ho Chi Minh. His life and the independence that he sought for the
Congo made him a pivotal figure of the 20th century. Lumumba's life
marked out some of the key post-war fault lines in the second half of
the 20th century; how the Cold War would be fought in Africa and the
nature of the independence granted to huge swaths of the globe after
1945. For those fighting in liberation struggles, Lumumba became a
figure of resistance to the imperial division of the world.
'Patrice Lumumba, murdered at the age of 35 in 1961, was prime
minister of newly independent Congo for just seven months. The Belgian
imperialists, desperate to eliminate him from history, had him shot and
his body dissolved in acid. As the news came out, weeks later, mass
demonstrations shook capitals across the world. Malcolm X described
Lumumba as "the greatest black man who ever walked the African
continent". Patrice Lumumba was a new icon of resistance - His
blistering speech at the Congo's independence celebrations is alone
worth buying this book - the Belgians successfully fostered ethnic and
regional divisions to protect their mining interests and launched a
military uprising - this is not just a heroic and tragic story, it is a
vital lesson for struggles today and in the future...' Simon Hester,
Socialist Review Leo Zeilig is Visiting Researcher at University of
the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He was previously a senior researcher
at the Centre for Sociological Research at the University of
Johannesburg and holds a PhD from Brunel University.
