Patrice Lumumba:

Great African freedom fighter

Death anniversary on January 17:

Richard Basnayake

The African patriot, Patrice Lumumba of Congo was brutally assassinated 50 years ago on January 17, 1961 in an Army camp in Katanga, Congo. Patrice Hewer Lumumba was his full name. He was born on July 2, 1925 in a remote village called Manaluwa in Kasai Province.

His father was a poor peasant and Patrice had to help his father in his farm from the age of six years.

His parents were devout Christians and they wanted to make his son a Pastor. Patrice was admitted to Manaluwa village school for his primary education and later, when he was 13 years old he joined a Protestant Missionary school to follow a course to become a male-nurse, but he gave up his study course as he did not like it very much.

Belgian imperialism

As Congo was under Belgium rule at that time, Patrice got the citizenship of Belgium too, to carry out his future plans. He could speak many languages including Swahili, the common language of Africa. He started his public life as a clerk in the Postal Department and rose to the rank of an accountant.

As a true patriot, Patrice did not like the Belgian imperialism thrust upon them not only in Congo but also in other parts of Africa. He never wanted to see Congo his Motherland under any foreign domination. So he started writing highly patriotic verses and songs to the newspapers.

Lumumba started his active political career at the age of 23. He started and edited a paper called Lahuru, which means freedom, freedom from the European imperialism. He travelled all over Congo, even to the remote villages and formed organizations to fight against the colonial rule. During this time, he with the help of other young men formed the Belgium Labour Party (BLP) and he became a very active member of this party.

He was very much concerned about the Belgian rule. Although the Belgium Government did not like Lumumba’s revolutionary ideas and activities, they did not oppose him openly.

Vigorous campaign

Lumumba was offered an educational tour to Belgium in 1950 and as soon as he arrived in Congo. He was arrested at the airport by a high-ranking Belgium Police officer. When questioned he was told that it was misappropriation of money and was imprisoned for one year and was asked to pay a huge sum of money as a fine. The authorities thought that Lumumba will not be able to pay this money and to put him in prison for a long period to stop his activities. But the things took a different turn as his friends collected this money and paid the fine.

As soon as Lumumba was released from the prison in 1956 he with his angry natives started a vigorous campaign to fight against the Belgian rule. Soon this campaign became very popular and within two years, in 1958, Lumumba was able to form the National Party of Congo (NPC) in December same year he was invited to participate in the African National Congress. Lumumba had a very charismatic personality, a total figure with large expressive eyes with a wonderful way of speaking which attracted the innocent natives of Congo.

During this time the Belgian Government organized a fraudulent election to trap Lumumba to contest the election, but his party NPC, launched a huge campaign to boycott this election. In this protest campaign the Belgian rulers ruthlessly killed 30 protesters in Stanleyville (Kisangani) and Lumumba was arrested for organizing this campaign.

However at the election NPC polled 90 percent of the total votes, but the Belgian Government did not accept these results. So the people of Congo protested violently and in January 1960 a round-table conference of all parties was organized in Bruzelles (Belgium) to discuss the issue. But the National Party of Congo refused to attend it as their leader Lumumba was imprisoned.

African countries

So the Belgian authorities unwillingly released Lumumba and the NPC with their leader attended the Bruzelles Conference and it was decided to hold fresh elections in May 1960 and to grant freedom to Congo in July the same year. Many small parties took part at this election and out of 137 seats, NPC won 41 seats while the second largest 13 seats were won by another party. So Patrice Lumumba was elected as the Prime Minister of Congo on June 23, 1960. But his enemies did not like Lumumba becoming the Prime Minister.

As decided the Belgian Government granted freedom but within a few days there was a military coup’d’etat as the top brass of the military were Belgians. First an uprising was organized in Katanga Province by the Belgian Army and Lumumba’s Army had to face this situation with much difficulty. Lumumba requested assistance from the United Nations, but the UN refused this request saying that the Lumumba’s Government was not a stable one. As a result the Belgian Army settled down in Katanga.

As there was no other alternative Lumumba requested help from the Soviet Union and also organized a huge campaign with the help of other African countries to fight the Belgian imperialism. When Lumumba was the Prime Minister his archrival Kasawubu was the President and he with other pro-western small parties stealthily formed a Government and ousted Lumumba on September 5, 1960.

Freedom fighter

Although Lumumba complained to the UN, Kasawubu was so cunning that he got the support of the United Nations. At the same time Colonel Joseph Mobutu who was the Congo Army Chief took power into his hands and the freedom that Lumumba got with much effort was lost.

As his supporters were brutally killed in thousands, he visited these areas, on November 27 and on December 2, 1960, Lumumba was taken into custody by the Army of Kasawubu. On January 17, 1961 Lumumba was taken to an Army camp in Katanga by air. He was mercilessly tortured and shot and his body with two other supporters were dumped near a farm.

The United Nations investigated this brutal killing and declared that this heinous crime was committed by Colonel Kasawubu’s Army soldiers and the mercenaries of a Belgian company. When he was arrested the last words he uttered were “Freedom does not come on a silver platter but with blood and sweat.” To honour this great African freedom fighter the Soviet Union named one of the universities as Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow.