فصل في الكونغو

by Aimé Césaire, إيميه سيزير, فتحي العشري (Translator)

إفريقيا في نشوة الاستقلال المكتسب، ومرة واحدة تتجمع كل المشاكل: ثورات، خيانات، صدمات حضارية، دسائس سياسيـة، مناورات القيادات الكبرى.. وتظهر شخصية كبيرة وعظيمة هي شخصية باتريس لومومبا.. رجل خیالی، دائما ما يرى أبعد من الموقف الحالي، رجل عقيدة يؤمن بالقوة والحكمة معاً.. قدره أنه بطل وضحية، مهزوم ولكنه منتصر..
من خلال هذا الرجل وقوامه الأسطوري يدور تاريخ قارة بأكملها، كما يدور تـاريخ الإنسانية جمعاء بطريقة مثالية ورمزية..
ألا يكفى كـل هـذا لكي نحاول أن نبـرز هـذا الـدور الرائع؟!

Genres: Plays, Fiction, Classics, Theatre, Africa, Drama, France

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Martinique-born poet, playwright, and politician Aimé Fernand Césaire contributed to the development of the concept of negritude; his primarily surrealist works include The Miracle Weapons (1946) and A Tempest (1969).

A francophone author of African descent. His books of include Lost Body, with illustrations by Pablo Picasso, Aimé Césaire: The Collected Poetry, and Return to My Native Land. He is also the author of Discourse on Colonialism, a book of essays which has become a classic text of French political literature and helped establish the literary and ideological movement Negritude, a term Césaire defined as “the simple recognition of the fact that one is black, the acceptance of this fact and of our destiny as blacks, of our history and culture.” Césaire is a recipient of the International Nâzim Hikmet Poetry Award, the second winner in its history. He served as Mayor of Fort-de-France as a member of the Communist Party, and later quit the party to establish his Martinique Independent Revolution Party. He was deeply involved in the struggle for French West Indian rights and served as the deputy to the French National Assembly. He retired from politics in 1993. Césaire died in Martinique.

Reviews

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hear ye! Hear ye! The buffalo is wounded. He can’t do anything at all because he’s been shot. That’s why the buffalo has grown furious. Who is the buffalo? The buffalo, it’s the government of the Belgians and the Flemish.” - A Season in the Congo, Aimé Césaire

Aimé Césaire is a writer from Martinique, yet he managed to write a play that truly captured the spirit of Congo during the time of Congolese independence from Belgium.

I’ve always been interested in Lumumba since I heard about his tragic story while I was in high school. The dastardly role that Belgium played in his assassination is something that still frustrates me when I think of it. Basically, Lumumba was assassinated because he did not support the Belgian-supported secession of Katanga (which, surprise surprise, is an area rich in diamonds and other natural resources).

I’ve read Cesaire’s poetry which I would describe as being very visceral, sarcastic and explosive. Sarcasm and satire, as well as some poetic turns, are very much prevalent throughout the three acts of this play.

This play covers the events leading up to Congolese independence right up until Lumumba’s assassination. Mobutu Sese Seko,who later became the first of four (?) dictators in Congo, betrayed his friend in a military coup. Lumumba was very idealistic and passionate about Africa. It’s sad that he died so young (35 years old); I can’t help but think that maybe Congo (and Africa) would have been a different (better) place had it not been for his assassination.

In the play, Lumumba points out the hypocrisy of the politicians in Brussels deciding the fate of an African country, and also laments the woes of colonialism and tribalism.

Lumumba - “I, my lord, I think of the forgotten. We are those who were dispossessed, struck, mutilated- those who were addressed as inferiors, whose faces were spat upon. Cookboys, chamberboys, laundryboys, we were a people of boys, a people of “Yes, Bwana”, and whoever doubted that man could be not man had only to look at us.”

In Swahili, the word “uhuru” means freedom, complete freedom, and that’s what Africa expected after independence. Unfortunately, it looks as though in most cases the locals weren’t completely in charge; rather, the former colonial masters were actually running things and giving Africans a semblance of independence. My parents were born in pre-independence Africa and were too young at the time of independence to remember much about what went on but I’ve often been curious about the transition.

Great play, and one I’d really love to see performed.

Side note: Dag Hammarskjold, the former UN Secretary-General who played a role in the Congo Crisis died a mysterious death in the 1960s, and this article came out a few days ago:
Dag Hammarskjold death: UN ‘should reopen inquiry’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europ...

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I want to be neither messiah nor mahdi. My only arms are my words, I speak and I awaken, I am not a redresser of wrongs, not a miracle worker, I am a redresser of life, I speak and I give back Africa to herself!"

From A SEASON IN THE CONGO by Aimé Césaire, tr. from the French (Martinique) by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, 1966 (fr), 2010 (this eng edition) from @seagullbooks

Aimé Césaire - poet, playwright, philosopher, and politician/activist.

His words have the power to completely *stop you in your tracks* with their weight and tenor. I witnessed that reading his Notebook of a Return to the Native Land last June for Read Caribbean, and was looking forward to more of his work this June - going for one of his stage plays this time.

A drama in three acts, set in the late 1950s-1961 as Congo struggles/gains independence from Belgium, and the rise of the Patrice Lumumba. All based on true events, beginning in a Congolese tavern, where people are crying for liberty and independence after decades of horrific oppression. After independence, Lumumba has popular support as a vibrant leader, elected to the position of Prime Minister in his early 30s.

Césaire uses familiar staging of dream sequences, a storyteller/bard character who closes each scene, and characterizations of "Revenge" and "War". The play ends with the assassination of Lumumba by a different Congolese faction (which in turn was backed by Belgian and USian colonial powers...), and the violent uprisings in the streets of Kinshasa.

A 2013 run of this play in London's Young Vic Theatre starred Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lumumba, and I found it helpful to look through some of the available photos to see how the play was set out on stage.

A Caribbean writer who writes this STUNNING political drama set in the Congo (now the DRC). A truly global force.

A few more notable passages:

"Giving birth is painful, it is the law; but when the child is born one smiles at it. I would like today a Congo full of smiles."
.
Little bird flying back and forth
Of glue and of the slingshot
What a bird brain, says the trap
The bird has forgotten the trap
The trap remembers the bird.
.
And where was [the UN], when the Belgian's massacred our men and violated our women? And now, it's we the savages!
.
It is true that you are a prophet, Patrice. He who walks ahead and speaks out. That is your strength and your weakness.
.
I see Africa assaulted in every part with rapacious birds, and as soon as she moves away from one, another is on her with its beak dripping.

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) was a legendary and influential Caribbean poet, playwright and public intellectual, who was also one of the creators of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature, whose aim was to unite the peoples of the Caribbean and African French colonies in opposition to the "mother country".

Une saison au congo is the third of four plays that Césaire wrote in his lifetime, which is about the brief and tumultuous career of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo. Lumumba, a former beer salesman and political activist, was elected to office in July 1960 after the country gained its independence from Belgium, but he soon ran afoul of Belgium, the US and other western European nations and the United Nations, which resulted in his arrest by his top general Joseph Mobutu and his subsequent torture and assassination in January 1961 by Belgian and Congolese soldiers.

This play was written in 1966, and was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Est Parisien the following year. The central question of Une saison au congo is the choice that newly liberated African countries must answer: whether to choose dipenda, an state of quasi-independence in which foreign governments, former colonizers or appointed dictators and their cronies choose the country's path and steal the majority of its wealth while the majority are condemned to poverty and premature death, or uhuru, the Swahili word for freedom, in which all citizens can participate in the country's destiny, free from external or internal domination or intimidation, and have the opportunity to succeed and thrive alongside their neighbors. The second path is the more difficult one to take, but it is the one that will more likely result in an improved standard of living for its citizens, and long term stability for the country.

Lumumba was targeted and imprisoned by the colonial police force in 1959 for his political activity as the leader of the Congolese national movement (MNC), after a demonstration in Stanleyville led to the deaths of 30 protestors. Due to political pressure from his MNC colleagues he was freed and allowed to travel to Brussels early the following year, where he participated in the conference that led to the declaration that the Republic of Congo would be granted its independence. He was hailed as a hero by the Congolese people, but he first invoked the ire of the Belgian government on Independence Day, when he gave a spontaneous speech that was sharply critical of Belgium and its colonial rule, in the presence of the Belgian king.

Lumumba was faced with crises through his seven month term in office. The Belgian government, concerned that losing the wealth contained in the Congolese mining industry would cause it to become the "Liechtenstein of Europe", secretly collaborated with the leader of Katanga, the richest province, and supported a separatist movement whose aim was to keep profits flowing from the Congo to Belgium in exchange for enriching the Katangan leader and his cronies. Lumumba, with the support of President Kasa-Vubu and the chief of the military, Joseph Mobutu, engaged in a military strike against the separatist movement. Lumumba sought support from the United States, which turned him down, and the United Nations, which took a passive and indifferent stance toward the Congolese government. He then turned to the USSR for support, which led Belgium, the US and possibly the UK to secretly plot his removal and assassination. Mobutu removed both Lumumba and Kasa-Vubu from power, and ultimately Lumumba was captured, brutally tortured and executed by Congolese and Belgian troops loyal to Mobutu on 17 January 1961.

Césaire portrays Lumumba as an idealistic, fiery and uncompromising leader, whose political naïveté and inability to see the dangers posed by his former close friend Joseph Mobutu led to his downfall. He was passionately committed to a democratic Congo and a united African continent that was free of foreign domination, national corruption and regional differences, but he was also self-righteous in his beliefs and refused to accept counsel from others who urged him to proceed slowly and with great caution, given the political landmines that surrounded him.





I saw the interpretation of A Season in the Congo at the Young Vic Theatre in London earlier this month, and I read the script earlier today. It was a brilliant, powerful and innovative interpretation of Césaire's play, which starred Olivier Award winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as Patrice Lumumba. His physical resemblance to the Congolese leader was striking, but was exceeded by the strength and conviction of his outstanding performance. The supporting cast was solid, and the play was enhanced by the use of puppetry to represent the colonial powers and the UN (such as the Belgian government in the second photo above), a wise old man who spoke in Swahili throughout the performance, soothing African music, and especially the very athletic and stirring dance routines that were mesmerizing. The performance was true to the spirit of the play, although it didn't follow the script line for line; in my opinion this provided more freedom to the performance, as it removed some of the rough language and mundane dialogue contained within it, and allowed the spirit of Patrice Lumumba and the Congolese people to be portrayed in greater color and brilliance.

I couldn't have been any closer to the stage of the Young Vic Theatre, located on The Cut a block or two away from the famed Old Vic Theatre. The audience on the floor sat in chairs around small patio tables, and my chair abutted the front of the stage, as several of the actors including Ejiofor were within easy reach on numerous occasions, which made the performance that much more powerful for me. It lasted over 2-1/2 hours with a 15 minute intermission, making it one of the longest plays I've seen recently, but I was engrossed from the first scene to the shocking one at the end of the play, which caused an audience member to shriek in horror. The cast was given a solid 4-5 minute standing ovation at the play's conclusion, which was well deserved. I give four stars to the script of A Season in the Congo, and 4½ stars to the superb interpretation of it by the director and cast of this month's production at the Young Vic.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

We just saw the Young Vic production of A Season in the Congo, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, and like Darryl I am blown away. It is a fantastic piece of theater, which effortlessly manages to be several things at once: a biopic of Patrice Lumumba's life, a modern version of a Shakespearian tragedy, a measured indictment of the appalling racist hypocrisy that was European colonialism, and a sexy, physical piece of song and dance.

I do not agree with Darryl that Lumumba is portrayed as a Christ figure. He comes across a deeply flawed person, who was instrumental in liberating his country from the Belgians but then showed abysmal judgement in all his subsequent decisions. That the author, himself a leading black activist, was able to depict one of the great black heroes in this way convinced me far more than any routine hagiography could have done. This was black people talking honestly to black people and graciously allowing non-blacks like me to listen in.

The bold staging underlined the message. All the actors were black, with the ones playing white people wearing grotesque pointed noses; the narrator spoke only in Swahili, with other members of the cast interpreting for him. It was extremely risky - if it had gone wrong, it would have been a disaster - but in fact it worked brilliantly. At the end, several black members of the audience leapt to their feet and applauded frantically. Most of the whites followed them. I have rarely witnessed such a sincere standing ovation.

Bravo, Aimé Césaire!

[Cookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une saison au Congo is a fairly nice play retelling the events surrounding the Congo's independence from Belgium after years of being spoiled of their riches.

This was an interesting play which bases itself on the actual events and the people involved at the time. Being based on reality, there is no perfect character here. All of them are deeply flawed or just abhorrent. The characters coming from the higher spheres of politics, we are here confronted to power-hungriness, greed, betrayal and the like.

Lumumba himself, the MC, is full of flaws. He has a lot of biterness against all "whites" (some would say understandably but eh), he is hot-headed, overconfident, naive... I personally don't think he would have been a great PM. But he definitely would have been better than the dictature the country fell into.

It is interesting to note how politics is the same worldwide : power hungry sharks everywhere and among them some genuine patriots who really want to help the country. I do wonder though why Africa seems to have more of these government ovethrown by military cases.

[Nicole Entin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to be clear that this rating is specifically for this particular translation. I can sense the potential of this play if read in the original French. Although I’ve never been a staunch advocate for the Aristotelian unities, I feel like this play might have benefited from a narrower focus, strengthening the message. I’m particularly intrigued by the depiction of classical choruses and the oral tradition as represented by the Sanza Player.

But this translation... it’s horrendously clunky. Spivak’s retention of French sentence construction is obvious – often literal translations of sentences that likely begin with “Moi, ...” or “Ça, c’est...” that genuinely make me want to cry for the butchering of the language. The cover blurb of Spivak’s “lyrical translation” could not be further from the truth.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual play: 4 STARS
The translation: 1.5 STARS

While there are glimpses of genius writing and captivating imagery from Cesaire, Spivak's translation, to me, misses out on crucial nuances of language. The translation renders the play convoluted, too difficult to read and at times it is downright wrong. Idioms are mistranslated, the French is taken so literally that it makes no sense in its new English context. Register and propositions are mixed up and the meaning is altered by the errors.

I wish I could read another translation of this play because some of the imagery is beautiful and I found the third act particularly compelling to read. But when I say that the translation does such a disservice to the text, I really mean that it altered the reading experience heavily.

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've never read anything from cesaire before. so, i was pretty much excited to read this play that narrates congo's struggle for independence from both brutal colonialism and the divided state of colonised mind. it was not merely the story of patrice lumumba fighting hard for congo to make it an independent country, but it also recounts his vision for a unified congo with all its different ethnic groups co-existing peacefully. and, cesaire's support for this vision finds its rhythm throughout the play as lumumba emerges in here as a misunderstood tragic hero. it studies on the psychology of colonialism and its modes of oppression. cesaire goes into the minds of colonisers and colonialists, and how their minds operate on subjugating the people who are impoverished (both financially and epistemologically) and in dire need to survive anyhow. with that, he brought the tussle of modernity and (the traditions of) ethnicity (which is seen as atavism in the eyes of colonialism) that frequently engages at loggerheads with each other in the particular discourse of colonialism. he also focused on the image of servility on some of the congolese people who couldn't decolonise their minds (borrowing the term coined by ngugi wa thiong'o), and how, being a part of independent congo, they still served the colonialist purpose by sabotaging lumumba's dreams. that makes the tragic nature of the play extremely dense with all the bloodshed both visible and invisible. it's the bloodshed in brotherhood and of dreams that deepens the wound of lumumba's vision, and this play constantly mourns that reality.

apart from this complex structure of this play, it was fascinating to read how cesaire incorporated the use of folklore storytelling in his play mainly through songs and metaphorical diegesis. with that, it comes as a celebration of the different cultural aspects of indigenous african people. this is also how he connects with lumumba's vision of pan-african sentiments in his play. it also felt like this play, in its essence, connects itself to the concept of brotherhood that both lumumba and cesaire believed in. that alone gives this play a unique dimension that i cherished reading.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swift, funny, sad, and enraging. Cesaire's an important writer for understanding the immoral history of the 20th century. Here you can learn about Lumumba, whom the CIA helped kill. (Um, spoiler alert, I guess?) Far from the only democratically-elected egalitarian leader that the US undermined and destroyed in the 20th.

When people talk about Trump destroying the US's moral standing... c'mon, it was dead long ago. Trump's just showing how rotten we are and have been all along, and speeding things up. Usually we content ourselves with slower violence. (Or do we?)

Anyway, an excellent play. I'm excited to read more. Up next: A Tempest.

[une lectrice quelque part · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé ce livre qui je pense est mon préféré de Césaire. La métathèse est employée à merveille à tel point que ça m’a fait rire plusieurs fois. Mokutu pour mobutu ou kala-lubu pour kasa-vubu….
Et comme avec tous les livres de Césaire que j’ai lu, j’ai appris des choses. Les seules éléments qui m’ont dérangés, sont ses quelques poèmes que je trouvais vide de sens et les parties dans lesquelles certains de ces personnages chantaient. Je n’apprécie vraiment pas les comédies musicales et c’est pareil avec les personnages qui chantent dans des œuvres théâtrales.

[aliya]

no rating cause i’m conflicted rn. really REALLY liked the beginning. liked that it was both political and a tragedy. maybe even liked it more cause it felt a bit personal. BUT MY GOD😭😭😭 the rants. the unnecessary rants. idk. dragged it out a bit too much for me, made me very bored!

[Daniela M · Rating 2 out of 5]

There would be more stars... But Spivak's translation is abominable, ugh.

[Carlos Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

No livro “Uma temporada no Congo”, escrito pelo poeta, dramaturgo e ativista da negritude Aimé Césaire, observa-se a construção política da identidade congolesa na República Democrática do Congo entre 1959 e 1961. A peça é dividida em três atos que retomam os eventos políticos da independência, a subsequente nomeação de Patrice Lumumba como primeiro-ministro e, por fim, o assassinato do líder congolês, que resistiu e lutou pela libertação de seu povo, colonizado durante 80 anos pela Bélgica.

Césaire cria uma epopeia mística que transcende as dinâmicas textuais do padrão dramático tradicional, articulando fundamentos políticos de libertação em um contexto sociocultural complexo. A leitura é fluida e possui ritmo envolvente; consegui concluí-la em um único dia de dedicação. Porém, esse tempo é insuficiente para absorver plenamente uma obra dessa envergadura. A densidade histórica e sociológica apresentada é digna de um trabalho acadêmico extenso. Para interpretar corretamente suas camadas, seria necessária uma pesquisa aprofundada sobre o colonialismo belga e suas múltiplas expressões, que permanecem presentes na realidade contemporânea.

Em síntese, trata-se de uma obra que exige estudo atento e cuidadoso. Uma leitura superficial não é recomendada; resultaria apenas em perda de tempo e desgaste cognitivo sem compreensão adequada de seus processos internos.

Curiosidade: Você sabia que existem dois países chamados Congo.
Congo-Kinshasa (Rep. Democrática do Congo🇨🇩) e Congo-Brazzaville (República do Congo🇨🇬).
As capitais ficam uma de frente pra outra, separadas só pelo rio.

[Caspar "moved to storygraph" Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very thorough exploration of neo-colonialism, and it's interesting to dip into pan-Africanist literature after Fanon. But it turns out Césaire taught Fanon so it's possible I'm not always completely making things up.
There's also something prophetic about the plot - perhaps not surprising given the uncompromising Fanonian perspective; I think there are lots of parallels to be drawn between the life of Lumumbu and the wonderful Thomas Sankara.
A pleasant departure from certain other texts.

[AllisonWonder · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Une saison au Congo" est une pièce à thématique politique qui retrace la vie de Lumumba depuis le début de l'Indépendance du Congo à sa mort. La trame narrative est cohérente et le développement de la psychologie des personnages se fait à travers le livre. Par contre, une certaine connaissance de l'histoire du Congo et des différentes ethnies peut être utile pour aboutir à une compréhension totale du texte.

[Suhaib Maher · Rating 3 out of 5]

قرأت نسخة من المسرح العالمي التي تصدر من المجلس الوطني للثقافة والفنون والآداب العدد 417
ارى بصورة واضحة كيف أن الترجمة للغة العربية أثرت على روح المسرحية، فالكاتب معروف في الوسط الفني بكتاباته ومسرحياته المتنوعة وذيع صيته بين الكتاب والأدباء ويعتبر أيضا من رواد الأدب الزنجي، الأبيات الشعرية والأغاني زادت من جمال المسرحية حسب أغلب التعليقات الواردة مع العدد وتحليل المحرر، إلا أن تغيير اللغة والترجمة من المحتمل أنه كان سبباً في عدم شعوري بجمالية المسرحية بصورة عامة وجمالية هذه الأبيات على وجه الخصوص... رغم هذا وذاك فقد نالت استحساني بصورة طيبة

[Lucile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magistral !!!

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting politically.

[سوار مجادي · Rating 3 out of 5]

يصور الكاتب عبر هذه المسرحية تصفية "باتريس لومومبا" أول رؤيس وزراء منتخب لدولة الكونغو سنة 1960 عقب الإستقلال من قبضة المستعمر البلجيكي في 30 جوان 1960. وقد جابه لومومبا مظاهر الإستعمار وكرس حياته لمنح الحرية لأبناء شعبه وحماية بلده من المؤامرات البلجيكية، ولكن نسجت له مؤامرة أطاحت به حيث تم القبض عليه سنة 1961 وتصفيته رميا بالرصاص، لتكون نهاية فصل في الكونغو بعد التحرر من الإستعمار البلجيكي. وقد كان ومازال باتريس لومومبا أيقونة للنضال والحرية، وكذلك الكاتب Aimé Césaire يعد واحدا من أبرز المدافعين عن "الزنوجة" والمطالبين بتحرر المظطهدين والشعوب المستضعفة من الإستعمار الغاشم، وهو ما طرحه في هذه المسرحية عبر عرض المسار النضالي لباتريس لومومبا ونهايته على أيدي خصومه الذين تمكنوا من نصب مؤامرة لإخماد صوته وتعزيز حضور الإستعمار.
لم أكن أعلم من قبل بقصة باتريس لومومبا حتى أنني عرفته أول مرة عبر هذا المسرحية والتي تعد الثانية التي أقرأها، كانت تجربة جيدة غير أن الترجمة لم تكن بالمثالية، فقد بدت لي جافة وركيكة بعض الشيء.

[karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

better to know about congo's political history before diving into this, makes it more enjoyable

[Yehya elhasany يحْيِى الْحَسَّانِي · Rating 3 out of 5]

العالم محتاج للومامبا

[Gazelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The play happens around the time when many nations started a way towards independence. And as it shows from its name obviously, it's about what happened during that period on Kongo. It seems that, after a while things changed as usual and nothing went the way they thought it would go. It was not the first time that something like this appeared in part of the world, and it won't be the last, Unfortunately,...

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

acheté dans le magasin du monsieur qui a fait sentir sa zaza à titi☝️

[Taqwa Yousef · Rating 4 out of 5]

تدخل مسرحية "فصل في الكونجو" للمفكر والشاعر المارتينيكي "إيمي سيزير" في إطار أعمال ما بعد الكولونيالية، وهي تؤرخ حركات التحرر الأفريقية ضد الاستعمار الغربي، تتحدث هذه الرواية بالتحديد عن الكونجو وعن نضال شعبها ضد الاستعمار البلجيكي، الذي استبد أهلها ونهب خيراتها، وزرع بذور الفتنة والفرقة بين أهلها، وصادر الحريات، وشرد العوائل، وحاول دفن الموروث الثقافي الضاربة جذوره في أعماق التاريخ.

مثّل أبطال المسرحية الفئات المجتمعية التي كانت في الكونغو في تلك المرحلة:

1- باتريس لومومبا (مناضل الكونغو)
أ- كان مناضلًا ضد استعمار الرجل الأبيض، كان الرجل الذي كره المستعمر وأحب شعبه: "سُلبت أراضينا في ظل الاستعمار، نحن الذين ضُربوا، وُبترت أجسادنا، واحتُقروا، وبُصق في وجههم، رغم ذلك لم يتمكن الاحتلال من إفساد طعم الحياة في فمنا، فلتحيا الكونجو خالية من الاستعمار والعملاء.
ب- أجبر بنضاله حكومة البلجيك على تحديد 30 يونيو 1960 تاريخ إعلان الاستقلال عن الكونغو، وذهب لبروكسل للمشاركة في أشغال المائدة المستديرة.
ج- كان مدركًا لتحديات الاستقلال في ظل عدم وجود عدل في هذا العالم، وفي ظل بطش الاستعمار:
أيها المعتوه! وكيف كنت تعتقد أن الاستقلال سيبدأ؟ كيف تعتقد أنه سيستمر؟ هل كان لديكم انطباع أنني أدعوكم لنزهة؟ سيكون لدينا الكل: التمرد، والتخريب، والتهديد، والافتراء، والابتزاز، والخيانة، والموت ربما، والموت الأكيد. ماذا عساني أقول، غابة!

2- الملك بازيليو (ملك البلجيك):
يجد الملك أن استعمار أفريقيا كان عملًا فاضلًا لنشر الحضارة، فهم لم يأتوا للكونغو لكي يستولوا ويسيطروا، بل لكي يعطوا ويحضّروا ويمدنوا، فيقول: "نشرنا الحضارة، وأطعمناه وعالجناه وربيناه، وحاولنا هزم طبيعته المتوحشة، واليوم نحمل لهم الاستقلال، إذا برهنوا أنهم جيدون بخوض تجربة الاستقلال.

3- الجنرالات والجمهور البلجيكي في الكونغو: هؤلاء المنتفعين من الكونغو، ويجدون في التحرير تهديدًا لمصالحهم:
- الجنرال البلجيكي: لقد دنّس الكونغوليون بشكل قذر "دولتنا" الكونغو، إنهم حيوانات، يجب أن نردهم إلى جادة الصواب، ولا أرى إلا وسيلة وحيدة.
- ملك البلجيك: أعرف، وسيلة من المؤسف أن القانون الدولي لا يسمح لنا باللجوء إلى استعمالها.
- الجنرال البلجيكي: لا مجال لأن نربك أنفسنا بالدخول في تدقيقات قانونية، إن المحافظة على الحيوات الأوروبية، والحيوات الإنسانية ضرورة ماسة تتجاوز كل اعتبارات أخرى.

4- بولين (زوجة باتريس لومومبا)
لطالما حذرت باتريس من الخونة، وأن من حوله قد يبيعونه لأتفه الأسباب والمصالح، وأن الشعب الذي يراهن عليه عديم الحيلة:
- باتريس: نحن في ثورة، يا بولين، وفي الثورة فإن الشعب هو الذي يهم.
- بولين: الشعب؟ نعم! لكن الشعب ضعيف، الشعب أعزل، الشعب سريع التصديق. وأعداؤك أقوياء، وذوو نفوذ، إنهم ماكرون! العالم أجمع يساندهم بقوة.

5- كالا لوبي (رئيس جمهورية الكوتغو): المناضل الأليف، فهو لا يزال يبجل ملك بلجيكا، ولا يزال يقدّم نفسه للشعب كمناضل، وهو بالتأكيد ما لم يعجب باتريس لومومبا الذي قال له: "صدقني، الوطن ليس لعبة".

6- هامارسكجولد: رجل الأمم المتحدة، ويحب أن يعرف بنفسه على أنه رجل محايد، ويحيط نفسه برجال محايدين.
انتقده باتريس لومومبا، وانتقد انحياز الأمم المتحدة، حيث أخبره بأحد لقاءاتهم: "لم نخلع الوساطة البلجيكية ونطيح بها لنسقط حالًا تحت وصاية الأمم المتحدة! وداعًا سيمنحني "الروس" الطائرات التي رفضتم أنتم منحي إياها. أتمنى ألا تدفعوا يومًا الثمن غاليًا لتمسككم بالأوهام.
أين كان السيد هامارسكجولد، حين كان البلجيكيون يذبحون رجالنا ويغتصبون نساءنا! والآن نحن هم المتوحشون؟!"
ولم يفهم البلجيكيون وعملاؤهم في الكونغو من هذا الخطاب إلا شيئًا واحدًا، وهو أن باتريس شيوعي "بسبب استعانته بالروس"!

7- موكوتو: كان واشيًا عميلًا في زمن البلجيكيين، لكنه كان زمنًا صعبًا، فلم يملك سكان الكونغو الكثير من الخيارات، فلم يملكوا خيارًا سوا الموت جوعًا هم وأطفالهم أو القيام بالتجسس والوشاية. لذلك يثق باتريس به ويعتبره رفيق الكفاح، ولكن بولين لا تثق به أبدًا!

* في النهاية يخون موكوتو باتريس ويقوم بتحييده، ثم تتم تصفية باتريس، بعد أن أطلق عليه الجندي المرتزق رصاصة الرحمة، ثم يحاول كل طرف تبرئة نفسه من دم باتريس:

- كالا: كما ترون! لا أحد في الكونغو يمتثل لأوامري، لا أحد يطيعني. كنت أقول يجب تقليم الشجرة وتشذيبها، وليس اقتلاعها من جذورها.
- موكوتو: من البديهي للغاية أن رجال السياسة في هذا البلد احترسوا وامتنعوا عن إخباري بما كان يُحاك ضده، أعرف أنه تم الاعتراض على كون أني اتخذت قرارًا بتحييده، وإبعاده عن السلطة مؤقتًا. لكن الإله يمكن أن يغفر كل الخطايا.
- طزومبي: آه، كلا، كلا، سترون، سيقوم الجميع بإلقاء اللوم علي ويحملونني المسؤولية. أقول لكم ما أنا مؤمن به. هذه الجريمة. إنها مؤامرة ضدي أنا شخصيًا.
- هامارسكجولد: أنتم من منعه من الدخول إلى الإذاعة، منعتم لومومبا من الدفاع عن نفسه، بينما خصومه كان لديهم كامل الترخيص ليبثوا على موجات الإذاعة دعايتهم الحقودة. أنتم الذين بذريعة تخصيص مطار لبوبولدفيل فقط لطائرات الأمم المتحدة، قطعتم عنه العالم الخارجي بينما في غضون تلك الساعات كانت طائرة بلجيكية تهبط في إقليم كاطنجا... وحاصل الكلام أننا كبلنا يديه في الوقت الذي كان فيه الآخرون يضربونه! نِعم العمل! ما أجمل صنيعكم!

وهكذا تفرق دم باتريس لومومبا بين القبائل، وأضحى كل فريق يتبرأ من هذه الجريمة النكراء، ويسعى جاهدًا إلى إبعاد تهمة القتل عنه، ولامتصاص غضب الشعب، تمت تسمية الشارع الذي قُتل فيه على اسمه، وتم جعله مزارًا للأمة، ونقطة انطلاق إلى فصل جديد

[𓆩♡𓆪]

Det går inte en dag utan att jag tänker på Patrice ❤️

”Kala:

Vi är i alla fall illa ute! Hela världspressen med den belgiska i spetsen rasar mot oss! Hammarskjöld brännmärker oss i FN och anklagar oss för folkmord.

Lumumba:

Det är väl starkt! Var fanns Hammarskjöld när belgierna mördade våra män och våldtog våra kvinnor?

Och nu är det vi som kallas vildar!

Belgierna! Det är höjden! Vem var det som hetsade lulua mot baluba, om jag får fråga? Vem var det som fick baluba att tro att lulua bara ville deras undergång? Vem var det som drev hövdingen Kalamba Mangole att utropa ett särskilt luluarike, varifrån balubafolket skulle fördrivas, ett rike som knappt ville underkasta sig den traditionella luluamyndigheten? Vem fick de båda folken att tro att det enas existens var oförenlig med det andras?”

*

”Lumumba:

Ja, det är sant, vi är utelämnade på nåd och onåd åt första människa som dyker upp. Det spelar ingen roll om han är vit eller svart. Är han svart har en vit stuckit vapnet i handen på honom. Men det är bara halva sanningen. De kan förinta oss, men inte besegra oss! Det är för sent! Vi har överrumplat dem! De har hamnat i historiens bakvatten!”

*

”Lumumba:

(…) Om jag skulle försvinna, lämnar jag en ärofull kamp i arv åt mina barn (…)”

😢❤️

*

”Lumumba:

Förstår ni inte vad det är ni ber mig om?

Kala:

Ber er om? Tror ni verkligen att ni är i den situationen att ni har någonting att ge?

Lumumba:

Om det inte vore så, skulle ni aldrig ha hedrat mig med det här besöket. Ni har kommit för att skaffa er sanktion, ett skimmer av laglighet. I Kongos namn vägrar jag att ge er detta!”

*

”Msiri:

Ni har ju en massa trolltyg för er i Kassi. Zunzihud eller vad det än är, nu skall vi pröva om det hjälper!

Lumumba:

Det är en osårbar idé jag förkroppsligar, Msiri! Okuvlig som folkets hopp, som elden över savannen, som pollenkorn i vinden, som roten i den blinda jorden.”

*

Luma! Luma!

[Musaadalhamidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

او«موسم في الكونغو» (1966 حول باتريس لومومبا).
مسرحية للكاتب الكونغولي إيمي سيزير وهو شاعر وكاتب وسياسي فرنسي من المارتينيك ولد في 26 جوان 1913 بباس بوانت بالمارتنيك توفي في 17 أفريل 2008 بفور دو فرانس بعد صراع طويل مع مرض القلب. يعتبر إيمي سيزير أحد أبرز وجوه تيار «الزنجية» في الشعر الفرنكوفوني ورمزا للحركة المناهضة للاستعمار.

ولد إيمي سيزير في عائلة كبيرة وفقيرة شمال جزيرة المارتينيك. درس في ثانوية «لوي لو غران» في باريس، التي تعتبر من أرقى المدارس الثانوية الفرنسية. التقى هناك بالشاعر والاسياسي السنغالي ليوبولد سيدار سينغور والكاتب عصمان أوسي وأدرك عندها تهميش سكان الجزر الفرنسية والأفارقة، فاستعمل قلمه للدفاع عن المضطهدين والمستعمرين.

في عام 1934، أنشأ إيمي سيزير مع سينغور وعدد من الأصدقاء الأفارقة صحيفة «الطالب الأسود» فظهر للمرة الأولى مصطلح الزنجية وكانت حركة الزنجية تهدف إلى تغيير من صورة الرجل الأسود المتواني غير القادر على الأخذ بزمام أموره بنفسه وبناء مستقبله. نجح في اجتياز مناظرة مدرسة الأساتذة العليا أحد أرقى المدارس الفرنسية والتي يدرس فيها إلا نخبة من الطلبة النابغين.

[Tomaso Machiavelli di Spinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Faites n'importe quoi, mais faites ! Tous les chemins sont bons. D'ailleurs à l'heure actuelle au Congo, tous les chemins emmènent à la révolution, alors prenez n'importe lequel, mais prenez !"

"Je n'oublierai jamais pour ma part que c'est au Ghana que l'oiseau africain aux ailes rognées par le colonialisme secoua d'abord l'abâtardissement et, s'élançant sans crainte ni vertige au-devant du soleil, se sentit autre chose qu'un cœur de faucon niais."

Une fois encore, la magnifique et tonitruante plume d'Aimé Césaire ne déçoit pas.

Cette courte pièce de théâtre, qui met en scène Patrice Lumumba au moment de l'accès du Congo à l'indépendance (1960), rend très bien les tiraillements et les difficultés auxquels fait face ce leader de l'émancipation – entre pressions, réclamations et trahisons.
Elle met en scène le système corrompu et ses agents corrupteurs qui, en créant des privilèges et en divisant, empêche l'accès des anciennes colonies à l'indépendance totale et vraie, faisant d'elle un mot vide, qui sonne creux.

[Ian González · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow césaire is a geniusssss. technically this is a theater piece, but he is amazing. Excellent characterization, he manages to imbue these people with such, almost stereotypical traits, while at the same time managing to give them depth(especially Lumumba, like you could see he was just a flawed and also naïve man that just wanted the best for his country and for all black people for that matter). Also does a great job of explaining what historically happened in the congo since its independence in 1960. its especially good as I tried to understand what is happening right now with the civil war and violence and child labor/soldiers. It really puts everything into context, and helps us understand how precisely the congo has been victimized by colonization. It shows that its legs were cut out from underneath it in its infancy. Anyways read it it was soo good! even better if you can read it in original French

[Aliosha Bielenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Shakespearean intrigue in postcolonial Congo. Deft use of different registers -- scathing satire (sometimes in verse), moving poetry, humorous scenes of everyday life. The main character, Patrice Lumumba, is both a tragic hero -- a scene at the end of the play is clearly drawn from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar -- and a symbol of anticolonial resistance and Congolese nationalism. A tantalizingly ambiguous scene towards the end even suggests that Lumumba the beer-seller might become a Christ figure in his afterlife. Césaire nimbly walks the line between Lumumba the man and Lumumba the symbol. And all this happens through incredibly dextrous use of metaphor, personification, and a number of dramatic techniques. A landmark play in every way, and one that deserves to far more widely read (and seen!).

[Ashley Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s not as hard to read as one would think. the first act is hard to follow but the rest flows very well. while based on real events and real people, césaire created a play that transcends temporality. i really loved how césaire wove in the UN representative, the American delegate, the Ghanaian UN representative, tribal factions, and the hungry European and American bankers in the background. the flawed revolutionary prime minister patrice was perfectly crafted. flawed, ambitious, idealistic, and most of all, tragic. this character was truly an incredible feat to write, especially given the gravity of recreating, or rather emulating, a real independence leader. i wish i could see a contemporary rendition of the play. i imagine it feels as fresh as it did in 1967.