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Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo’s First Prime Minister
*Includes pictures
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“Without dignity there is no liberty, without justice there is no dignity, and without independence there are no free men.” – Patrice Lumumba
The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event—known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885—galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. The conference established two fundamental rules for European seizure of Africa. The first of these was that no recognition of annexation would granted without evidence of a practical occupation, and the second, that a practical occupation would be deemed unlawful without a formal appeal for protection made on behalf of a territory by its leader, a plea that must be committed to paper in the form of a legal treaty.
One of the most controversial colonization efforts took place in the Congo, which still conjures up contrasting images of jungles, wildlife, warlords, civil wars, blood diamonds, and the ongoing anarchy of ethnic and tribal warfare. Indeed, the vast expanse of Congo remains one of the most enigmatic and little-known regions of Africa. It is also, undeniably, the original African failed state. It has suffered generations of warlord rule, inter-ethnic violence and insecurity, particularly in the remote and isolated east of the country.
The original name of the region derives from the Kingdom of Kongo, a pre-colonial power that ruled a limited region surrounding, and extended south of, the mouth of the Congo River. The first Europeans to discover the mouth of the Congo River were the Portuguese, who incrementally explored the coast of Africa throughout the late 15th century and established diplomatic and trade relations with the Kongo Kingdom before assuming control of what later became Portuguese West Africa, and later still Angola. At that point in history, the European trading powers were only really interested in trade, most particularly the Atlantic Slave Trade, and there was little incentive to penetrate the interior to any depth. The Portuguese made no particular effort, therefore, to explore the Congo River any further inland than the Crystal Mountains or the extensive region of rapids that tended to shield the interior from the coast. For generations the Portuguese simply traded off the coast, while what lay beyond in the dark interior remained a matter of myth and speculation.
It was in the nature of Belgium’s withdrawal from Africa that power was essentially handed over to the first in line to receive it. Very little of the careful preparation that characterized the British withdrawal from Africa was evident in Congo, in major part due to the fact that the Belgian system of administration allowed for no phased entry of Congolese employees into the executive level, so there was no one trained or experienced in running a government who was in a position to take over from the departing Belgians. The same, indeed, was true in the armed forces.
As it turned out, the first in line to take power was a tall, stern-featured ideologue by the name of Patrice Lumumba. Though he was still just 35, his life story was already one full of ideology, politics, and chaos, and things would only get more turbulent once he became the Congo’s leader.
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“Without dignity there is no liberty, without justice there is no dignity, and without independence there are no free men.” – Patrice Lumumba
The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event—known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885—galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. The conference established two fundamental rules for European seizure of Africa. The first of these was that no recognition of annexation would granted without evidence of a practical occupation, and the second, that a practical occupation would be deemed unlawful without a formal appeal for protection made on behalf of a territory by its leader, a plea that must be committed to paper in the form of a legal treaty.
One of the most controversial colonization efforts took place in the Congo, which still conjures up contrasting images of jungles, wildlife, warlords, civil wars, blood diamonds, and the ongoing anarchy of ethnic and tribal warfare. Indeed, the vast expanse of Congo remains one of the most enigmatic and little-known regions of Africa. It is also, undeniably, the original African failed state. It has suffered generations of warlord rule, inter-ethnic violence and insecurity, particularly in the remote and isolated east of the country.
The original name of the region derives from the Kingdom of Kongo, a pre-colonial power that ruled a limited region surrounding, and extended south of, the mouth of the Congo River. The first Europeans to discover the mouth of the Congo River were the Portuguese, who incrementally explored the coast of Africa throughout the late 15th century and established diplomatic and trade relations with the Kongo Kingdom before assuming control of what later became Portuguese West Africa, and later still Angola. At that point in history, the European trading powers were only really interested in trade, most particularly the Atlantic Slave Trade, and there was little incentive to penetrate the interior to any depth. The Portuguese made no particular effort, therefore, to explore the Congo River any further inland than the Crystal Mountains or the extensive region of rapids that tended to shield the interior from the coast. For generations the Portuguese simply traded off the coast, while what lay beyond in the dark interior remained a matter of myth and speculation.
It was in the nature of Belgium’s withdrawal from Africa that power was essentially handed over to the first in line to receive it. Very little of the careful preparation that characterized the British withdrawal from Africa was evident in Congo, in major part due to the fact that the Belgian system of administration allowed for no phased entry of Congolese employees into the executive level, so there was no one trained or experienced in running a government who was in a position to take over from the departing Belgians. The same, indeed, was true in the armed forces.
As it turned out, the first in line to take power was a tall, stern-featured ideologue by the name of Patrice Lumumba. Though he was still just 35, his life story was already one full of ideology, politics, and chaos, and things would only get more turbulent once he became the Congo’s leader.
63 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2019
31 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2023
I’ll keep looking for more books about Patrice Lumumba because this one wasn’t good. It read from the prospective of a colonizer.
May 17, 2020
Listened to this audiobook on Scribd.com. It was really well done, I’ve been curious about Lumumba since someone shared his story with me.
This was a mostly unbiased introduction to the man, how he became involved with politics in the Congo and rose to the be their first Prime Minister.
Very meat and potatoes delivery, with a baseline analysis of the political landscape at the time and the involvement of Belgium and the United Nations.
This was a mostly unbiased introduction to the man, how he became involved with politics in the Congo and rose to the be their first Prime Minister.
Very meat and potatoes delivery, with a baseline analysis of the political landscape at the time and the involvement of Belgium and the United Nations.
June 29, 2024
read like the cliffs notes version of the cliffs notes… and very skewed perspective. last time i will randomly listen to a history audiobook on Scribd without researching it first. 🙅🏻♀️
January 3, 2021
Mało wiem o najnowszej historii Afryki. Ponieważ udało mi się znaleźć niniejszą pozycję w bibliotece storytel postanowiłem nadrobić braki we wiedzy.
Pozycje Charles Rivers Editors są rzetelnie napisane, dość szczegółowe, dość kompleksowo podchodzą do tematu. Tak jest i w tym przypadku. Zanim poznamy biografię Patrice Lumumby sporo dowiemy się na temat przebiegu kolonializmu w Afryce, drodze do niepodległości poszczególnych krajów afrykańskich, przede wszystkim Kongo. Dopiero następnie poznajemy biografię Lumumby, znając już dobrze kontekst.
Kongo było własnością króla belgijskiego. W XIX wieku król Belgii Leopold II miał ambicje aby skolonizować część Afryki. Afryka była bogata w wiele surowców, rudy metali, kość słoniowa, urodzajna ziemia umożliwiająca uprawy.
Lumumba stał się pierwszym premierem niezależnego Konga, jednak długo nie rządził. Wewnętrzna walka o władzę była ogromna, nie udało mu się długo utrzymać rządy. Jego śmierć była dość drastyczna. Po rządzie Lumumby nastąpił ciężki okres dla Kongo, władzę przejął Mobutu, którego rządy doprowadziły do rozkładu w miarę dobrze funkcjonujące administracji i struktur państwowych, które powstały jeszcze za czasów kolonialnych. Lumumba uważany jest jako bohater. Niestety miał też pecha, że za jego czasów była Zimna Wojna. Nie miał wsparcia krajów zachodnich oraz USA.
Pozycje Charles Rivers Editors są rzetelnie napisane, dość szczegółowe, dość kompleksowo podchodzą do tematu. Tak jest i w tym przypadku. Zanim poznamy biografię Patrice Lumumby sporo dowiemy się na temat przebiegu kolonializmu w Afryce, drodze do niepodległości poszczególnych krajów afrykańskich, przede wszystkim Kongo. Dopiero następnie poznajemy biografię Lumumby, znając już dobrze kontekst.
Kongo było własnością króla belgijskiego. W XIX wieku król Belgii Leopold II miał ambicje aby skolonizować część Afryki. Afryka była bogata w wiele surowców, rudy metali, kość słoniowa, urodzajna ziemia umożliwiająca uprawy.
Lumumba stał się pierwszym premierem niezależnego Konga, jednak długo nie rządził. Wewnętrzna walka o władzę była ogromna, nie udało mu się długo utrzymać rządy. Jego śmierć była dość drastyczna. Po rządzie Lumumby nastąpił ciężki okres dla Kongo, władzę przejął Mobutu, którego rządy doprowadziły do rozkładu w miarę dobrze funkcjonujące administracji i struktur państwowych, które powstały jeszcze za czasów kolonialnych. Lumumba uważany jest jako bohater. Niestety miał też pecha, że za jego czasów była Zimna Wojna. Nie miał wsparcia krajów zachodnich oraz USA.
July 26, 2025
Biased.
July 16, 2024
Informative and covers a wide time period, giving good context. However, I would agree with other readers that it offers a perspective largely from a colonialist’s point of view, particularly in the historical chapters, utilising tropes such as ‘uncivilised people’ liberally without any critical angles. Henry Stanley and other explorers such as Livingstone are presented in a positive light which is horrendous and shockingly inaccurate. Furthermore, the narrator sounds very robotic
May 27, 2024
As a general book to introduce you to his existence this is acceptable however it’s clearly written from the point of view of colonisers as the actual impact of lumumba is not properly captured or conveyed.
July 15, 2023
This is an anonymous book, written by uncredited editors. It gives a generic overview, a basic explanation but rather uninspiring.
September 6, 2025
The pictures are the best part of this, the book has a colonial gaze present. I plan on reading more about Lumumba in the future.
November 8, 2019
Charles Rivers better tell the whole story! I don’t know why Lumumba stuck out to me but both he, Haile Selassie and Kwame Nkrumah are needed on my bookshelves at home.
They had a plan, didn’t take no “spit” and they loved their countries... perhaps that is why? It’s a tops!
They had a plan, didn’t take no “spit” and they loved their countries... perhaps that is why? It’s a tops!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews