Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba

by Karen Bouwer

Patrice Lumumba s legacy continues to fire the imagination of politicians, activists, and artists. But women have been missing from accounts of the Congo s decolonization. What new ideals of masculinity and femininity were generated in this struggle? Were masculinist biases re-inscribed in later depictions of the martyred nationalist? Through analysis of Lumumba s writings and speeches, the life stories of women activists, and literary and cinematic works, Gender and Decolonization in the The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba challenges male-centered interpretations of Congolese nationalism and illustrates how generic conventions both reinforced and undercut gender bias in representations of Lumumba and his female contemporaries.

Genres: Africa, History

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Elisha Kiala]

I enjoyed this book at the beginning, but near the end i felt as if it lost it’s way.