117 Facts About Patrice Lumumba

1.

Patrice Lumumba was the leader of the Congolese National Movement from 1958 until his execution in January 1961.

2.

Patrice Lumumba was captured and imprisoned en route by state authorities under Mobutu.

3.

Patrice Lumumba was handed over to Katangan authorities, and executed in the presence of Katangan and Belgian officials and military officers.

4.

Patrice Lumumba's body was thrown into a shallow grave, but later dug up and destroyed.

5.

Patrice Lumumba was born on 2 July 1925 as Isaie Tasumbu Tawosa to Julienne Wamato Lomendja and her husband, Francois Tolenga Otetshima, a farmer, in Onalua, in the Katakokombe region of the Kasai province of the Belgian Congo.

6.

Patrice Lumumba was a member of the Tetela ethnic group and was born with the name Elias Okit'Asombo.

7.

Patrice Lumumba had three brothers and one half-brother.

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8.

Patrice Lumumba was known for being a vocal, precocious young man, regularly pointing out the errors of his teachers in front of his peers, often to their chagrin.

9.

Outside of his regular studies, Patrice Lumumba took an interest in the Enlightenment ideals of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire.

10.

Patrice Lumumba wrote poetry, and many of his works had anti-imperialist themes.

11.

Patrice Lumumba worked as a travelling beer salesman in Leopoldville and as a postal clerk in a Stanleyville post office for eleven years.

12.

Patrice Lumumba married Henriette Maletaua a year after arriving in Stanleyville, but they were divorced in 1947.

13.

In 1955, Patrice Lumumba became regional head of the Cercles of Stanleyville and joined the Liberal Party of Belgium.

14.

Patrice Lumumba was convicted and sentenced one year later to 12 months' imprisonment and a fine.

15.

Patrice Lumumba had a large popular following, due to his personal charisma, excellent oratory, and ideological sophistication.

16.

Patrice Lumumba was one of the delegates who represented the MNC at the All-African Peoples' Conference in Accra, Ghana, in December 1958.

17.

At this international conference, hosted by Ghanaian president, Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba further solidified his pan-Africanist beliefs.

18.

Patrice Lumumba lived in Leopoldville, in effect becoming Belgium's de facto resident minister in the Congo, administering it jointly with Governor-general Hendrik Cornelis.

19.

Patrice Lumumba made three suggestions for : Lumumba, as the winner of the elections; Joseph Kasa-Vubu, the only figure with a reliable national reputation who was associated with the coalescing opposition; or some to-be-determined third individual who could unite the competing blocs.

20.

On 16 June 1960, Patrice Lumumba reported his difficulties to Ganshof, who extended the deadline and promised to act as an intermediary between the MNC leader and the opposition.

21.

Patrice Lumumba responded by threatening to form his own government and present it to parliament without official approval.

22.

Patrice Lumumba called a meeting at the OK Bar in Leopoldville, where he announced the creation of a "popular" government with the support of Pierre Mulele of the PSA.

23.

Meanwhile, Kasa-Vubu, like Patrice Lumumba, was unable to communicate with his political opponents.

24.

Patrice Lumumba assumed that he would secure the presidency, so he began looking for someone to serve as his prime minister.

25.

The decision to make Kasa-Vubu the was a catalyst that rallied the PSA, CEREA, and BALUBAKAT to Patrice Lumumba, making it unlikely that Kasa-Vubu could form a government that would survive a vote of confidence.

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26.

Once it was apparent that Patrice Lumumba's bloc controlled parliament, several members of the opposition became eager to negotiate for a coalition government in order to share power.

27.

Patrice Lumumba reportedly offered the Alliance of Bakongo the ministerial positions for foreign affairs and middle classes, but Kasa-Vubu instead demanded the ministry of finance, a minister of state, the secretary of state for the interior, and a written pledge of support from the MNC-L and its allies for his presidential candidacy.

28.

Patrice Lumumba refused to comply and instead pledged to support Jean Bolikango in his bid for the presidency.

29.

Kasa-Vubu eventually agreed to Patrice Lumumba's earlier offer, though Patrice Lumumba informed him that he could not give him a guarantee of support in his presidential candidacy.

30.

The resulting 37-strong Patrice Lumumba government was very diverse, with its members coming from different classes, different tribes, and holding varied political beliefs.

31.

All dissident arguments for alternative cabinets, particularly Kalonji's demand for a new administration, were rendered impotent, and the Patrice Lumumba government was officially invested.

32.

At the onset of his premiership, Patrice Lumumba had two main goals: to ensure that independence would bring a legitimate improvement in the quality of life for the Congolese and to unify the country as a centralised state by eliminating tribalism and regionalism.

33.

Patrice Lumumba was worried that opposition to his government would appear rapidly and would have to be managed quickly and decisively.

34.

In seeking to eliminate tribalism and regionalism in the Congo, Patrice Lumumba was deeply inspired by the personality and undertakings of Kwame Nkrumah and by Ghanaian ideas of the leadership necessary in post-colonial Africa.

35.

Patrice Lumumba worked to seek such changes through the MNC.

36.

Patrice Lumumba hoped it would absorb other parties and become a unifying force for the country.

37.

Patrice Lumumba wanted to drop this reference to Leopold II.

38.

Patrice Lumumba, who had not been scheduled to speak, delivered an impromptu speech that reminded the audience that the independence of the Congo had not been granted magnanimously by Belgium:.

39.

Meanwhile, Patrice Lumumba's office was overtaken by a flurry of activity.

40.

Patrice Lumumba, fearing the repercussions the raise would have on the budget, was among the few to object, dubbing it a "ruinous folly".

41.

Patrice Lumumba demanded that the army maintain its discipline and wrote "before independence = after independence" on a blackboard for emphasis.

42.

Patrice Lumumba alerted the reserve garrison of Camp Hardy, 95 miles away in Thysville.

43.

The next day Patrice Lumumba dismissed Janssens and promoted all Congolese soldiers one grade, but mutinies spread out into the Lower Congo.

44.

Patrice Lumumba Africanised the force by appointing Sergeant Major Victor Lundula as general and commander-in-chief, and chose junior minister and former soldier Joseph Mobutu as colonel and Army chief of staff.

45.

Patrice Lumumba requested UN troops to suppress the rebellion in Katanga, but the UN forces were not authorised to do so under their mandate.

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46.

Patrice Lumumba decided to travel to New York City in order to personally express the position of his government to the United Nations.

47.

Patrice Lumumba declared his approval of the second security council resolution, adding that "[Soviet] aid was no longer necessary" and announced his intention to seek technical assistance from the United States.

48.

Patrice Lumumba was focused on discussing the withdrawal of Belgian troops and various options for technical assistance with Dag Hammarskjold.

49.

Patrice Lumumba's request was passed on to the CIA who duly procured a suitable woman.

50.

African diplomats were keen that the meetings would be successful; they convinced Patrice Lumumba to wait until the Congo was more stable before reaching any more major economic agreements.

51.

Patrice Lumumba met with the US Secretary of State and appealed for financial and technical assistance.

52.

Patrice Lumumba felt that the UN was hampering his attempts to expel the Belgian troops and defeat the Katangan rebels.

53.

Frustrated, Patrice Lumumba met with the Soviet ambassador in Ottawa and discussed a donation of military equipment.

54.

The latter was chagrined that Patrice Lumumba had received a high-level reception in Washington.

55.

Frustrated with the UN's apparent inaction towards Katanga as he departed the US, Patrice Lumumba decided to delay his return to the Congo.

56.

Patrice Lumumba was well received in each country and issued joint communiques with their respective heads of state.

57.

In Ghana, Patrice Lumumba signed a secret agreement with President Nkrumah providing for a "Union of African States".

58.

Patrice Lumumba returned to the Congo, apparently confident that he could now depend upon African military assistance.

59.

Patrice Lumumba believed that he could procure African bilateral technical aid, which placed him at odds with Hammarskjold's goal of funnelling support through ONUC.

60.

Patrice Lumumba subsequently issued several orders in an attempt to reassert his dominance on the political scene.

61.

Patrice Lumumba's office was in disarray, and few members of his staff did any work.

62.

Patrice Lumumba was constantly being delivered rumours from informants and the, encouraging him to grow deeply suspicious of others.

63.

Patrice Lumumba immediately ordered Congolese troops to put down the rebellion in secessionist South Kasai, which was home to strategic rail links necessary for a campaign in Katanga.

64.

Patrice Lumumba demanded that UN peacekeeping soldiers assist in suppressing the revolt, threatening to bring in Soviet troops if they refused.

65.

Patrice Lumumba denounced his dismissal over the radio as illegitimate, and in turn labelled Kasa-Vubu a traitor and declared him deposed.

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66.

Patrice Lumumba noted that Kasa-Vubu had never before offered any criticism of the government and portrayed their relationship as one of cooperation.

67.

Patrice Lumumba lambasted Delvaux and Minister of Finance Pascal Nkayi for their role in the UN Geneva negotiations and for their failure to consult the rest of the government.

68.

Patrice Lumumba followed his arguments with an analysis of the Loi Fondemental and finished by asking Parliament to assemble a "commission of sages" to examine the Congo's troubles.

69.

Patrice Lumumba stated that "technicians" would run the administration while the politicians sorted out their differences.

70.

Patrice Lumumba was surprised by the coup and that evening he travelled to Camp Leopold II in search of Mobutu to try and change his mind.

71.

Patrice Lumumba spent the night there but was attacked in the morning by Luba soldiers, who blamed him for the atrocities in South Kasai.

72.

Patrice Lumumba continued to hold meetings with members of his government, senators, deputies, and political supporters, and to issue public statements.

73.

Frustrated by the way he was being treated by Patrice Lumumba and facing intense political pressure, by the end of the month Mobutu was no longer encouraging reconciliation; he had aligned with Kasa-Vubu.

74.

Patrice Lumumba ordered ANC units to surround Lumumba's residence, but a cordon of UN peacekeepers prevented them from making an arrest.

75.

Patrice Lumumba resolved to join Deputy Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga in Stanleyville and lead a campaign to regain power.

76.

Patrice Lumumba was moved to Port Francqui the next day and flown back to Leopoldville.

77.

Mobutu claimed Patrice Lumumba would be tried for inciting the army to rebellion and other crimes.

78.

Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold made an appeal to Kasa-Vubu asking that Patrice Lumumba be treated according to due process.

79.

Patrice Lumumba was accompanied by Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, two political associates who had planned to assist him in setting up a new government.

80.

Patrice Lumumba was forcibly restrained on the flight to Elisabethville on 17 January 1961.

81.

Later that night, Patrice Lumumba was driven to an isolated spot where, according to reports, three firing squads had been assembled and commanded by Belgian contract officer Julien Gat.

82.

The orders to murder Patrice Lumumba were given by Katangese leaders, Belgian police inspection Frans Verscheure, and Gat.

83.

Patrice Lumumba then went around, drunkenly repeating the story until the police took him away.

84.

However, according to journalist Sean Kelly, who covered the events as a correspondent for the Voice of America, Patrice Lumumba did this not because he was a communist, but because he felt that the Soviet Union was the only power which would support his government's effort to defeat Belgian supported separatists and rid itself of colonial influence.

85.

Patrice Lumumba's execution was carried out by a firing squad led by Belgian mercenary Julien Gat; Katangan Police Commissioner Verscheure, who was Belgian, had overall command of the execution site.

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86.

Lynden had insisted on 15 January 1961, that an imprisoned Patrice Lumumba should be sent to Katanga, which essentially would have been a death sentence.

87.

Michael P Holt writes that Devlin helped to direct the search to capture Lumumba and helped arrange his transfer to the separatist authorities in Katanga.

88.

The Committee later found that while the CIA had conspired to kill Patrice Lumumba, it was not directly involved in the murder.

89.

The documents indicate that the Congolese leaders who overthrew Patrice Lumumba and transferred him to the Katangan authorities, including Mobutu Sese Seko and Joseph Kasa-Vubu, received money and weapons directly from the CIA.

90.

In 2000, a newly declassified interview with Robert Johnson, who was the minutekeeper of the US National Security Council at the time in question, revealed that US President Eisenhower had said "something [to CIA chief Allen Dulles] to the effect that Patrice Lumumba should be eliminated".

91.

However, documents released in 2017 revealed that an American role in Patrice Lumumba's murder was only under consideration by the CIA.

92.

Patrice Lumumba's final resting place will be in a special mausoleum in Kinshasa.

93.

An investigation by Belgian prosecutors for "war crimes" related to Patrice Lumumba's murder is ongoing.

94.

Patrice Lumumba did not espouse a comprehensive political or economic platform.

95.

Goff writes that Patrice Lumumba was alone among his contemporaries in encompassing all Congolese people in his narrative, and he offered a basis for national identity that was predicated upon having survived colonial victimisation, as well as the people's innate dignity, humanity, strength, and unity.

96.

Patrice Lumumba viewed the state as a positive advocate for the public welfare and its intervention in Congolese society necessary to ensure equality, justice, and social harmony.

97.

Media discussion of Patrice Lumumba, spurred by the release of the book as well as a feature film in 2000, Patrice Lumumba, became significantly more positive afterwards.

98.

Patrice Lumumba's exploits are usually celebrated as the work of him as an individual and not that of a larger movement.

99.

Patrice Lumumba lived as a free man, and an independent thinker.

100.

Patrice Lumumba's downfall was detrimental to African nationalist movements, and he is generally remembered primarily for his assassination.

101.

The ideological legacy of Patrice Lumumba is known as.

102.

The circumstances of Patrice Lumumba's death have led him to often be portrayed as a martyr.

103.

Tetela, Songye, and Luba-Katanga peoples created folks songs of mourning for him, but these were groups which had been involved in political alliances with him and, at the time, Patrice Lumumba was unpopular in large segments of the Congolese populace, particularly in the capital, Bas-Congo, Katanga, and South Kasai.

104.

In Congolese collective memory, it is perceived that Patrice Lumumba was killed through Western machinations because he defended the Congo's self-determination.

105.

Patrice Lumumba owed this status more to the horrible end of his life than to his political successes.

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106.

Patrice Lumumba declared a series of other measures meant to commemorate Lumumba, though few of these were ever executed aside from the release of a banknote with his visage the subsequent year.

107.

In following years state mention of Patrice Lumumba declined and Mobutu's regime viewed unofficial tributes to him with suspicion.

108.

In Guinea, Patrice Lumumba was featured on a coin and two regular banknotes despite not having any national ties to the country.

109.

Patrice Lumumba is viewed as one of the "fathers of independence" of the Congo.

110.

The image of Patrice Lumumba appears frequently in social media and is often used as a rallying cry in demonstrations of social defiance.

111.

Patrice Lumumba's figure is prevalent in art and literature, mostly outside of the Congo.

112.

Patrice Lumumba was referenced by numerous African-American writers of the American civil rights movement, especially in their works of the post-civil rights era.

113.

Patrice Lumumba's name is mentioned in rap music; Arrested Development, Nas, David Banner, Black Thought, Damso, Baloji, Medine, Sammus and many others have mentioned him in their work.

114.

Patrice Lumumba is relatively absent from Congolese writing, and he is often portrayed with only subtle or ambiguous references.

115.

In written tributes to Mobutu, Patrice Lumumba is usually portrayed as an adviser to the former.

116.

Writer Charles Djungu-Simba observed, "Patrice Lumumba is rather considered as a vestige of the past, albeit an illustrious past".

117.

Patrice Lumumba's surname is often used to identify a long drink of hot or cold chocolate and rum.