Patrice Lumumba and African Independence

In two speeches delivered between 1959 and 1960, Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Republic of Congo, proclaimed his vision for the future of the Congo and the African continent as a whole. Lumumba discussed the long, hard-fought battle for independence from Belgium’s rule while calling for a united Africa free from Western oppression. Lumumba made his hopes for the future of the Congo and Africa very clear in his speeches and shared his desire for a continent where all citizens were free, governments cooperated to achieve similar goals, and the Western world respected and worked with the independent nations of the African continent.

Lumumba struck a fine balance when he discussed the legacy that Belgium’s colonial rule would have on the Republic of Congo when proclaiming that his country was now free. He made sure to note the oppression suffered by his people while still looking to preserve potential future relations with the nation diplomatically. Lumumba has a long list of grievances and atrocities he said were committed by the Belgian colonial rulers, including forced labor in exchange for insufficient wages, housing and food, the seizure of land, insults because of differences in skin color, unjust laws and persecution based solely on personal religious and political beliefs. He also noted racial injustices, particularly in the laws enacted by the colonial government that did not favor those native to the Republic of Congo. Lumumba summed up his views on the colonial rule’s legacy by noting the “injustice, oppression and exploitation used by the colonialists” in his country (Lumumba), but ended his discussion of Belgium positively and talked about a newfound friendship with the nation. It was a theme that he also touched on in his previous speech in 1959 regarding liberating and uniting Africa as a whole.

Despite Lumumba’s willingness to work with Belgium going forward, he outlined the difficult path that the people of the Republic of Congo had ahead of them in rebuilding their nation after it became free from the effects of colonialism. The country’s people had become accustomed to oppression in nearly all facets of their lives, and Lumumba noted it would be a long process to heal. In order for the Congo to begin “to achieve peace, prosperity and greatness,” Lumumba called for justice as his society was broken in so many areas: socially, legally, politically, and religiously. The prime minister saw the importance and value of social justice and equality, with fair wages for all workers, just laws and all the liberties given under the Declaration of Human Rights. He spoke of the need to eliminate discrimination and permit free thought for all citizens of the Republic of Congo.

Lumumba also recognized the importance of a free and cooperative Africa. In a speech given in 1959, he discussed what all Africans must do to achieve and then rebuild after independence. It was not enough for Lumumba to only know his own country free from colonial rule. His overarching theme for building a successful continent was unity. Lumumba understood the value of cooperation within and between countries and called on county leaders across Africa to come together to work toward the “common good of our peoples” (Lumumba). From his speech, it is not unreasonable to think that Lumumba viewed division as a chief factor that would keep African nations from rising to their full potential. He suggested creating unified parties that would work to achieve democracy, allowing citizens to share their beliefs without fear of persecution, and to bring an end to the tribal wars that had been plaguing the continent during the time period.

Western oppression and division appear to be the chief factors that Lumumba viewed as challenges to African countries. He spoke of the need for those countries currently under colonial rule at the time of the speech to continue their battles and refuse to give up, and he urged neighboring nations who had already achieved their independence to join the fight on behalf of the African countries to drive out the Western rulers. Lumumba, however, also understood the influence and importance of the Western world and called for peace and cooperation between those nations and Africa. He did not want to see African countries isolate themselves from the rest of the world because he appreciated the idea that he did not live on a self-sustaining continent.

Cooperation is the central and critical theme of both of Patrice Lumumba’s 1959 and 1960 speeches on colonialism. When discussing the Republic of Congo independently, Lumumba spoke of the importance of creating a new system of culture and government – essentially, a brand-new society – but also recognized the value of developing a working relationship with Belgium despite it being the source of his nation’s grueling oppression. Similarly, when examining Africa as a whole, cooperation became even more important to Lumumba’s vision of a free and united Africa - a vision that Nelson Mandela would later champion for as well. Lumumba championed the idea of working together on all levels, whether it be citizens of a particular country helping each other defeat colonial rule, leaders from two different African nations coming together to achieve their goals, or Africa as a whole achieving a symbiotic relationship with the Western world where cultural values, ideas, and systems could be exchanged and shared.

Works Cited

Lumumba, Patrice. “Speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo’s Independence.” 30 June 1960. Speech.

Lumumba, Patrice. “African Unity and National Independence.” University of Ibadan. Ibadan, Nigeria. 22 March 1959. Speech.