Congolese Independence Speech
The Speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence[a] was a short political speech given by Patrice Lumumba on 30 June 1960 at the ceremonies marking the independence of the Republic of Congo (the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) from Belgium. It is best known for its outspoken criticism of colonialism.
Lumumba, the first Congolese Prime Minister, gave the address during the official independence commemorations at the
The speech itself has since been praised for its use of
Background
Belgian rule in the Congo was based around the "colonial trinity" (trinité coloniale) of
An
The speech
Background and context
The speech was given as part of the official ceremony held at the Palais de la Nation in Léopoldville (modern-day Kinshasa) marking the end of Belgian colonial rule in the country.
The official programme for the Independence Day celebrations began with a
Lumumba had seen a copy of Kasabubu's speech and concluded it was insufficient.[18] Kasongo and Thomas Kanza, a member of Lumumba's government, had been requested to visit the prime minister at his private house on the morning of 30 June before the start of the ceremonies to look over an early draft of Lumumba's planned speech. Also present were two secretaries of state and two Belgians.[19] (One of the latter may have been the pacifist Jean Van Lierde.[20][c]) Lumumba asked Kanza, "Will you work out here with these others here to tidy up the text, and make it acceptable – a bit less explosive?"[21]
Less than an hour before the independence ceremony a Belgian officer arrived to request that Lumumba depart for Parliament. Kasongo was disturbed by what Lumumba planned to say and told Kanza as he left, "I'm counting on you to do your best to tone down that speech."[22] As Lumumba dressed, Kanza and one of the secretaries, André Mandi, read through as much of the speech as they could, replacing some individual words with less inflammatory language and crossing out several full paragraphs deemed too difficult to temper. Lumumba then left in a motorcade for his official residence to rendezvous with the rest of his government. Kanza and Mandi followed in the second car, making additional revisions to the speech. These were so extensive that both feared Lumumba would be unable to clearly read his remarks. Upon their arrival at the residence, Kanza and Mandi briefly explained their alterations to Lumumba. Greatly pleased with the result, Lumumba stated that he would read some parts of the speech verbatim, then improvise to respond to the atmosphere in the room as he saw fit.[22][23] He made his own alterations to the script during the speeches given by Baudouin and Kasa-Vubu.[16][24]
Content
"Although this independence of the Congo is being proclaimed today by agreement with Belgium, an amicable country, with which we are on equal terms, no Congolese will ever forget that independence was won in struggle, a persevering and inspired struggle carried on from day to day, a struggle, in which we were undaunted by privation or suffering and stinted neither strength nor blood."
Extract from the speech[1]
The speech begins with Lumumba addressing his speech to the Congolese people and praising independence as the culmination of the struggle of the nationalist movement, rather than the result of Belgian concessions.[1] He outlines the personal suffering of the nationalists before enumerating the suffering of ordinary Congolese people under colonialism, through forced labour, systematic racial discrimination, land seizure, wealth disparity and physical maltreatment at the hand of the colonial state.[1]
Lumumba states that these forms of suffering would be ended by independence. Through its democratic institutions, Congolese self-government would deliver social justice and fair wages. Racial discrimination and repression would be abolished and the Congo would become "the pride of Africa" and an example to the Pan-African movement. Lumumba called upon other states, particularly Belgium, to support the Congo to establish mutually beneficial relations between the "two equal and independent countries". He also appealed to the Congolese to abandon internecine tribal factionalism.[1]
Concluding, Lumumba appealed to all the Congolese to make sacrifices for the future of the Congo. Lumumba finally called for Congolese people to respect the rights of non-indigenous settlers in the country, and warned that if they breached Congolese laws they would be exiled. The speech finishes with the observation that "the Congo's independence is a decisive step towards the liberation of the whole African continent" and the exclamations "Long live independence and African unity! Long live the independent and sovereign Congo!"[1]
The speech was originally delivered in the French language.[25]
Analysis
The speech has been praised for its use of
Political scientist Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja hailed the speech as a "classic of African nationalism" and praised for providing a response to the "patronizing" speech given by Baudouin or as an example of speaking the truth to power. It was also praised as a public exposé of traits of colonialism glossed over during the independence ceremonies.[27]
Political scientist Jean-Claude Willame argued that the speech was the result of Lumumba's growing frustration with the process of independence which he believed might represent a purely nominal change in government with no real effects. Lumumba blamed Kasa-Vubu and his colleagues for failing to publicly oppose this situation.[26] Gender historian Karen Bouwer therefore argued that the speech was the result of Lumumba's growing feeling of emasculation.[26] Others have pointed to the influence of Belgian Socialist delegates and representatives of the Guinean President, Ahmed Sékou Touré, who had a strongly Marxist ideology, all of whom hoped a public and international denunciation of colonialism would help them politically.[20]
Historian David Van Reybrouck praised the speech as "memorable", but argued that it damaged Lumumba's own legacy. Since Lumumba and his party represented only a third of Congolese popular opinion, Van Reybrouck accused Lumumba's claim to speak for all Congolese people "divisive" and questioned whether it was appropriate given the context: "Lumumba's address contained more of a look back than a look forward, more rage than hope, more rancour than magnanimity, and therefore more rebellion than statesmanship".[28] He also compared it to the Communist Julien Lahaut's republican heckling of Baudouin's coronation in 1950. Like Lumumba, Lahaut was subsequently murdered after he had "claimed all the attention" at the public event.[29]
Reception
"... on an occasion, when the calibre of Congolese leadership was under the microscope ... Lumumba's speech soured the taste of many. The Congo has need of all the unselfish friends she can attract, and equally needs to keep those she already possesses."
Report in the British newspaper, The Guardian, 1 July 1960[30]
The speech was applauded by Congolese delegates in the audience at the Palais de la Nation and broadcast by radio across the country.
The majority international reaction was extremely critical of Lumumba.
Copies of Lumumba's speech were circulated around the Congo.
Legacy
While the speech was filmed during its delivery, the film of the speech has only survived as fragments and in some sections only the original audio survives. Transcriptions of the speech were later published in multiple print editions, some of which were altered as propaganda to show Lumumba in a better light after his death in 1961.[17] Today, the speech forms an important part of Congolese popular memory, particularly among "Lumumbists" who claim to represent Lumumba's ideological position in modern Congolese politics.[47]
The scene was painted by Congolese artist Tshibumba Kanda-Matulu in his distinctive cartoon-like style. The result, entitled Le 30 juni 1960, Zaïre indépendant and painted between 1970-1973, hangs in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.[48][49][50] The speech itself was dramatized in the 2000 film, Lumumba, directed by Raoul Peck in which Eriq Ebouaney played the role of Lumumba. It was backed by a specially composed score, entitled Le Discours ("The Speech"), by the French composer Jean-Claude Petit.[51]
See also
Notes and references
Footnotes
- ^ The speech has no formal title. In early printed editions, it was entitled "Speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence"[1] but it is often referred to as "Lumumba's Independence Speech" or similar.[2]
- ^ In most Bantu languages, the prefix ba- is added to a human noun to form a plural. As such, Bakongo refers collectively to members of the Kongo ethnic group.
- ^ Kanza describes the presence of one lawyer with whom he was acquainted and "a young Belgian with a beard...[who] had worked against colonialism in Stanleyville, which had won him the good opinion and trust of Lumumba and other important members of the MNC..."[21]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Lumumba 1961.
- ^ Pfefferle 2013.
- ^ Pakenham 1992, pp. 253–5.
- ^ Pakenham 1992, pp. 588–9.
- ^ a b Turner 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Turner 2007, p. 29.
- ^ Freund 1998, p. 199.
- ^ Zeilig 2008, p. 64.
- ^ Zeilig 2008, pp. 65–6.
- ^ Zeilig 2008, p. 91.
- ^ a b Mbu-Mputu 2010, p. 161.
- ^ Reid 2023, pp. 117–118.
- ^ Zeilig 2008, p. 96.
- ^ Holland 2013, p. xvi.
- ^ Mbu-Mputu 2010, pp. 161–2.
- ^ a b c Mbu-Mputu 2010, p. 162.
- ^ a b c d e Salazar 2011, p. 41.
- ^ Reid 2023, pp. 115–116.
- ^ Kanza 1994, p. 152.
- ^ a b Mbu-Mputu 2010, p. 163.
- ^ a b Kanza 1994, p. 153.
- ^ a b Kanza 1994, p. 154.
- ^ Wilson Center 2011, p. 107.
- ^ Wilson Center 2011, p. 108.
- ^ Salazar 2011, pp. 42–3.
- ^ a b c d e Bouwer 2010, p. 179.
- ^ Nzongola-Ntalaja 2007, p. 38.
- ^ Van Reybrouck 2014, pp. 273–4.
- ^ a b Van Reybrouck 2014, p. 274.
- ^ a b c d e f The Guardian 1960.
- ^ a b c d e RFI 2012.
- ^ a b c Reid 2023, p. 122.
- ^ De Groof 2020, p. 243.
- ^ a b Mbu-Mputu 2010, p. 166.
- ^ a b Mbu-Mputu 2010, p. 167.
- ^ Young & Turner 2013, p. 63.
- ^ Dunn 2003, p. 102.
- ^ a b Zeilig 2008, p. 100.
- ^ De Groof 2020, pp. 394, 397.
- ^ De Groof 2020, pp. 396–397.
- ^ Reid 2023, pp. 122–123.
- ^ a b Hoskyns 1965, p. 86.
- ^ Van Reybrouck 2014, pp. 274–5.
- ^ Hoskyns 1965, p. 93.
- ^ Bonyeka 1992, p. 133.
- ^ Govender 1971, p. 72.
- ^ INTAL 2011.
- ^ "Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant (Primary Title) - (2017.70)". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts |. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
- ^ Congo Forum.
- ^ Power of Culture 2004.
- ^ Bouwer 2010, pp. 178–9.
Bibliography
- "Assassinat de Patrice Lumumba: vers un procès en Belgique?" [Assassination of Patrice Lumumba: Towards a Trial in Belgium?] (in French). Radio France International(RFI). 14 December 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- Bonyeka, Bomandeke (1992). Le Parlement congolais sous le régime de la Loi fondamentale [The Congolese Parliament Under the Regime of the Basic Law] (in French). Kinshasa: Presses universitaire du Zaire. OCLC 716913628.
- Bouwer, Karen (2010). Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-61557-1.
- De Bok, Marrigje (June 2004). "Congo in Cartoons in the Tropenmuseum". The Power of Culture. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- The Congo Crisis, 1960-1961: A Critical Oral History Conference (PDF), Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 28 November 2011, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2017, retrieved 9 September 2017
- De Groof, Matthias, ed. (2020). Lumumba in the Arts. Leuven: ISBN 9789462701748.
- Dunn, Kevin (2003). Imagining the Congo: The International Relations of Identity (illustrated ed.). Springer. ISBN 9781403979261.
- ISBN 978-0-333-69872-3.
- Govender, Robert (1971). The Martyrdom of Patrice Lumumba. London: Neillgo. OCLC 973704.
- Holland, Robert (2013). "Preface: The Midnight Hour". In Holland, Robert; Williams, Susan; Barringer, Terry (eds.). The Iconography of Independence: 'Freedoms at Midnight'. Routledge. ISBN 9781317988656.
- Hoskyns, Catherine (1965). The Congo Since Independence: January 1960 – December 1961. London: Oxford University Press. OCLC 414961.
- ISBN 0-87073-901-8.
- "Le Temps Colonial: Congo et imagerie populaire" [Colonial Times: Congo and Popular Imagery] (PDF) (in French). Congo Forum. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- Lumumba, Patrice (1961). "Speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence". Patrice Lumumba, The Truth about a Monstrous Crime of the Colonialists. Translated by Thomas Schmidt. Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House. pp. 44–47.
- "Lumumba: 50 jaar na de moord" (in Dutch). INTAL. 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-349-10449-2.
- Mbu-Mputu, Norbert X (2010). Patrice Lumumba: Discours, Lettres, Textes. Paris: Lulu. ISBN 978-1-4092-9381-1.
- ISBN 978-1-84277-053-5.
- "Marred: M. Lumumba's offensive speech in King's presence". The Guardian. 1 July 1960. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- Reid, Stuart A. (2023). The Lumumba Plot. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9781524748814.
- Pfefferle, Tim (2013). Lumumba's Independence Speech: Marking the Transition Towards a Free Africa. Wissen: Grin Verlag. ISBN 978-3-656-41941-9.
- Salazar, Ph.-J. (2011). "Patrice Lumumba: The Congo Independence Speech" (PDF). African Yearbook of Rhetoric. 2 (3): 41–3. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- Turner, Thomas (2007). The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth, and Reality (2nd ed.). London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-688-9.
- ISBN 978-0-00-756290-9.
- ISBN 9780299101138.
- Zeilig, Leo (2008). Lumumba: Africa's Lost Leader. London: Haus. ISBN 978-1-905791-02-6.
External links
- Transcript of the Speech at Marxists Internet Archive
- Discours de l'Indépendance (in French) at the Université de Sherbrooke
- King Baudouin Declares Congo Independent at British Pathé
- Les discours prononcés par Baudouin Ier, Kasa Vubu et Lumumba lors de la cérémonie de l'indépendance du Congo at Kongo-Kinshasa.de