Patrice Lumumba
The story of Patrice Lumumba is one that evokes sad tales whenever it’s being told. Patrice Lumumba’s determination to achieve independence for his people and to control their God-given resources brought him anger, hostility, detention, death and humiliation from some of his opponents, Belgium – the colonial master and its allies. Lumumba championed the ideals of national unity, economic independence and pan-African solidarity. He fought to rid Congo of rural economic exploitation and political subjugation. He became the first legally elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 17 January 1961 but some months after, his government was ransacked. He was chased and later arrested before he reached his support base in Kisangani. He was tortured for days and in one of the most organised killings of an African hero, he was brutally assassinated and his body dissolved with acid all in a bid to remove his memory from history.
