The 60's were a pivotal time for United States. They were a pivotal time for Congo, too. In Congo, Patrice Lumumba's assassination still haunts this nation.
In Congo, an Assassination’s Long Shadow - NYTimes.com.
TODAY [January 17, 2011], millions of people on another continent are observing the 50th anniversary of an event few Americans remember, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba.
A slight, goateed man with black, half-framed glasses, the 35-year-old Lumumba was the first democratically chosen leader of the vast country, nearly as large as the United States east of the Mississippi, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This treasure house of natural resources had been a colony of Belgium, which for decades had made no plans for independence. But after clashes with Congolese nationalists, the Belgians hastily arranged the first national election in 1960, and in June of that year King Baudouin arrived to formally give the territory its freedom.
“It is now up to you, gentlemen,” he arrogantly told Congolese dignitaries, “to show that you are worthy of our confidence.”
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.