On The Greatest Black Man:

Malcolm X referred to Patrice Émery Lumumba as “the greatest Black man who ever walked across the Africa continent. He didn’t fear anybody. He had those people so scared, they had to kill him.”

This is a succinct observation of one of Africa’s stolen sons.

On January 17, 1961, the deposed Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Émery Lumumba was assassinated in the town of Élisabethville. His death was, of course, political - a plan backed by the United States and the Congo’s former colonizer, Belgium. At the time of his death, the country was newly independent, Lumumba gave his impromptu “Speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo’s Independence'“ some six months before on June 30, 1960.

: “I salute you in the name of the Congolese government. . . We are deeply proud of our struggle, because it was just and noble and indispensable in putting an end to the humiliating bondage forced upon us.” Lumumba called for complete Congolese independence and reminded the Belgians of the social and economic inequity brought by their imperialist presence.

The Belgian influence on Congolese elections created a divide between Lumumba’s proposed government and the Belgian backed government of President Joseph Kasa - Vubu. Lumumba’s appointment as Prime Minister was the result a political compromise between Kasa - Vubu’s party Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO) and the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), the party of Lumumba.

As the country’s Prime Minister, Lumumba yearned to create a centralized country, one Congo with eliminated ethnic divisions; this from the spring of African nationalism that was sweeping the continent. Lumumba knew how deeply the effects of colonization ( tension amongst ethnic groups, power hungry politicians, and foreign interference) was going to affect progress.

The destabilization of young African governments is not new. It is the ripple effect of neo - colonization. The issue of Lumumba’s assassination is highlighted most prominently after the transference of power between Belgium and the Congolese.

After Independence, the ‘Congo Crisis’ began, with opposing Congolese and Belgian forces fighting for control of various regions; particularly the region of Katanga, which seceded under the leadership of Moïse Tshombe and Belgian nationalists. As he worked to maintain control in the country, Lumumba called on the communist Soviet Union to assist in restoring order. This political move angered both the Americans and Belgians. Shortly after, on September 5, 1960, President Kasa - Vubu removed Lumumba and six candidate members from their positions.

Lumumba was granted constitutional emergency powers, while meetings took place to remediate the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister. During this time, the country’s Chief - of Staff, Joseph Désiré Mobutu staged a “peaceful revolution” and formed his own government, which was later recognized by the UN. Lumumba rejected this new government and continued working as acting Prime Minister - it is here that Mobutu formed an allegiance with Kasa - Vubu.

On November 27, Lumumba and his family left Kinshasa to flew persecution from Mobutu and Kasa - Vubu allegiance. His wife and children were intercepted and Lumumba returned to the city in order to guard their safety. He was captured and detained by Mobutu loyalists. Lumumba was moved from the capital to Thysville, where he was held prisoner from December 3, 1960 until the morning of January 17, 1961.

Along with Josep Okito and Maurice Mpolo, Patrice Lumumba was assassinated by firing squad under the instruction of Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko) and the firearms of Belgian agents. Their bodies were dismembered and thrown into acid. Belgium announced in 2020 that it will return Lumumba’s tooth to Lumumba’s daughter and the Congo.

Franklin Boukaka and Congolese Protest Music:

Franklin Boukaka was a Congolese musician born in the city of Brazzaville. His 1972 single “Le Bucheron” is a beautiful jazz lamentation about the social and economic state of the country.

The chorus is a dreamy wail that asks “Aye Africa lipanda? Aye Africa liberté?” (Oh Africa, where is your independence? Where is your freedom?"), a heavy question in a post Lumumba Congo that had at this point encountered various Presidents who were later assassinated and the oncoming dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko. To ask of independence and freedom was a political statement, which is something Boukaka did not shy away from.

On February 22, 1972 Boukaka attempted to enact a coup against President Marien Ngouabi - and was later executed under suspicious and unconfirmed circumstances. After his death, his songs were banned from Brazzaville’s radio stations - underscoring the impact of his political messaging on wax.