Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Speech of Patrice Lumumba, June 30, 1960 with english subtitles

On January 17th, 1961, after being beaten and tortured, the Congolese prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, was shot and killed.

I found this clip on "youtube" and thought I'd share it.
Black History Month is a good time to recall those who gave their lives.



Background:
After a long struggle, the Congolese were finally free from Belgian occupation and the great independence leader, Lumumba was democratically elected to rule over the new government.

During the official independence celebration the new prime minister, Lumumba, gave a fiery unrehearsed speech in the presence of African leaders and the King of Belgium, who naturally felt a bit uncomfortable.

A few months later, Lumumba was assassinated even though he had the leadership and vision to create a prosperous Congo and Africa. Many think that some foreign leaders did not like him because he could not be tamed.



See a Democracy Now report Lumumba 50 Years Later

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