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Last night the first prime minister of Congo was assassinated by Belgian Troops. He has spent the last month traveling from various military barracks due to his compromised safety. It was decided that he would travel to the Katanga Province; However, upon arrival he was gagged and bound, and his fate was in the hands of the president's cabinet. Which decided it would be best to have him executed. Late last night he was brought to a deserted spot where he met three firing squads, assembled by the cabinet. These squads were lead by a Belgian, They proceeded to shoot and kill Lumumba, as well as two of his comrades.
The Belgians have crossed the line by a mile, Lumumba was one of Congo's biggest supporters. He had been fighting for Congo's independence
Alas, in 1961 Patrice Lumumba was assassinated by a US- sponsored plot 7 months after independence, and replaced him with a “puppet dictator named Mobutu” (Kingsolver). In her book, Barbara Kingsolver surfaces a forgotten part of our nation’s history in the exploitation of the Congo through her main characters, the Price family, who are missionaries sent to the Kilanga village. Through characters’ narratives that “double as allegories for the uneasy colonial marriage between the West and Africa” (Hamilton, Jones), Kingsolver creates a relatable way for her readers to understand the theme she is trying to convey, which is “‘what did we do to Africa, and how do we feel about it?’” (Snyder). Kingsolver began with this theme and developed the rest of the novel around it, just as she does with her other works, and sticking with her trademark technique, she utilizes her book as a vessel for “political activism, an extension of the anti-Vietnam protests” she participated in college (Snyder).
Why is it that we as human beings feel the need to blame someone for every negative situation, which occurs? If we really look at the situation with any great depth, we may discover that an almost endless amount of things may be 'blamed' for the tragedy blaming an individual is pointless - only fate can really be blamed.
The land Leopold had obtained was about eighty times larger than that of Belgium itself. Plus, Leopold was proclaimed the “sovereign” ruler of all the Congo Free Sta...
The beginning of this brutality started in 1897 when King Leopold of Belgium strived for more land and prosperity. He considered Congo to be “The magnificent African Cake.” He referencing Congo like this is understandable because Congo was three times bigger than the state of Texas, had a beautiful river that would assist in trade and had an abundance of
Wallerstein, Immanuel, and Dennis D. Cordell. "Patrice Lumumba (Congolese Politician)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. .
Independent Online SA, (2012) “Lonmin massacre: a timeline”, 17 August [online] available at www.iol.co.za (Accessed: 25 April 2014).
December 7, 1941 was a military accomplishment for Japan. Japanese Bomber planes had flown over the island of Hawaii and bombed the American naval base Pearl Harbor. After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, many Americans believed that the Japanese Americans, were disloyal and were sabotaging the United States Government. There were rumors that most Japanese Americans exchanged military information and had hidden connections with Japanese military. None of these claims were ever proven to be true but believed by many at the time. The United States Government became concerned about National Security and demanded action. On Thursday, February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued the Executive Order 9066, which called for an evacuation of Japanese Americans on the west coast with the excuse of a “military necessity.” The government’s enforcement of Executive Order 9066 in reaction to the public resulted in the creation of internment camps.
The King's actions were inexcusable. King Leopold had no respect for his people or cared for their well being. His actions in every way were genocide. He broke almost every article in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. All that King Leopold cared about was money and power. In order to obtain this he enslaved his fellow people. He also killed millions of people with no conscious at all. In order to get people to do what he wanted he threatened them with cruel and unusual punishment. The best way to sum up the atrocities going on in Congo under the reign of King Leopold is a quote from Joseph Conrad " The violence, scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience."
It all started with a lie created by Leopold who instead of accepting responsibility for what he had caused, decided to continue to lie in order not to ruin his reputation and because he wanted to continue to be in control, be famous, and make money. These were also similar things that guided Stanley. The exploitation of many African slaves caused much distress that even after Leopold died, did not allow the situation of the Congo to improve. Others did not want to believe what Leopold had done and wanted to continue benefit from the trade. This caused many Nations to pretend that this never occurred. It is important not to allow things like these to die. Instead, it is important to acknowledge that massive killings as well as exploitations occurred. They should be used as reminders in order to understand how to stop situations like these once they get started. It is important that people continue to speak out for those that can not speak for themselves because they don't have the power or are forced to be silent. It is important that people speak out against situations that exploit others but also to study situations like these to be able to help others as best as possible given the
Hoffmann, Paul. “Stanleyville Seizes 12 Belgians To Avenge Jailing of Lumumba.” New York Times 21 Jan. 1961: 4.
Over the course of human history, many believe that the “Congo Free State”, which lasted from the 1880s to the early 1900s, was one of the worst colonial states in the age of Imperialism and was one of the worst humanitarian disasters over time. Brutal methods of collecting rubber, which led to the deaths of countless Africans along with Europeans, as well as a lack of concern from the Belgian government aside from the King, combined to create the most potent example of the evils of colonialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. The Congo colonial experience, first as the Congo Free State then later as Belgian Congo, was harmful to that region of Africa both then and now because of the lack of Belgian and International attention on the colony except for short times, the widespread economic exploitation of the rubber resources of the region, and the brutal mistreatment and near-genocide of the Congolese by those in charge of rubber collecting.
Both Romeo and Juliet speak of the role of fate and chance, it plays a
One can easily note the physical and sexual violence brought upon the people (black and white) of Congo after independence, but we must locate the other forms of violence in order to bring the entire story of Patrice Lumumba to light. The director’s attempt at bringing the story of Patrice Lumumba to the “silver screen” had political intentions.
Patrice Emry Lumumba, a martyr for a worthy cause, of a foolish man with unrealistic hopes and ambitions? Due to his hard work, unrelenting persistence, and aspirations, his homeland, the Congo, gained their independence from the colonizing country of Belgium July 1st, 1960. Not long after though, there was a price over his head, and he only got to see the payoff of his work for a little less than six months. What killed Patrice Lumumba is a combination of many players including the actions he himself took, other political powers like Sese Seko Mobutu, Moise Kapensa Tshombe, and Joseph Kasavubu, and the other influential nations including the colonizing country of Belgium.
Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest of the country out of fear of the mutinous army that was out of control looting and killing.