Lumumba speaks : the speeches and writin DT663.L8 .A2.513. 1_972 11664 Lumumba, Patrice, NEW COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA (SF) DT Lumumba, Patrice 663 Lumumba speaks L8 A2513 #9824 1972 #9824 »T 63 Lumumbat Patricet 1925-1961* Lumumba speaks the speeches and .8 : .2513 writings o± Patrice JLumumba» 1958-196 1 972 / edited by Jean van Lierde ; translated from the French by Helen R* Lane introduction by Jean-Paul Sartre;* 1st English language ed* Boston Little, Brown, cl972. : vi, 433 p* map 22 cm* Translation: o±: La; pensée politique de Patrice Lumumba* #9824 Gilt:Cole $ * * ISBN 0-316-53650-4 — 1* Zaire Politics and government. I* Title 03 JUL 91 323824 NEWCxc 72-3908r82 DATE DUE fHk I 'sa t- HIGHSMITH #, 45220 THE LIBRARY NEW COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA 50 FELL STREET SAN FRANCISCO.CALIFORNIA 94lOi (415) &26-'42l2 LUMUMBA SPEAKS LUMUMBA SPEAKS The Speeches and Writings of Patrice Lumumba, 1958-1961 Edited by Jean Van Lierde Translated from the French by Helen R. Lane Introduction by Jean-Paul Sartre Little, Brown and Company- Boston-Toronto @ COPYRIGHT 1963 BY ÉDITIONS PRESENCE AFRICAINE @ TRANSLATION COPYRIGHT 1972 BY LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL MEANS IN- CLUDING INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT BY A REVIEWER WHO MAY QUOTE BRIEF PASSAGES IN A REVIEW. FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITION T10/72 LibraryofCongressCatalo^nginPublicationData LuBiumba, Patrice, 1925-1961. Lumiunba speaks. Translation of La pensée politique de Patrice Lumumba. — 1. Zaire Politics and government. I. Title. DT663.L8A2513 967.5'1'03 72-3908 ISBN 0-316-53650-A Publishedsimultaneously in Canada byLittle,Brown & Company {Canada) Limited PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Preface We have brought together in this volume almost all of the impor- tant speeches and lectures delivered by Patrice Lumumba between December 1958 and his death in January 1961. We have left these texts in chronological order so as to show the reader more clearly the extremely rapid political evolution of one country, the former Belgian Congo, which passed from domination by a colonialist regime to independence in a period of less than four years. This anthology of texts by Patrice Lumumba sheds clear light on the history of that decolonization; we hear the voice of a man who, from the very beginning of Congolese political life, was unquestion- ably its most outstanding spokesman. We shall not trace the story of his life; others have already en- We deavored to do so. have intentionally chosen to present only his spoken words and certain documents representing the stands he We took aspoliticalevents unfolded. haveprovided brief explanatory passages that will enable the reader to see the particular circum- stances under which his remarks were made. For the detailed history of the facts themselves, special works must be consulted, the five volumes entitled Congo 1959, Congo i960, and Congo 1961, for instance, published by the Centre de Recherche et d'Information Socio-Politiques in Brussels. We thank the center for having assembled the great majority of these documents and for having passed on to us the texts of recorded speeches not previously published. VI PREFACE Patrice Lumumba was born on July 2, 1925, in Onalua, in the Katako-Kombe District of Sankuru, Kasai. He belonged to the Otetela Tribe. A third-class clerk in the District Revenue OfEce of the Postal Service, he began in 1952 to write for such periodicals as La Croix du Congo and La Voix du Congolais, to direct cultural clubs and groups, and to collaborate with researchers conducting scientific studies. Active first in the Cercle Libéral and later in the Association du Personnel Indigène de la Colonie (the labor move- ment of Congolese government employees), in October 1958 he was one of the founders of the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC, the Congolese National Movement), the first great supra-ethnic party in the Congo. At this time the only other party was the Abako, led by Joseph Kasavubu, which brought the Bakongos together on an ethnic basis in the province of Leopoldville. December 1958 was the first date of major political importance in the Congo, for at this time Lumumba, Diomi, and Ngalula took part in the Accra Conference. There then followed the uprising of January 4, 1959, and the dazzling beginnings of the campaign to politicalize the country, which soon spread from one end of the Congo to the other and eventually won it its independence on June 30, i960. Then a series of tragic events ensued, beginning on July 7 with the rebellion of the Force Publique* and the severing of diplomatic relations with Belgium, which was proclaimed an "ag- gressor." Amid this unbelievable turmoil, Lumumba proved to be a more passionate orator than ever. The latter half of this volume traces the events of this period of great unrest that was to end in his tragic death. Lumumba was murdered in Katanga on January 17, 1961. Jean Van Lierde * See note, page 10.