Movie: Lumumba

Actors: Eriq Ebouaney
Director: Raul Peck, Producer:



Patrice Emery Lumumba - African, freedom fighter, anti-imperialist, hero - was one of the most inspiring voices to emerge from post-colonial Africa. As leader of the Congolese National Movement (MLC), he led the Congo to independence from Belgium and became it`s first prime minister. The world powers - blinded by greed for the Congo`s natural wealth and the farcical threat of Communism - conspired to bring about his death. With Lumumba died the spirit of African nationalism.

This movie is not for the faint-hearted. Veteran director Raoul Peck opens with the grisly scene of two inebriated white men hacking a corpse to pieces. This, we learn in the corpse`s own narrative, is Lumumba. How fate brought him to this tragic end is revealed as the rest of the movie unfolds. We follow Lumumba through his evolution from beer salesman to the jailed leader of the MLC. After being beaten and tortured in prison, he is released to fly to Brussels for a political summit to discuss the future of the Congo.

Independence sees Lumumba as prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu as president of the new republic. A particularly powerful episode in the film - and no doubt in African history - is the handing over ceremony of the Congo to it`s newly elected politicians. The King of Belgium presents colonialism in the typical white man`s burden framework of bringing civilization to the barbarians. Kasavubu, ever the diplomat, is thankful in his address to the Belgians in a speech that would have put the brown-sahibs of the Raj to shame. Lumumba

refuses to be party to this hypocrisy, and makes an unscheduled and impassioned speech to the Congolese people. "No Congolese worthy of the name will ever be able to forget that independence has only been won by struggle," thunders Lumumba. "The struggle, involving tears, fire, and blood, is something of which we are proud in our deepest hearts, for it was a noble and just struggle, which was needed to bring to an end the humiliating slavery imposed on us by force."

One of the first problems faced by Lumumba is the army with it`s all-white officer cadre and staunch colonial attitude. Wary of rebellion in the ranks, Lumumba promotes Joseph Mobutu to army chief of staff. It would prove to be an unwise choice. Mobutu is recruited by the CIA to its efforts to further the unseen yet all-powerful hand of American political and business interests.

This signals the beginning of the end for Lumumba. Fearful of his fierce anti-colonial ideology, the Belgian government facilitates the secession of the resource-rich province of Katanga. Belgian troops land in Congolese territory, ostensibly to protect Belgian citizens. Lumumba authorizes Mobutu to counter the secessionists. The ensuing atrocities are our first glimpse into Mobutu`s violent nature. Under pressure from numerous sources, Kasavubu dismisses Lumumba and places him under house arrest.

Betrayed by Mobutu, Belgium and the CIA, Lumumba tries to escape to Stanleyville where he has local support. He is captured and taken to Katanga. Lumumba and two of his government colleagues are killed by a firing squad, in the presence of Belgian officers. His body is hacked up and dissolved in acid, presumably to deny his followers the symbol of a grave.

Mobutu overthrows the government and installs a military regime, with himself as president. Backed by America, he would unleash a reign of oppression lasting more than three decades.

Actor Eriq Ebouaney is gives a riveting performance as Lumumba. Director Raoul Peck – in stark contrast to the feel-good mush that passes for historical drama in Hollywood – shows us a stark picture of greed, power play, political intrigue and heart-breaking tragedy. My one complaint is that the breakneck pace of events in the movie resulted in an incomplete view of Lumumba the man. The scenes of Lumumba with his wife and young daughter are too brief to deliver a full picture. Altogether, Lumumba is a rude awakening for those who still believe in the altruistic intents of the great states of the world.

Despite the heart-wrenching events depicted in the movie, Lumumba manages to deliver a faint message of hope. In a final letter to his wife, Lumumba looks towards a distant future:

"History will one day have its say, but it will not be the history that is taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington, or the United Nations, but the history which will be taught in the countries freed from imperialism and its puppets. Africa will write its own history, and to the north and to the south of the Sahara, it will be a glorious and dignified history."

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In a recent development, a Belgian parliamentary committee declared that some Belgian ministers had "a moral responsibility in the circumstances which led to the death of Lumumba". Despite a lengthy inquiry, the committee refused to directly blame the Belgian government or to mention specific names.