October 18, 2005

A very interesting Twist

…in the political story of the Congo

I initially thought that Mobutu arrested and killed Prime Minister Lumumba in 1960 solely to fulfill his own ambitions (as the documentary “Mobutu, Roi du Zaire” portraits). Lumumba is a hero of sorts here with a large statue of him that can be seen one the road from the airport to the city centers. As it turns out, the truth is a little bit more complicated than that:

In a surreal sequence the prime minister [Lumumba] and president [Kasavubu, Congo’s lethargic president] announced over the radio that they had sacked each other. Mobutu was put in an impossible position, with both men ordering him to take their rival into custody.
------In the Footstep of Mr. Kurtz by Michela Wong

And then the plot really thickens.


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Thanks Beaver for repinning from Conakry (so Jealous) and Keli from coming across my site serendipitously (love that word, don't you?)

5 comments:

007 in Africa said...

Ammo, you're waaay too quick at understanding the political choices of Mobutu than I'm personally comfortable with. **shudders**

007 in Africa said...

Ammo, you're waaay too quick at understanding the political choices of Mobutu than I'm personally comfortable with. **shudders**

Beaver said...

Interesting. Doesn't make Mobutu more sympathetic though.

By the way, if you want, you can login to Bravenet and remove my original pin. Or just leave both and let your map get populated with dozens of Beaver pins. What ever you like !

007 in Africa said...

Naw, I'd rather have lots of Beaver Pins. That sounds oddly wrong :)

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