2nd July 2020 marks the 95th birth anniversary of the Congolese politician and revolutionary Patrice Lumumba. He was the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (Then the Republic of Congo). He was a decolonization crusader who worked for the independent and republic nation of Congo.
6. Congo under Leopold and Belgium
It was in 1880 that King Leopold II of present-day Belgium took over Congo as a territory. It was not just the lands of Congo which were abundantly rich in resources that were exploited under his rule but also the Congolese people. He exploited the lives of Congolese to earn profits from highly valued resources including ivory, rubber, and diamonds. During these years, millions of Congolese were subjected to the most inhumane abuses while employing the cruelest methods including limb amputations, sexual abuse, chains, lashes and kidnappings. Belgian state also extended its support to such unacceptable practices by granting him loans.
However, by 1908 owing to international pressures that accused him of violating human rights, he was forced to transfer powers to Belgium. This was how the region came to be known as the Belgian Congo. While the instances of violence reduced in the Belgian Congo, the practices of slave labour was all-pervasive including the mines of gold copper and tin. This led to the concentration of the wealth and privilege amongst the Belgian interests. Thus, the socio-political and economic demands of the Congolese people and the working classes were not addressed. It is in this backdrop that pro-independence groups emerged in the region demanding sovereignty of Congo. Lumumba initiated one such group named Congolese National Movement (CNM).
