Patrice Lumumba was the foremost leader of the African independence movement. After his execution in 1961, when he had been prime minister of the newly-liberated Congo for only seven months, he became an icon of anti-imperialist struggle. Zeilig tells the story of Lumumba's transition from nationalist to international symbol of African liberation.
"Patrice Lumumba (1925-61) is perhaps the most famous leader of the African independence movement. After his murder in 1961 he became an icon of anti-imperialist struggle. His picture was brandished on demonstrations in the 1960s across the world, along with Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh ... Lumumba's life marked out some of the key post-war fault lines in the second half of the 20th century: how the Cold War would be fought in Africa and the nature of the independence granted to huge swaths of the globe after 1945. For those fighting in liberation struggles, Lumumba became a figure of resistance to the imperial division of the world"--Publisher's description.
"An excellent introduction to the political and personal life of the most enigmatic African leader of the 20th century."
- Ludo de Witte, author of The Assassination of Lumumba
"In this well-researched book Leo Zeilig has done the valuable job of bringing to life Patrice Lumumba as a man, as well as showing the political context of Africa in the 1950s in the dying days of colonialism. This book is the key to understanding why Lumumba became such a potent myth."
- Victoria Brittain
"Sympathetic, accessible, and highly readable."
- African Studies Quarterly
