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seanpwcurrie's review
2.0
What I can. say positively about this book is it has a dearth of well-sourced facts that paint a balanced picture of Lumumba's complex character
However, these are weakly supported by analysis and utterly let down by the absence of a storyline or flair. If you're a historian of Lumumba then I'm sure this is a useful read, but if you're interested in reading a compelling book that illustrates Lumumba's incredible story, this will let you down.
However, these are weakly supported by analysis and utterly let down by the absence of a storyline or flair. If you're a historian of Lumumba then I'm sure this is a useful read, but if you're interested in reading a compelling book that illustrates Lumumba's incredible story, this will let you down.
saintethoughts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
Nous ne sommes qu'en avril, mais je sais que c'est une de mes meilleures lectures cette année. C'est aussi ma première lecture non-fiction de l'année, et je suis contente d'avoir commencé mon élan d'apprentissage sur l'histoire de la République démocratique du Congo avec ce livre. C'est un ouvrage excellent pour un.e débutant.e autodidacte. Il est court mais très complet à mon sens : chaque phrase apporte une information importante, sans artifices dans le langage, au point qu'en voulant annoter le livre je me suis retrouvée à tout surligneur. Des citations d'auteurs contemporaines, d'autres de personnages du temps de Lumumba, des extraits de discours du politicien, des interventions de ses enfants (qui nous permettent de réellement comprendre l'homme derrière le politicien).
Concernant le contenu, j'ai adoré découvrir avec détails l'histoire de Patrice Lumumba. A la fin de ma lecture, j'avais vraiment l'impression d'avoir saisi pas seulement la vie politique de Lumumba mais aussi sa personnalité. J'ai découvert un homme admirable, curieux, profondément passionné, prêt à relever de grands défis, et avec un grand sens du sacrifice. Un homme très confiant, très assuré, et très intelligent. Un homme avec des défauts qui le rendent humain, un homme qui n'a pas toujours su prendre les bonnes décisions, mais qui s'est battu de toutes ses forces avec les outils qu'il avait pour un objectif qui s'est défini et affirmé avec le temps.
J'ai aussi appris sur l'histoire de la République démocratique du Congo, sur les Congolais. Sur ce que la Belgique -mais aussi les Etats-Unis et autres- a infligé à ce peuple et à cette terre. A la résilience de ce peuple, à sa force quand il a fallu se battre et résister.
Je recommande cette lecture -et j'ai déjà commencé à embêter mes amis et ma famille- à toute personne intéressée par Patrice Lumumba, par l'histoire de la République démocratique du Congo, par l'histoire de l'Afrique, par une histoire de combat vers l'indépendance. C'est un livre d'histoire parfait selon moi.
Concernant le contenu, j'ai adoré découvrir avec détails l'histoire de Patrice Lumumba. A la fin de ma lecture, j'avais vraiment l'impression d'avoir saisi pas seulement la vie politique de Lumumba mais aussi sa personnalité. J'ai découvert un homme admirable, curieux, profondément passionné, prêt à relever de grands défis, et avec un grand sens du sacrifice. Un homme très confiant, très assuré, et très intelligent. Un homme avec des défauts qui le rendent humain, un homme qui n'a pas toujours su prendre les bonnes décisions, mais qui s'est battu de toutes ses forces avec les outils qu'il avait pour un objectif qui s'est défini et affirmé avec le temps.
J'ai aussi appris sur l'histoire de la République démocratique du Congo, sur les Congolais. Sur ce que la Belgique -mais aussi les Etats-Unis et autres- a infligé à ce peuple et à cette terre. A la résilience de ce peuple, à sa force quand il a fallu se battre et résister.
Je recommande cette lecture -et j'ai déjà commencé à embêter mes amis et ma famille- à toute personne intéressée par Patrice Lumumba, par l'histoire de la République démocratique du Congo, par l'histoire de l'Afrique, par une histoire de combat vers l'indépendance. C'est un livre d'histoire parfait selon moi.
ironi's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not very long but it's so interesting.
Patrice Lumumba: Africa's Lost Leader is a biography of Patrice Lumumba, yet another African leader that I've never heard of but really should have. Born in Belgian ruled Congo, Lumumba climbed up the social ladder and realized something is deeply wrong. The book highlights the way he changed his perspective, from wishing to live an equal life with the Belgians to wanting the Belgians to leave and create an independent Congo.
His attempts succeeded but in 1960 Lumumba was met with political issues and inner turmoil. So Lumumba turned to the USA and the UN for help. When they did not help him, he was left without many choices and turned to the Soviet Union. At that point, it was said that he was on their side in the Cold War. He was overthrown by the Belgians and executed.
I realize this biography might not be entirely objective as it describes Lumumba entirely in a positive light but it's hard not to be upset by this. I mean, rebuilding a country after colonialism is a huge challenge and Lumumba seemed very up for it. He was so in love with everything Congo could become and it's just so tragic that he was assassinated before he could live out those dreams. In general, the foreign involvement is still something that feels very prominent when discussing African politics and it's not great.
And of course, playing this "what if" game is meaningless but after Lumumba was killed, he was replaced by Joseph Mobutu who turned out to be very corrupt. He had an extensive record of human rights violations but hey, he was also very against communism so America didn't involve itself anymore. Once the Cold War ended, Congo ceased being an important ally and therefore, there was less support which ultimately led to him being overthrown.
Only in 2006 did Congo have its first multi-party elections. To this day, with a 18/100 ranking at FreedomHouse, it's hard to say things are politically fine. This book doesn't get into modern day Congo and its troubles but even by briefly reading online, it does not seem to be the country Lumumba had dreamed of. Congo has so many natural resources and it's frustrating to think that health crises, a colonialist legacy and political strife keep hurting them. Man, I've got to study international development.
To conclude, Patrice Lumumba: Africa's Lost Leader is an interesting book. I think it's great for beginners as it discusses both the historical context and Lumumba's life. I found it well written and definitely learned quite a bit!
What I'm Taking With Me
- In 2002, Belgium formally apologized for their role in Lumumba's death. I'm kind of curious how Belgians are dealing with this nowadays.
-Also, Lumumba's kids apparently did not accept the apology. And now, in 2020, his daughter is fighting to get his teeth back from the Belgians (which is a sentence so bizarre yet true).
-Is it messed up to say that Lumumba is also ridiculously attractive? Like, look at him, what even is this?
--------------------------------
It's only the morning of this fast and I already feel dehydrated, this is not great.
Review to come! It's time to ponder all the years of Jewish tragedy (and how much I want water).
Patrice Lumumba: Africa's Lost Leader is a biography of Patrice Lumumba, yet another African leader that I've never heard of but really should have. Born in Belgian ruled Congo, Lumumba climbed up the social ladder and realized something is deeply wrong. The book highlights the way he changed his perspective, from wishing to live an equal life with the Belgians to wanting the Belgians to leave and create an independent Congo.
His attempts succeeded but in 1960 Lumumba was met with political issues and inner turmoil. So Lumumba turned to the USA and the UN for help. When they did not help him, he was left without many choices and turned to the Soviet Union. At that point, it was said that he was on their side in the Cold War. He was overthrown by the Belgians and executed.
I realize this biography might not be entirely objective as it describes Lumumba entirely in a positive light but it's hard not to be upset by this. I mean, rebuilding a country after colonialism is a huge challenge and Lumumba seemed very up for it. He was so in love with everything Congo could become and it's just so tragic that he was assassinated before he could live out those dreams. In general, the foreign involvement is still something that feels very prominent when discussing African politics and it's not great.
And of course, playing this "what if" game is meaningless but after Lumumba was killed, he was replaced by Joseph Mobutu who turned out to be very corrupt. He had an extensive record of human rights violations but hey, he was also very against communism so America didn't involve itself anymore. Once the Cold War ended, Congo ceased being an important ally and therefore, there was less support which ultimately led to him being overthrown.
Only in 2006 did Congo have its first multi-party elections. To this day, with a 18/100 ranking at FreedomHouse, it's hard to say things are politically fine. This book doesn't get into modern day Congo and its troubles but even by briefly reading online, it does not seem to be the country Lumumba had dreamed of. Congo has so many natural resources and it's frustrating to think that health crises, a colonialist legacy and political strife keep hurting them. Man, I've got to study international development.
To conclude, Patrice Lumumba: Africa's Lost Leader is an interesting book. I think it's great for beginners as it discusses both the historical context and Lumumba's life. I found it well written and definitely learned quite a bit!
What I'm Taking With Me
- In 2002, Belgium formally apologized for their role in Lumumba's death. I'm kind of curious how Belgians are dealing with this nowadays.
-Also, Lumumba's kids apparently did not accept the apology. And now, in 2020, his daughter is fighting to get his teeth back from the Belgians (which is a sentence so bizarre yet true).
-Is it messed up to say that Lumumba is also ridiculously attractive? Like, look at him, what even is this?
--------------------------------
It's only the morning of this fast and I already feel dehydrated, this is not great.
Review to come! It's time to ponder all the years of Jewish tragedy (and how much I want water).
More...