A Jacana Pocket Biography: Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Emery Lumumba was one of the most illustrious African nationalist leaders of the twentieth century. This biography looks at Lumumba's life, as both a man and a political leader of the then Belgian Congo (today's Democratic Republic of Congo) and his involvement towards the national independence movement.

Nzongola-Ntalaja's short and concise book provides a contemporary analysis examining both Lumumba's strengths and his weaknesses as a political leader. It also surveys the national, continental and international contexts of Lumumba's political ascent and his swift elimination by the interests threatened by his ideas and practical reforms; the history and politics of Congo during its colonial years; as well as six months after its independence from Belgium.

By the young age of thirty-five, he was able to play a significant role towards his country's independence.

Even decades after Lumumba's death, his personal integrity and unyielding dedication to the ideals of self-determination, self-reliance and pan-African solidarity assure him a prominent place among the heroes of the twentieth-century African independence movement and the worldwide African diaspora.

About the Author
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is a professor of African, African American, and diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and professor emeritus of African studies at Howard University. He is a past president of the African Studies Association and the author of The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History.


Author Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
ISBN 9781431421138
Format Paperback
Pages 164p.