17 January 1961

Lumumba the Martyr

Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of independent Congo, was soon to become the martyr of the radical independence movement in the Third World following his violent death on 17 January 1961. The poster shown here was made in Cuba. Cuba had a special relationship with Congo since Che Guevara and a small Cuban military force stayed there for half a year to spark off a Marxist revolution. Later, Che described his interventions as 'an unmitigated disaster'.
The Belgian government and the CIA were partly responsible for the murder of Lumumba and two of his ministers, as was proved beyond a doubt forty years after the event.

See also:

•  African collections at the IISH
•  Send this poster as e-card

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