A chronology of key events in the history of the democratic republic of congo, from the 1200s to the present. Summary and analysis book 4 bel and the serpent summary still haunted by her experiences in africa, orleanna imagines the political meetings that led to lumumbas demise and joseph mobutus installation as leader of the congo nation. It is, by area, the largest country in subsaharan africa, the secondlargest in all of africa after algeria. On a visit to the capital of the democratic republic of congo, once known as zaire, she raised the subject of mobutu sese sekos bank accounts. William close, father of actress glenn close, was once a personal physician to mobutu and wrote a book focusing on his time during his service in zaire under mobutu. Mobutu kept up his studies by borrowing european newspapers from the belgian officers and books from wherever he could find. Kurtz, in mobutus hands, the congo had become a paradigm of all the reign of mobutu sese seko, trademarked with the notorious leopardskinned hat and pink champagne with which the greedy tyrant thrived, sickeningly juxtaposed the poverty, disease and neglect which plagued the. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Mobutu sese seko simple english wikipedia, the free. The congo civil war, or congo crisis, was a complex political tumult that began just days following belgiums granting of congolese independence in 1960.
The timeframe under investigation will be limited to the initial stages of the socalled congo crisis from 1961 to early 1961. Democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo mobutus regime. It describes the history of the democratic republic of the congo from the prehistory until the present, with the main focus on the period from the belgian colonisation until the books release. Moussombe is a fictionalized portrait of assassinated congolese leader patrice lumumba, and the films events are a pastiche of the congo crisis in 1960s. On june 5, 1978, the congolese dictator josephdesire mobutu stood on a hot. Mobutus coup saw to the removal of kasavubu and tshombe, and mobutu. Congos newfound freedom was soon disrupted by a period of severe sociopolitical chaos and conflict that became known as the congo crisis. The level of damage that mobutu sese seko inflicted on the democratic republic of congo is unprecedented. His regime had little success in establishing the conditions needed for economic growth and development. Namikas gives plenty of background on the independence crisis and the interests and policies of the us and the soviets.
Except for the sending of christian missionaries to the area, little was done to prepare the country for independence. Mobutu is commonly known as mobutu or mobutu sese seko. The united states misunderstandings of the socalled congo crisis enabled a worldview, policy narrative, and operational reality that mistook the death of one congolese political leader as the most important domino for american control or at least a lack of soviet control in the congo. After several years of repeated rebellion in the north and east of the country, mobutu seized power in a coup detat in 1965. Mobutu sese sekos body to be returned to democratic republic. And central africas crises and conflicts have been charted by.
Taking power in 1965, mobutu worked both sides of the cold war, and in the process. The insanity and greed of mobutu sese seko the african. Stearns has spoken to everyonevillagers, child soldiers, mobutus. On 30 june 1960, the belgian congo gained independence. Mobutu sese seko, president of zaire now the democratic republic of the congo who seized power in a 1965 coup and ruled for some 32 years before being ousted in a rebellion in 1997. It is generally believed that resource control was not one of the motivating factors for the invasion of zaire by rwanda and uganda in the first congo war of 199697, but gradually the profits of mining in the eastern region became integrated in the financing of both the smaller. Jul 15, 2009 the congo civil war, or congo crisis, was a complex political tumult that began just days following belgiums granting of congolese independence in 1960. The triggering events behind the congo crisis were the mutiny of the army the force publique near leopoldville on july 5 and the subsequent intervention of belgian paratroopers, ostensibly to protect the lives of belgian citizens. The life and death of robert moussombe, the leader of an unnamed african state.
Living on the brink of disaster in mobutus congo paperback by. Copied from wikipedia read on wikipedia here summery september 14th, 1960 the congo crisis. Barbara kingsolvers 1998 historical novel the poisonwood bible depicts the events of the congo crisis from a fictional standpoint, featuring the role of mobutu in the crisis. The troubled heart of africa is the only book to give a complete history of the congo, filling in the blanks in the countrys history before the advent of henry stanley, david livingstone, king leopold, and other. Mobutu sese seko project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Two books chronicle the plight of congo and africa, from colonial rule to the present. Under mobutus rule, the congo renamed zaire in 1971 was transformed into a dictatorship which would endure until his deposition in 1997. But what distinguishes the book is its clearheadedness. The remains of mobutu sese seko, one of africas most flamboyantly corrupt rulers, are to be repatriated to the democratic republic of the congo, its. This analytical narrative investigates the varying nature and strength of the state in congo zaire from colonial times through the tumultuous years after independence, the ups and downs of the mobutu years, the two wars at the turn of the century, the interim government and the beginning of the fourth. A vivid study of the rise and fall of the president who looted the congo, mobutu sese seko. Democratic republic of congo profile timeline bbc news. Despite periodic uprisings and unrest, mobutu ruled the congo renamed zaire in 1971 until the mid1990s. The congo crisis, viewed through the lens of these three men, sheds light on the.
Jun 22, 2017 the democratic republic of congo drc will mark 57 years of independence on friday, 30 june. With financial support from the united states and belgium, mobutu paid. Crise congolaise was a period of political upheaval and conflict in. Mobutu sese seko kuku ngbendu wa za banga loweralpha 1 m. Mobutu sese seko was the military dictator who presided over the democratic republic of the congo for over three decades after seizing power in 1965. On their journey they discover the lost city of zinj and a new species of killer gorillas, which they must overcome to survive.
Lumumba had previously appointed joseph mobutu chief of staff of the new congo army, armee nationale congolaise anc. In fact, if the kinshasa government doesnt set the legal. Jan 16, 2001 after several years of repeated rebellion in the north and east of the country, mobutu seized power in a coup detat in 1965. With cia help, mobutu sese seko seizes power in a military coup, suspending parliament and the constitution an outing patrice lumumba. Drawing on materials from recently opened archives in russia and the united states, and to a lesser extent germany and belgium, namikas addresses the crisis from the perspectives of the two superpowers and explains with superb. Inside mobutus ruined jungle palace in dr congo bbc news. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of mobutu sese sekos fall from power in 1997 the drc is. A topic once close to my heart resurfaced this past week, thanks to the swiss president, micheline calmyrey. Popular congo books showing 149 of 453 the poisonwood bible hardcover by. David livingstone was the first european explorer to enter the region.
The exact nature of the relationship between south africa and. Richard lea surveys the best books about a troubled region. Books on the congo history of zaire and the belgian congo. Inside mobutus ruined jungle palace in dr congo in the 1970s, president mobutu sese seko, leader of what was then zaire, spent. His reports resulted in king leopold ii of belgium establishing the congo free state. Living on the brink of disaster in mobutu s congo paperback by. Mobutu sese sekos body to be returned to democratic. While in office, he formed an authoritarian regime, amassed vast personal wealth, and attempted to purge the country of all colonial cultural influence. Wrong mixes horror stories and a wellresearched history of mobutus regime with an account of ordinary. Crise congolaise was a period of political upheaval and conflict in the republic of the congo today the democratic republic of the congo between 1960 and 1965. After years of delay, the us released its archive of cables and message traffic surrounding the congo crisis, but the volume takes an overly cautious approach to redactions, withholding four documents in their entirety, cutting 22 by more than a paragraph, omitting the financial costs of specific activities, and attempting to guard the. Nov 02, 2007 wrong mixes horror stories and a wellresearched history of mobutu s regime with an account of ordinary life in a country plunged into economic crisis. It began almost immediately after the congo became independent from belgium and ended, unofficially, with the entire country under the rule of joseph. During the congo crisis, mobutu led a coup against the nationalist government of patrice lumumba.
Democratic republic of the congo mobutus regime britannica. Read this biography to know his birthday, childhood, career, family life and timeline. Mobutus second coup, on november 24, 1965, occurred in circumstances strikingly similar to those that had led to the firsta struggle for power between the incumbent president, kasavubu, and his prime minister, this time tshombe. Uncovering the truth explores the role that the united states allies, rwanda and uganda, have played in triggering the greatest humanitarian crisis at the dawn of the 21st. It was the mobutu regime that gave rise to the term kleptocracy rule by thieves. Politicians struggled with governing this contested state. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay. Switzerland, she said, was keen to return the money deposited by the late dictator. The country was known as zaire for much of his rule mobutu is commonly known as mobutu or mobutu sese seko.
Feb 03, 2017 did congos crisis just get a lot worse. Three new books on the democratic republic of the congo. Collapse of the congo and the great war of africa stearns, jason on amazon. The army took on an important role in the congo as it was tasked with preventing the secession of the mineralrich provinces of katanga and kasai. Installed and supported in office primarily by belgium and the united states, he formed an authoritarian regime, amassed vast personal. References the name translates the warrior who knows no defeat because of his endurance and inflexible will and is all powerful, leaving fire in his wake as he goes from conquest to conquest. Thus, it will be shown that the united states had a significant hand in the removal of patrice lumumba, the first democratically elected prime minister of the newly independent congo, from power, and in his. Wrong mixes horror stories and a wellresearched history of mobutus regime with an account of ordinary life in a country plunged into economic crisis. Apr, 2020 battleground africa traces the congo crisis from postworld war ii decolonization efforts through mobutus second coup in 1965 from a radically new vantage point.
From mobutu to kabila, the drc is paying a heavy price for. Mobutu sese seko biography facts, childhood, family life. Michaela wrong declares, in her book in the footsteps of mr. Adding to the confusion was a constitutional impasse that pitted the. The united states and the congo crisis, 1960 1961 publish. Except for the sending of christian missionaries to the area. Mobutus meteoric rise to power came during the congo crisis 19601964. He also served as chairperson of the organisation of african unity in 19671968.
Mobutu sese seko kuku ngbendu wa za banga was a congolese politician and military. Jan 10, 2019 a chronology of key events in the history of the democratic republic of congo, from the 1200s to the present. For kisangani, the countrys instability stems from the failure of the central state to accommodate the aspirations of regional elites in the provinces, who respond by provoking ethnic disputes as a. Mobutu renamed the country zaire, and began to use the name of mobutu sese seko. The book is the result of six years of research, and. Crise congolaise was a period of political upheaval and conflict in the republic of the congo today the democratic republic of the congo 3 between 1960 and 1965. Whether called the congo free state, or zaire, or the democratic republic of the congo, the country remains perilously unstable. Battleground africa traces the congo crisis from postworld war ii decolonization efforts through mobutus second coup in 1965 from a radically new vantage point. See more ideas about congo crisis, congo and africa. The crisis began almost immediately after the congo became independent from belgium and ended, unofficially, with the entire country under the rule of josephdesire mobutu. Congo crisis project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The democratic republic of congo drc will mark 57 years of independence on friday, 30 june. Battleground africa traces the congo crisis from postworld war ii decolonization efforts through mobutu s second coup in 1965 from a radically new vantage point.
United states, congo, democratic republic of the congo, belgium published prior to 20 updated. Oct 25, 20 the remains of mobutu sese seko, one of africas most flamboyantly corrupt rulers, are to be repatriated to the democratic republic of the congo, its president has announced mobutu, who ruled. Cordier collection deposited with the rare book and manuscript library at columbia. In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. Kisanganis book is also primarily historical, analyzing half a dozen episodes of conflict in different parts of congo going back to the 1960s. Democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo the congo crisis. In 1889, joseph conrads infamous novel heart of darkness gave the. The new congo crisis had become a continentwide conflict. Van reybrouck even explores the vibrant contemporary congolese community in guangzhou where several thousand traders ship containers to their homeland full of merchandise.
The decolonization of subsaharan africa from the late 1950s to the mid1970s resulted in several proxy cold war confrontations between the united states and the soviet union over the dozens of newly independent, nonaligned nations. The democratic republic of the congo pronunciation help info french. Constituting a series of civil wars, the congo crisis was also a proxy conflict in the cold war, in which the soviet union and the united states supported opposing factions. The book concludes with cautious optimism about the prospects for democracy and sustainable economic development in the postmobutu congo and an overview of some of the practical steps that must be taken by the congolese people and the global community in order to realize these objectives. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of mobutu sese sekos fall. This book deals with the complex crisis in congo during the cold war, and the author covers the period from that countrys acquisition of independence to mobutus rebellion. The congo, decolonization, and the cold war, 19601965.
As we detail in our book, rebels led by another longtime mobutu enemy, laurentdesire kabila, had other ideas. Mobutu was included as an additional promotional card in the carddriven strategy game twilight struggle. The people of the congo, as this book shows, have suffered cruelly throughout the past century from a particularly brutal experience of colonial ru. Democratic republic of the congo the congo crisis britannica. During the congo crisis, mobutu, serving as chief of staff of the army and supported by belgium. His greed and insanity were above the comprehension of feeble minds. Van reybrouck recounts the history of the democratic republic of congo from the early slave trade, to the time of european exploration and colonization, independence, the congo crisis, mobutus dictatorship, and two civil wars, and the time after when the country and its citizens are adjusting to a new role in a globalized world. While in office, he formed an authoritarian regime, amassed vast. The poisonwood bible 1998 a novel by barbara kingsolver set during the crisis. Mobutu leaves legacy of chaos and corruption tue, sep 9, 1997, 01. The book is the result of six years of research, and the author conducted 10 trips to congo and had over 500 interviews with congolese citizens, both notable figures and ordinary people. Een geschiedenis is a 639 page nonfiction book by david van reybrouck, first published in 2010. By the time he fled to morocco, and died there, he had plunged congo into an irretrievable crisis.