A look back at a cultural initiative in Kinshasa that pays tribute to an important figure in Congolese and African history, Patrice Emery Lumumba. The Café Littéraire de Missy (CaLM), in partnership with the Goethe Institut, organized a meeting to discuss this emblematic politician, on Thursday June 8th.
First Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Emery Lumumba is known for his unfailing commitment to the fight against colonization and for the independence of his country in 1960. Assassinated only seven months after the accession of the DRC to the independence, his name and his struggle have inspired many Africans and people around the world.
“Lumumba will be presented as universal heritage because the reach of the Lumumba character has spanned continents,” says CaLM President Missy Bangala. “There are plenty of places where, up to 62 years after his disappearance, we talk about him as the person who awakened many African consciences for independence,” she adds.
Thus, this meeting with the German writer Enno Stahl was intended to highlight the importance of Patrice Emery Lumumba, who no longer belongs only to the DRC but to universal history. Many books are written on Lumumba, several tributes are paid in different countries, and in research of images, one can see his name registered in many public places, schools, streets, etc… He is a major figure of history and the struggle for independence in Africa.
The CaLM, meanwhile, is a cultural association for the promotion of literature and writing in the DRC, founded in August 2017 in Kinshasa, known for organizing cultural and literary events. Le Café littéraire de Missy is an itinerary think-tank and a brasserie of ideas, which aims to bring together intellectuals, artists and thinkers to discuss topics that affect Congolese and African society.
In short, this initiative of the Café Littéraire de Missy was an opportunity to recall the importance of Patrice Emery Lumumba, for the DRC, Africa and the whole world. His life, his fight and his legacy deserve to be celebrated and honored, to inspire present and future generations.