January 17, 1961: Patrice Lumumba, the first democratic leader of the Congo, is murdered by the Belgian government after being deposed in a CIA-backed coup. “Without dignity there is no liberty, without justice there is no dignity, and without independence there are no free men.”

“The Soviet Union is the only great power whose position has reflected the will and wishes of our people. Therefore the Soviet Union proves to be the only great power that has supported the Congolese people in their struggle from the beginning.”

You can’t understand Lumumba’s importance, or the size of his legacy given that he was only Prime Minister from June to September 1960, without understanding the horrors of Belgian colonialism (particularly during direct rule by Leopold II, responsible for 15 million deaths).

“The colonialists care nothing for Africa for her own sake. They are attracted by African riches and their actions are guided by the desire to preserve their interests in Africa against the wishes of the African people.”

“A minimum of comfort is necessary for the practice of virtue.”

“The day will come when history will speak. But it will not be the history which will be taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations… Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity.”