Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo – Shortly before noon on a Thursday in June 1960, 34-year-old Patrice Lumumba took to the podium at the National Palace in Leopoldville (Cashshasa), dreaming of unifying his newly liberated country .

Standing before dignitaries and politicians, including King Baudouin of Belgium, where the Republic of Congo had just won independence, the first prime minister delivered a stirring and somewhat unexpected speech that outraged Europeans.

"No Congolese worthy of the name will ever forget that (our independence) was won through fighting," Lumumba said.

"Slavery was imposed on us by force," he continued, while the king looked on in shock. "We remember having to take the beatings morning, noon and night because we were 'black.'"

With independence, he declared, the country's future was finally in the hands of its people. "We will show the world what black people can do in freedom, and we will make Congo the pride of Africa."

But it was an unfulfilled promise, as just six months later the young leader died.

The details of his killing were shrouded in mystery for years, but it is now known that Congolese armed men, with help from the Belgians and tacit approval of the United States, murdered Lumumba on January 17, 1961.

Sixty-four years later, Lumumba remains a symbol of African resistance, and many Congolese still bear the burden of his aborted legacy—whether they agree with his ideas or not.

'His death saddens me'

"I was shocked when I heard about Lumumba's death," said 85-year-old Kasereka Lukombola, who lives in Goma's Virunga district in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

His golden Western-style house, unusual for the region, was built during the colonial period and is a reminder of the remnants of nearly 80 years of Belgian rule.

He said Lukombola was born during the Second World War. "At that time, a black man in Africa was unable to oppose white settlers for several reasons, including the color of his skin and the fact that he was enslaved. Those who dared challenge the whites were either imprisoned, beaten, or killed."

He was 20 years old when Lumumba was killed. "I remember being in Binji's village (when I heard the news). I was very sorry and his death made me very sad. That day, I didn't eat and I couldn't sleep," he said, adding, He still remembered it like it was yesterday.

Lukombola accused Wazungu (a term meaning "foreigner" but usually applied to Belgian colonizers) of being behind the assassination.

"Lumumba strongly protested against the Belgians' apartheid in the Congo. He encouraged us to do everything we could to eliminate the colonizers," he said.

"He discovered certain plots by the colonizers against us, the Congolese people. They wanted to enslave us forever. It was then that the Belgians developed a hatred for him, which led to his assassination."

Lukombola believed that had Lumumba not been killed, he would have transformed the country into a veritable "El Dorado" for millions of Congolese, in line with his vision for the Congolese people and the African continent as a whole.

Tumsifu Akram, a Congolese researcher based in Goma, believes Lumumba was killed on the orders of some Western powers who wanted to preserve Congo's natural wealth.

“The decision to remove the first Congolese prime minister was taken by the United States and other officials at the highest level,” he told Al Jazeera.

Akram said that while Lumumba had friends at home and abroad, "despite their numbers, his friends were not as determined to save him as his enemies were determined and organized to destroy him". "His friends supported him more with words than with actions."

Only one tooth left

Days after Lumumba's Independence Day speech on June 30, 1960, the country began to descend into chaos. An armed rebellion ensued and the mineral-rich Katanga province was secessioned in July. Belgium sends troops to Katanga. Congo then asked the United Nations for help, and although peacekeepers were sent, none were deployed to Katanga. So Lumumba sought aid from the Soviet Union—a move that alarmed Belgium and the United States.

President Joseph Kasavubu dismissed Lumumba from office in September, but the move fell on deaf ears. Soon after, he was completely overthrown from power in a military coup led by Congolese colonel Joseph Mobutu (later known as dictator Mobutu Sese Seko). Lumumba was placed under house arrest. He later escaped but was captured by Mobutu's troops in December.

On January 17, 1961, Lumumba and two colleagues, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo, were flown to Katanga - on the plane and at their destination, Soldiers beat and tortured them.

Later that day, the three were executed by a Katangese firing squad under Belgian supervision.

Their bodies were first thrown into shallow graves but were later dug up, chopped into pieces and the remains dissolved in acid.

In the end, only one of Lumumba's teeth was left, which was stolen by the Belgian police and was not returned to Lumumba's relatives until 2022.

In the years after the killings, Belgium admitted "moral responsibility for the circumstances leading to the deaths." At the same time, it was revealed that the CIA was involved in the plot to murder Lumumba.

A "big mistake"?

At home in Goma, Lukombola recounted all the "firsts" he had experienced in the country's complicated history, including participating in the first municipal elections in 1957, in which he voted for Lumumba's MNC (MNC) party "because I believe it has a great vision for our country. It's out of a sense of pride," he said.

He recounts his experiences during the riots of January 4, 1959; Congo's declaration of independence on June 30, 1960; the secession of Katanga and Kasai Sud in July-August 1960; and Zaire in the mid-1960s The joy of economic and political peaks.

Lucombola, who has lived through five Congolese presidents, understands the "mystery" of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has seen how much of a difference it can make.

His only regret, he said, was that many historic events occurred after Lumumba's death. “If he lives, he will restore us to glory and greatness.”

However, not everyone views Lumumba's legacy with such awe and kindness.

Grace Bahati, a 45-year-old father of five, believes Lumumba is at the root of some of the misfortunes that have befallen the Democratic Republic of Congo and that the country is still grappling with.

According to him, the first prime minister was too eager to demand immediate independence for the Congo, and the country lacked enough intellectuals to lead the Congo after the Belgians left.

"Lumumba is eager to demand independence. I find that many of our leaders are not ready to lead the country, which is unfortunate," Bahati told Al Jazeera. "In my opinion, Lumumba made a big mistake."

Goma historian Dany Kayeye disagrees. He believed Lumumba saw independence from a distance as the only solution because for nearly 80 years the Belgians had been exploiting the country and it was the Congolese who suffered.

"Lumumba was not the first to demand immediate independence for the country. The first to do so were soldiers from World War II who fought alongside the colonizers," Kaye also noted.

But the historian said it was after Lumumba's so-called "radicalization" - when he was thought to have established links with the Soviet Union - that he found himself in the crosshairs of the West because they believed he was in key The Cold War era posed a threat to their interests. . Congolese men like Mobutu Sese-Seko were then used against him.

"Congo has long been envied for its natural resources. The Belgians do not want to leave the country and the only way to continue exploiting it is to anarchize it and kill its nationalists," Kaye explained. “It was against this backdrop that Lumumba passed away, along with his friend the then Senate President Maurice Mpolo and the then Youth Minister Joseph Okito.”

"He fought for justice"

Jean Jacques Lumumba is the nephew of Patrice Lumumba and an activist dedicated to fighting corruption in the country.

The 38-year-old grew up in Kinshasa, raised by Lumumba's mother and brother, but was forced into exile in 2016 after exposing corruption in the entourage of former Congolese president Joseph Kabila.

For him, his uncle remains a symbol of a fair and better Congo and someone from whom he draws inspiration for his activism.

"In my family, they told me he was an atypical character. He was very frank and direct. From a very young age, he has always had a sense of honor and a pursuit of truth," Jean-Jacques told Al Jazeera. Until his political struggles."

"He fought for justice and fairness. He personally rejected corruption," he added, calling corruption "one of the great evils of developing countries".

"(Patrice Lumumba) wants well-being and development... This is inspiring as I continue to fight for the rise of the continent."

Jean Jacques believes that Lumumba no longer belongs only to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Africa, but to all people around the world who long for freedom and dignity.

Even though he never met his uncle, he's glad his memory and legacy lives on.

Although Lumumba's end was tragic and devastating, for Jean Jacques, Lumumba's death also immortalized his name and the fight he fought.

The younger Lumumba said African leaders should commemorate people like him and others who have sacrificed their lives to build a "developed, glorious and prosperous Africa, ready to assert its place in the international community."

Lumumba's 'Eternal' Legacy

More than sixty years after Lumumba was killed, the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the midst of multiple crises - from armed insurgency to resource extraction and poverty.

Although it is a country with vast natural wealth, it is not accessible to most Congolese people - something many in the country attribute to continued exploitation by internal and external forces.

Goma resident Daniel Makasi believes that colonialism, which Lumumba staunchly opposed, is still strong, although it manifests itself in different ways today.

"Many forms of colonization continue today by multinational corporations that exploit resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo without benefiting ordinary citizens," he told Al Jazeera.

He added that Africans need to embrace the spirit of Lumumba and stop this neo-colonialism as much as possible so that they can fully enjoy their natural wealth.

Makassi said Lumumba's ability to change the country in a short period of time and make Congolese "more proud" made him "timeless" and urged people to follow his example.

Others agreed that future generations owed Lumumba an "immeasurable" debt.

“For me, Patrice Emery Lumumba is a symbol of resistance to the forces of imperialism,” said Moise Komayombi, another Goma resident who remembers the 1960 In his Independence Day speech in June 2010, Belgians considered it a "vicious attack", but it still inspires many Africans to this day.

"He inspired us to remain nationalistic and protect our homeland from all forms of colonial rule," Komayombi said, reminding himself that Lumumba's work was not yet done.