Saturday, February 25th 1961.

Footage of a "funeral" held in Harlem to protest the murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of Congo-Kinshasa.

Excerpt of Reuters News Text:

"With drums beating to attract attention, the African Nationalist Movement staged a demonstration of 200 Negroes in the Harlem district of the city ... It took place outside a Negro bookshop opposite the Hotel Theresa (where Cuban Premier, Fidel Castro, stayed when he made his famous appearance at the United Nations). Inside the bookshop was a coffin with a face mask of lumumba. The coffin was decked with flowers, and above it hung a scarecrow-like effigy of Lumumba with this printed message: "They lynched me".

Speakers denounced "colonist bandits" for his death as New York police stood by in case of trouble. Leader of the Movement, james Lawson, said: "Lumumba did not have a funeral - we are giving him one now." But police refused to let them take the coffin to the UN building."

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Monday, February 20th 1961.

Footage of a requiem mass for held for Patrice Lumumba, the slain former Premier of the Congo Republic.

It was held in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt (then the United Arab Republic).

It was attended by diplomatic staff from many countries, including Ceylon, Indonesia, Ghana and the Chinese People's Republic.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

February 1961.

Footage of a protest in New Delhi, India against the murder of the deposed Premier of the Congo Republic, Patrice Lumumba. About 400 people gathered outside the Belgian Embassy, and troops stood by in case of trouble. They marched by carrying placards and shouted slogans. There was also an effigy of "imperialist atrocities".

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said in the Indian Parliament Feb 15 that his country would be prepared to send combat troops to the Congo Republic in response to a United Nations request - but only when it was convinced that they would be rightly employed for the freedom of the people and not in support of the "gangster regime" now ruling there.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Wednesday, February 15th 1961.

Footage of a Memorial Meeting of Cubans in Havana to protest the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of Congo.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Thursday, January 19th 1961.

Reuters Text from 1961:

Mrs Pauline Opanga Lumumba, wife of the deposed Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba-was seen in a highly distressed condition January 19 (in front of a) hut in the native quarter of Leopoldville (later Kinshasa). She had just returned from her appeal to the United Nations for the return of her husband. Seated with her was her two-year-old son Roland Gilbert.

But she - and the wives of Lumumba's fellow prisoners Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito-were given no firm promise by UN authorities, and had to return home. Mrs Lumumba-who had also requested to visit her husband, said: "We spoke to a man and asked him to help get our husbands back because we have no money."

Mr Lumumba was transferred Jan 18 from imprisonment at Camp hardy at Thysville to a Katanga prison. In a statement Jan 19 mr Tshombe, self-styled President of Katanga Province, refused to indicate where Mr Lumumba was. He also denied he had been beaten by his soldiers.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Note:

It was later established that Patrice Lumumba had been murdered by a Belgian commanded firing squad on January 17th 1961.

Thursday, February 16th 1961.

Footage of a protest held outside the Belgian Embassy in Havana Cuba after news of the murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of Congo, spread all over the world.

Lumumba had been killed in secret on January 17th by an execution squad commanded by a Belgian officer.

Reuters text from 1961:

"Crowds including large numbers of students held a meeting outside the Belgian Embassy in Havana, Feb 16, in protest against the "brutal assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba".

Carrying flags and banners, the crowd shouted "Cuba Yes, Yankees No", "Congo Yes, Belgians No", Now more than ever the Congo is bound to win", and "Lumumba is dead but not his ideas".

Watched by police and militia, the demonstrators marched up and down the street in front of the Embassy. Time and again, groups stopped at the main gate to voice their protest, supporting the "Congolese people and all nations who are fighting for peace in the world", and condemning "Belgian and American imperialism".

Source Reuters News Archive.

December 1960.

Footage of deposed Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba after his arrest by troops loyal to Colonel Joseph Desire Mobutu.

Lumumba would later be executed by a Belgian commanded firing squad.

Source of footage: Framepool.

December 1960.

Footage of Patrice Lumumba, the deposed Prime Miinister of Congo at the time of his arrest by troops loyal to Colonel Joseph Mobutu.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Sunday, July 24th 1960.

Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba flew into New York's Idlewild Airport July 24 for talks with Mr Dag Hammarskjoeld, United Nations Secretary-General, Waiting to greet him were some 50 African officials and representatives from the United Nations.

In an interview at the Airport he said: "We came here to make direct contact with the Secretary-General to arrange a speedy solution to the problem of the Congo." Speaking in French he added that the peace of the Congo Republic "is conditioned on the immediate departure of Belgian troops and we thank the United Nations for the resolution it adopted in that sense."

Mr Lumumba met Mr Hammarskjoeld that afternoon, and described the 2 1/2-hour talk as "very fruitful". The next day he was invited to attend a luncheon conference given by Mr Hammarskjoeld with the chief delegates of the II Security Council members and the nine African Assembly member states. So far there were no plans for the Congolese Prime Minister to address a meeting of the Security Council.

The United Nations announced July 23 that it would have more than 12,000 troops in the Congo Republic by the following weekend. They would comprise 14 battalions and five companies.

Source: Reuters News Archive.

Note:

Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations died in a mysterious plane crash in September 1961 while flying from Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to the Republic of Congo (now the DRC) to mediate in the Congo Crisis.

He is one of only four persons to be awarded a Nobel Prize posthumously. President John F. Kennedy described him as "the greatest statesman of our century."

Thursday, June 13th 1974.

Footage of Samora Machel, the leader of FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação/Mozambique Liberation Front), the African guerrilla movement then seeking independence from Portugal rejecting a peace proposal from the new Portuguese government, a military regime which had overthrown the right-wing authoritarian Estado Novo regime on April 25th 1974.

Speaking at an OAU Summit in Mogadishu, Somalia, Machel described Portuguese colonialism in southern Africa as "the most decadent and corrupt form of foreign domination."

Reuters Text:

The leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), Mr. Samora Machel, rejected the proposals out of hand. He said the portuguese proposals - which include a referendum and the pledge of self-determination -- were insults to the people of Mozambique.

Mr. Machal described Portugal's policies in Mozambique as "the most decadent and corrupt forms of foreign domination", and he claimed conditions were now favourable for their destruction. The guerrilla leader said constant work by Frelimo had alerted the masses to the justice of their cause and their battle against the Portuguese. Although the territory was still under military occupation, " the manifestations" in all urban centres had demonstrated the solidarity of the Mozambique people.

Without distinction, the people - of all races, ethnic groups, religious beliefs and social origins - were demanding national independence and total adherence to the principles and programmes of Frelimo. Mr. Machel said the determination and unity was forged in clandestine battle, in suffering and in torture, in prison and in concentration camps". He said the ten-year guerrilla war, directed by Frelimo, had strengthened the determination and unity of the Mozambique people against "colonialist aggression." Later in his speech, Mr. Machel referred to the dialogue now under way between Frelimo and the Portuguese Government.

He said it could not develop into proper negotiations until Portugal recognised Mozambique's right to total and absolute independence. He added that Frelimo would also have to be recognised as the Mozambique people's legitimate representative.

Source: Reuters News Archive.