Born on July 2, 1925, in Onalua, Patrice Emery Lumumba rose to the ranks of the "evolués" in a Belgian Congo marked by paternalism. Converted to Pan-Africanism upon returning from a conference in Accra in December 1958, he won the May 1960 elections and became Prime Minister. On June 30, 1960, his speech on Congo's Independence Day denounced Belgian colonialism and sparked the anger of King Baudouin. A few days later, the Congo Crisis erupted: mutiny, secessions, foreign interference. Lumumba attempted to save his country, coveted for its immense resources. He was finally arrested and executed on the night of January 16-17, 1961, along with Okito and Mpolo. The buried and dug-up bodies were dissolved in acid. In June 2022, Belgium returned to Congo a tooth of Lumumba's guarded by a mercenary.
