Sixty-six years on: The promise of DRC independence has not been fulfilled | Story

Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – It was Thursday June 30, 1960, when Belgian and Congolese officials gathered at the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa, formerly known as Leopoldville, for a ceremony marking the end of more than seventy years of colonial rule.

On that day, King Baudouin I declared the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) independent.

Outside, the streets of Kinshasa filled with jubilant demonstrations as the long-awaited freedom was announced, albeit reluctantly, by the Belgian colonial administration.

“It was in ignorance that the Belgians declared the independence of the DRC.” “Many people in the Belgian community believe that the country should have gained its independence in the late 1980s. To be honest, they want to continue using the natural resources of our country,” Akramm Tumsifu, a DRC historian, told Al Jazeera in the Great Lakes region.

He also said that Baudouin I’s statement shows that Belgium wants to continue to control the Congo.

“For 80 years, Belgium has sent its best children to your country. First, to free the country of the Congo Basin from the dirty slave trade that was destroying its people. Then, to bring together nations that were once enemies but are now preparing to create, together, the largest independent country in Africa,” King Baudouin I told the Congolese officials.

Dany Kayeye, a Congolese historian who lives in Goma, believes that the words show derision, because of the brutality the people faced during the colonial rule.

“Until Mr. Joseph Kasavubu, who will be the first president of the independent country of the Congo, relied on the grace of the Belgians to lead the country; he chose diplomatic and academic discussions, full of respect for the colonialists,” recalls Kayeye.

“At a time when the voices of the Congolese people were silenced and their hopes ignored, a man of real character needed to fight against the whites, who treated them like gods,” he told Al Jazeera.

Lumumba resistance

Patrice Émery Lumumba was the first prime minister of the Congo and a leader of the independence movement. A nationalist and founder of the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), he became one of the most vocal opponents of Belgian rule.

Lumumba was against totalitarianism and the end of what he called colonial brutality and racial injustice. His eloquence and great influence made him the centerpiece of independence in 1960 and a symbol of the anti-colonial struggle throughout Africa.

According to Mr. Kayeye, Mr. Lumumba is not ready to speak at the event.

“It may be because of his flexibility and open-mindedness that Lumumba was not prepared to speak to people that day. Contrary to what was expected, Lumumba surprised those in the room by giving an unforgettable speech,” he says.

In his speech, Mr. Lumumba talked about the beatings, racism and oppression that the people faced during the colonial rule, and insisted that the right to self-determination existed because of the struggle.

“We endured injustice and beatings that we suffered morning, noon and night because we were black,” said Lumumba.

“We endured terrible suffering; we were discriminated against because of our political opinions or religious beliefs, we were expelled from our homeland; our fate was worse than actual death.”

The speech angered Belgian officials and highlighted tensions over the transfer of power, a sign of poor post-independence relations, according to Tumsifu.

An unfulfilled promise

Sixty-six years after Congo’s independence, many Congolese say the promise of independence has not been fulfilled.

David Kalume, a 26-year-old activist for children’s rights in the city of Bunia, said that the event should encourage people.

“When we talk about independence, we are talking about a country that has been growing, self-reliant and that does everything in its own way. This is not the case in the DRC; the war continues in the east. We can’t even control parts of our territory,” Al Jazeera said.

“If DRC was independent, we would no longer be talking about military violence, economic collapse, poverty and discrimination.

Where there is freedom, there is prosperity and security. Regions are divided; we, the people of the East, feel that the authorities in Kinshasa have abandoned us.”

Lumumba ended his 1960 address with a message of hope:

“We will show the world what black people can achieve when they work for freedom.”

Kalume believes that the vision has not been fulfilled.

“We have leaders who take advantage of people for their own interests. We Congolese are not yet mature enough to fulfill Lumumba’s dream for this country.”

Noé Kabiona, a father of seven from Bunia born in 1963, also questions the meaning of independence.

“In all aspects, we are not independent. Even in education, we have professionals who are pursuing their careers elsewhere because their country does not give them opportunities. It is a shame that they feel better elsewhere than in our country,” he told Al Jazeera.

His views come against the backdrop of long-standing conflict in eastern DRC, where decades of conflict have displaced communities and left many dependent on humanitarian aid.

After seeing many years of the country’s history, Kabiona believes that the DRC can recover.

“This country is giving us heart disease and all the problems it is facing, from the problems of providing aid to the political conflicts that are increasing insecurity. When we realize our worth, we will change things.”

For Kabiona, continuing to rely on international aid raises serious questions about freedom.

“We always ask for help from other countries. We have never heard of the DRC’s money from the US. We always hear that the US, Canada and other countries are helping us financially. We don’t need anything, but we are just holding our hands. This Ebola epidemic, of course, we will deal with ourselves.”

Looking ahead

Muyisa Christophe, who is a promoter of democracy and good governance in the Filimbi party, has said that the problems immediately after gaining independence are due to the lack of well-trained leaders at the time of independence.

“However, in 1960, Congo did not have enough intellectuals; therefore, there were no politicians trained to rule,” he told Al Jazeera.

His comments reflect the colonial legacy, where access to higher education for the Congolese was limited, leaving few well-educated rulers on their own.

“For me, these 66 years have been a period of change in which we have been faced with lack of planning, poor planning, security instability, economic decline, isolation and terrorism.