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“We shall show the world what the black man can do when he works in freedom, and we shall make the Congo a beacon for the whole of Africa.”

Source: Independence Day speech, Léopoldville, 30 June 1960

Context From an unscheduled speech at the independence ceremony, answering King Baudouin of Belgium, who had praised colonial rule.

Portrait of Patrice Lumumba
Patrice LumumbaDR Congo · 1925–1961
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“The day will come when history will speak. […] Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity.”
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