Lumumba and Independence Day, 30 June 1960

In elections in May 1960, Patrice Lumumba's Mouvement National Congolais, the only party with support across many regions, won the most seats. Lumumba became prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu, leader of the Bakongo-based ABAKO party, became president. At the independence ceremony in Léopoldville on 30 June 1960, King Baudouin praised the 'genius' of Leopold II and presented independence as the fulfillment of Belgium's civilizing mission. Kasavubu replied politely.

Then Lumumba, not scheduled to give a major speech, rose and described the 'humiliating slavery' imposed by colonialism: the insults, the blows, the land taken and the injustice of laws that treated Black and white differently. Belgians were furious, while many Congolese and other Africans celebrated it as a statement of dignity. Lumumba later added conciliatory remarks at lunch. The speech made him a hero of African nationalism and, in the eyes of Belgian and Western officials, a dangerous radical.