The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo following independence in 1960 was inherited primarily from its European colonizers. The idea that Belgium's eighty-year exploitative occupation could leave Congo anything but traumatized and unstable is far-fetched. This was convincingly conveyed in the film's very first sequence, Lumumba, which presented evidence, using real footage and archival images, of the violent legacy of colonisation. Far from the benevolent tutelage that King Leopold sought to claim, African rule under Belgium was marked by the physical, psychological, social, economic and cultural subjugation of the Congolese. From the beginning we learn that domination of a people is achieved in many ways, and that abuses against the Congolese have manifested themselves in many forms. Absolute control of the national army was a central feature of the conquest; in this context, the Belgians remained in command of the Force Republique, even after the declaration of independence. Africans were also pitted against each other by a hierarchical social system strategically imposed among slaves. African “masters” were then forced to participate in the subjugation of their fellow Africans, a system reminiscent of the “divide and conquer” strategies used against slaves on plantations in the United States, as we saw in the film Sankofa. Indeed, this forced slavery, harsh physical labor, social displacement, separation of families, cultural domination, and dehumanization of entire populations should all be depressingly familiar to Americans given their similar histories. The privileges and benefits enjoyed by white Belgians during this occupation was in stark contrast to the violence instituted against black Africans on which......middle of paper......ntable. Given the instability Lumumba faced internally and the stakeholders who threatened him externally, I would have used diplomacy and tread more lightly in his shoes. It didn't look like he had tried to prevent the various threats that came his way at all. He did not consult carefully with those around him, nor did he make any special effort to win their loyalty. He appeared to be more reactive than proactive in how he approached conflict. He underestimated his allies and underestimated his enemies. The newly liberated government was in many ways ill-equipped for independence, at least at that point. The republic's vitality was perhaps most dependent on its ability to engage positively with the international community. Lumumba's failure to realize or recognize the need for interdependence with both internal and external actors was his ultimate undoing..