Sixty-six years on: The promise of DRC independence remains unfulfilled 

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

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

Outside, Kinshasa’s streets filled with scenes of jubilation as long-awaited freedom was proclaimed, albeit reluctantly, by the Belgian colonial administration.

“It was unintentionally that the Belgians had declared the DRC’s independence. Many people in Belgian circles believed that the country should gain its independence around the 1980s. Generally speaking, they wanted to continue exploiting our country’s natural resources,” Akramm Tumsifu, a researcher specialising in the history of the DRC in the Great Lakes region, told Al Jazeera.

He says Baudouin I’s “paternalistic” speech reflected Belgium’s desire to maintain its influence over the Congo.

“For 80 years, Belgium has sent the best of its sons to your land. Firstly, to liberate the Congo Basin from the odious slave trade that was decimating its populations. Then, to bring together ethnic groups that were once enemies but were now preparing to form, together, the largest independent state in Africa,” King Baudouin I told the Congolese elite.

Dany Kayeye, a Congolese historian based in Goma, believes the speech reflected disdain, given the inhuman treatment endured under colonial rule.

“To such an extent that Joseph Kasavubu, who was to become the first president of independent Congo, relied on the favour of the Belgians to lead the country; he had opted for a diplomatic and institutional discourse, full of moderation towards the colonists,” recalls Kayeye.

“At a time when the voices of the Congolese were silenced and their hopes ignored, someone with real character was needed to stand up to the whites, who were treated as gods,” he told Al Jazeera.

Lumumba’s defiance

Patrice Émery Lumumba was the Congo’s first prime minister and a leading figure in the independence movement. A charismatic nationalist and founder of the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), he became one of the most outspoken critics of Belgian rule.

Lumumba argued for full sovereignty and an end to what he called colonial exploitation and racial injustice. His rhetoric and mass appeal made him central to independence in 1960 and a symbol of anti-colonial struggle across Africa.

According to Kayeye, Lumumba had not been scheduled to speak at the ceremony.

“It may have been due to his radicalisation and his outspokenness that Lumumba had not been scheduled to address the audience that day. Against all expectations, Lumumba surprised those in the room by delivering a memorable speech,” he says.

In his address, Lumumba spoke of the beatings, racial discrimination and oppression suffered under colonial rule, insisting independence had been won through struggle.

“We endured injustices and blows that we had to suffer morning, noon and night simply because we were Black,” Lumumba declared.

“We endured excruciating suffering; we were ostracised for our political views or religious beliefs, exiled in our own homeland; our fate was truly worse than death itself.”

The speech angered Belgian officials and underscored tensions surrounding the transfer of power, marking an early sign of strained post-independence relations, according to Tumsifu.

Unfulfilled promise

Sixty-six years after independence, many Congolese say the promise of freedom remains unfulfilled.

David Kalume, a 26-year-old children’s rights activist in Bunia, says the anniversary should prompt reflection.

“When we talk about independence, we are referring to a state that has developed, that is self-reliant and that does everything by its own means. This is not the case in the DRC; war persists in the east. We are not even able to control parts of our own territory,” he told Al Jazeera.

“If the DRC were truly independent, we would no longer be talking about armed violence, social and economic insecurity, poverty and discrimination.

Where there is independence, there is development and security. Communities are divided; we, the people of the East, feel abandoned by the authorities in Kinshasa.”

Lumumba ended his address in 1960 with a message of hope:

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

Kalume believes that vision remains unrealised.

“We have leaders who exploit the people for their own interests. We Congolese do not yet have the maturity to carry on the dreams Lumumba had for this nation.”

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

“In every respect, we are not independent. Even in education, we have scholars pursuing their careers elsewhere because their own country offers them no opportunities. It is a shame that they feel better off elsewhere than in our own country,” he told Al Jazeera.

His reflections come against a backdrop of long-running instability in eastern DRC, where decades of conflict have displaced communities and left many dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Having witnessed decades of the country’s history, Kabiona believes the DRC can still recover.

“This country is giving us heart attacks with all the problems it is facing, from the humanitarian crisis to the political squabbles fuelling insecurity. If we realise our true worth, we will eventually turn things around.”

For Kabiona, continued reliance on international assistance raises deeper questions about independence.

“We are always asking for international aid. We have never heard of the DRC funding a project in the US. We always hear that the US, Canada and other nations are helping us financially. We lack nothing, yet we are always holding out our hand. This Ebola outbreak was, in fact, going to be tackled by us ourselves.”

Looking ahead

Muyisa Christophe, a pro-democracy and good governance activist with the Filimbi civic movement, argues that post-independence struggles stem partly from a shortage of trained leaders at the time of independence.

“Yet in 1960, the Congo did not have enough intellectuals; that is to say, there were no politicians who had been trained to govern,” he told Al Jazeera.

His comments reflect the colonial legacy, when access to higher education for Congolese was extremely limited, leaving few trained administrators at independence.

“For me, these 66 years have been a period of transition during which we have experienced a lack of preparation, improvisation, security instability, economic deficits, secessions and rebellions. We must take stock, pause and learn the right lessons before moving forward in order of priority.”