Patrice Lumumba: A True and Only History of Africa
Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wrote these words in a final letter to his wife, Pauline, shortly before his assassination in 1961. The message remains a cornerstone of Pan-Africanism and the movement to decolonise African history. It signifies a call for African liberation, urging Africans to reclaim their narratives from colonial perspectives, emphasising that true history will reflect African glory and dignity rather than European and American accounts.
It is part of a broader vision of Pan-Africanism, often cited alongside his belief that mental and cultural liberation is as critical as political independence. When Lumumba wrote the letter to his wife, shortly before his assassination in 1961, he was expressing faith in the future of Congo and the continent, and the re-writing of its history.
The message highlights the necessity of rejecting colonial narratives (“written and taught in London, Bonn, Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations”) in favour of authentic, locally authored history. The quote is commonly used in African revolutionary nationalist and intellectual discourse to advocate for decolonising knowledge and celebrating African history.
“The day will come when history will speak. But it will not be the history which will be taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations. It will be the history which will be taught in the co
