
Lumumba in the Arts
Edited by Matthias De Groof
Lumumba as a symbol of decolonisation and as an icon in the arts
It is no coincidence that a historical figure such as Patrice Emery Lumumba, independent Congo’s first prime minister, who was killed in 1961, has lived in the realm of the cultural imaginary and occupied an afterlife in the arts. After all, his project remained unfinished and his corpse unburied. The figure of Lumumba has been imagined through painting, photography, cinema, poetry, literature, theatre, music, sculpture, fashion, cartoons and stamps, and also through historiography and in public space. Reverting to either beatifying or diabolising his persona, no art form has been able to escape and remain indifferent to Lumumba. Artists observe the memory and the unresolved suffering that inscribed itself both upon Lumumba’s body and within the history of Congo. If Lumumba – as an icon – lives on today, it is because the need for decolonisation does as well.
Rather than seeking
to unravel the truth of actual events surrounding the historical Lumumba, this
book engages with his representations. What is more, it considers every
historiography as inherently embedded in iconography. Film scholars, art
critics, historians, philosophers, and anthropologists discuss the rich
iconographic heritage inspired by Lumumba. Furthermore, Lumumba in the Arts offers unique testimonies by a
number of artists who have contributed to Lumumba's polymorphic iconography,
such as Marlene Dumas, Luc Tuymans, Raoul Peck, and Tshibumba Matulu, and
includes contributions by such highly acclaimed scholars as Gayatri Spivak,
Johannes Fabian, Bogumil Jewsiewicky, and Elikia M’Bokolo.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
Format: Edited volume - paperback
Size: 285 × 195 mm
464 pages
ISBN: 9789462701748
Publication: January 17, 2020
Languages: English