I feel like I should write something about #Grimonprez' formally masterful documentary, which it seems to me continues to push a version of #Lumumba's murder that was established by Ludo de Witte and popularised by Raoul Peck; namely, one that underplays Lumumbas own tactical and political errors, presents Kasavubu and Tshombe as mostly pawns and Mobutu as the evil presence in the shadows and in general underplays Africans' agency. In contrast, Hammarskjöld seems more a traitor to the cause than a tragic figure in which the structural problems of the UN itself played out.

I've taught about the history of the #DRC several times. Each time, we would watch Raoul Peck's "Lumumba" at the end and take apart its heroic narrative. This doesn't mean downplaying the imperialist violence at the center of the story; it does mean taking African politicians' decisions seriously.