Patrice Lumumba

The future belongs to the people.

We will not allow ourselves to be divided.

Unity is our strength.

The struggle for national liberation is a sacred duty.

We will defend our independence with our lives.

The forces of progress will triumph over the forces of reaction.

Our cause is just.

We will build a society where all men are equal.

The Congo will be a beacon of hope for Africa.

We are laying the foundations of a new era.

The spirit of freedom is invincible.

Our struggle is a universal struggle for human dignity.

The dawn of a new Africa is breaking.

The colonialists care nothing for Africa for her own sake. They are attracted by African riches and their actions are guided by the desire to preserve their interests in Africa against the wishes of the African people.

We are going to show the world what the black man can do when he works in freedom.

The only thing which we wanted for our country is the right to a worthy life, to dignity without pretence, to independence without restrictions.

We are not Communists, Catholics, Socialists, or members of any other Western faction. We are African nationalists.

The colonialists have enriched themselves at our expense without the slightest shame.

Africans must be just as free as other citizens of the human family to enjoy the fundamental liberties set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

No one is perfect in this imperfect world.