Passion or Profession: Prime Minister

Period: 1925–1961

Lumumba was an active campaigner for independence when Congo was still a colony of Belgium. The president of the National Congolese Movement (MNC), he was arrested for inciting riots in 1959. When Congo became independent the following year, Lumumba became prime minister. Soon after, Katanga province seceded and violence gripped the country. Lumuba was overthrown and later murdered while imprisoned. Today, he is revered as a hero.