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M ay 28, 1997 • T he P ortland O bserver
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Free & gallant Congo
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"The evil cruel times will go, never
to com e again,
A fr e e gallant Congo will arise
from the black soil,
A fr e e and gallant Congo .
These lines are from a poem w rit
ten by Patrice Lumumba, the pas
sionate nationalist and Congolese
patriot who was elected to serve as
the C ongo’s first prime minister af
ter that country ’ s independence from
Belgium in 1960.
The poem was written in Septem
ber 1959, when the Belgian Congo,
as the colony was called, was seized
by a wave o f political organizing that
mobilized an entire people to de
mand “ immediate independence.”
Independence cam e, on June 30,
1960. But the bankers and mining
companies dependent ontheC ongo’s
mineral wealth were not willing to
take their chances with the national
ist Lumumba: political and military
m achinations overw helm ed the new
nation and on January 17, 1961, he
was brutally assassinated, with the
connivance o f the CIA.
There followed 36 years o f “evil
cruel tim e s” for the C ongolese
people, 32 o f them under the dicta
torship o f A m erica’s Cold War ally,
Mobutu Sese Seko.
Lumumba’s friend, Pierre Mulele,
launched a guerrilla war for the “sec
ond independence” (in which he was
joined by a young fighter named
Laurent Kabila), but this and subse
quent rebellions were always crushed
by the dictatorship, with help from
its western allies.
I thought o f this history - and
Lumumba ’ s prophetic poem - on May
16, 1997, the day M obutu fled
Kinshasa and the capital welcomed
the arrival o f Laurent K abila’s young,
ragged, but certainly gallant army o f
liberation, and the political m ove
ment, the Alliance o f Democratic
Forces for the Liberation o f Congo/
Zaire (ADFL), that let it.
Deogratius Bugera, a senior aide
to Kabila, announced to a population
long humiliated by one o f the most
obscene dictatorships on the conti
nent that the new governm ent’s top
priority would be “to restore human
dignity by creating a new political
system and holding elections that
will be open to all people.”
The official announcement o f the
rebels seizure o f state power included
the promise to quickly form a transi
tional “government o f public safety”
and to convene, within two months,
a constituent assembly that would
draw up a constitution to guide the
transition to the new Democratic
Republic o f the Congo.
The rebels invited civil servants to
remain at their posts and contact the
new authorities for instructions.
Meanwhile, all acts o f revenge and
“settling o f scores” were strictly out
lawed.
As revolutions go, the one led by
Kabila has been relatively bloodless.
This was possible because o f several
factors: the utter rottenness o f the
Mobutist system, which did not pay,
feed or clothe its soldiers; the disci
pline and high morale o f the ADFL
troops; the apparent conviction of
Congolese people that an ADFL vic
tory would finally free them to start
rebuilding democracy and rule of
Multiracial children & society
pay neither attention nor respect to
the political activity o f the broad
masses o f people who alone can put
the democracy in the Democratic
Republic o f the Congo.
But perhaps now, with the geopo
litical situation so radically altered
by M obutu’s fall, the C ongo’s de
mocracy movement will be in a bet
ter position to counter international
interference.
I believe that, despite the dire pre
dictions o f chaos emanating from
Washington, the Congolese people
are poised to give the world a lesson
in democracy.
Patrice Lumumba, in addition to
being a poet and a patriot, was a beer
salesman. In the “evil cruel times” o f
colonialism, a brilliant and talented
African could scarcely aspire any
higher.
M aking a virtue o f necessity,
Lumumba made good use o f his time
on the road as a salesman; he trav
eled throughout the Congo, organiz
ing the National Congolese M ove
ment, the party which won a land
slide in pre-independence elections.
The Belgian colonialists had a lim
ited comprehension o f where the “in
dependence movement” came from.
Like the US government today, they
could not understand that among or
dinary people, democracy might be
in even more demand than beer.
In the difficult but exciting days to
come, my love and solidarity are
with the Congolese people.
Thanks to their long struggle, we
can say, with the poet Lumumba.
"A new morning breaks out in old
A frica.”
P e r s p e c t i v e s
Is Science Scientific, Are Scientists Ethical? H
“That is a good question,” would posed ethics and morality o f the sci
seem to be the general feeling among entific community are closely scru
Name; _____________ __________ —---------------------------—-----------------
P ortland O b se rv e r re a d e rs w ho tinized. Safeguards like the “ in
Address:
_________________ —------------ ------------------ —--------------
resp o n d ed to last w eek s a rtic le form ed C o n se n t” procedure ap
City, State: __________________ ________ —------------------------------------
w ith its re fe re n ce to the c ita tio n proved by congress are routinely dis
Z ip -C o de:___________________ ________________________________
o f th e c r u e l a n d in h u m a n regarded; a woman is fed solvents
“ T u s k e g e e S y p h i l i s e x p e r i to “dissolve her g allstones'... hun
T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver
m e n ts.” T oday, we w ill exp an d dreds o f Sioux children received an
the q u e stio n and a tte m p t som e experimental hepatitis vaccine tested
for a British’ company. In Los An
answ ers.
For in stan ce, a re a d e r re fe rs geles, the Center for Disease Con
Send your idlers lo ihe Fililo«' lo:
to an A p ril m e d ia item th a t 1 trol approved the infam ous “ E-Z
Fìlilor. PO Box 3137, Porlland, OR 9720R
have in my files as w ell. “ New vaccine for measles - to be mostly
S tudy R eveals the p e rc e n ta g e o f used on black and Hispanic babies.”
S cien tists W ho B elieve in G od is The experiment was halted only af
the sam e as 1916 C o u n t.” G od is ter reports cited high infant mortal
identification. Census and other fed
A G e o rg ia 1 2 -y e a r-o ld w ho
d e fin e d as “ O ne w ho c o m m u n i ity in Africa and Haiti.
eral forms may not be the place for
doesn’t want to choose between his
And o f course, the nation was
cates w ith m an kind... can pray to
that.
parents when telling people what race
and ex pect an a n sw e r.” 15 p e r shocked by last y e a rs’ headline,
He noted that Census statistics are
he is, appealed to Congress last week
cent
s a id
th e y
w e re “O ’Leary Reveals More Radiation
used
to help enforce laws against
for a new "multiracial" category on
"a g n o stic ...h a v e no d e fin ite be Tests on Humans " There was not
discrimination in employment, lend
governm ent forms.
l i e f ’ - about 45 p ercen t said they that much new in these revelations
ing, housing and schools and that
"My mom is white and my dad is
did n o t b e lie v e in G od. (M o st except to the extent that the univer
effort may be affected by people
black, and most forms ask me to
A m ericans - 93 p ercen t - believe sities were involved and where Ha
switching from one racial category
choose betw een those races. I feel
in G o d , a c c o r d in g to G a llu p zel O ’Leary, head o f the Energy
to multiracial.
very sad, because I can't choose - 1
polls).
"It's what you look like, now what
am both," Ryan Graham told the
Evidently, there is a deep and
you say you are, that determines
House Government O versight man
abiding belief in a just God among
whether you meet racial discrimina
agement subcommittee.
the few surviving African Americans
tion in this county," McDougall ob
"The reality is that not all A m eri
who accepted President C linton’s
served.
cans fit neatly into one little box,"
apology at a moving White House
Eric Rodriguez o f the National
Susan Graham, Ryan's mother, told
ceremony. Herman Shaw, an articu
Council o f La Raza, a Hispanic group,
the subcommittee. "The reality is
late 95 year-old survivor o f the Nazi-
also opposed adding the new cat
that multiracial children who wish to
type medical experiment spoke to the
egory.
embrace all o f their heritage should
solemn assem blage, “ the wounds
The multiracial category "is nei
be allowed to do so."
that were inflicted upon us cannot be
ther a racial nor a protected class
But his request drew opposition
undone ... families will forever live
under the law: therefore the collec
from o rg an izatio n s rep resen tin g
with the knowledge that death and
tion o f such data may not serve any
blacks and Hispanics, both concerned
suffering was preventable. It is never
statutory purpose," he told the sub
that creating such a category will
to late to strive to restore trust and to
committee.
hinder efforts to combat discrim ina
prevent such a tragedy from happen
And, he added, the category is
tion
ing again.”
likely to attract many confused people
The Office o f M anagement and
But is that quite true, the mes
who are not sure o f the meanings o f
Budget is expected to rule sometime
sage o f this moving polemic from
race and ethnicity.
this summer on whether to add a
this gentle, forgiving blackm an,
Ramona E. Douglass o f the Asso
multiracial category to federal forms,
c o u n se le d by his m in is te r and
ciation o f Multiethnic Americans told
including Census 2000. Currently
strengthen by almost a century of
the panel: "We are no longer willing
Americans can choose one o f four
faith? Just two weeks ago (May 16)
to remain proverbial square pegs
classifications: American Indian and
the Newhouse News service pub
shoved into the consistently round
Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Is
lished a full-page spread in the O r
holes o f America's racial classifica
lander, black or white.
egonian, “After Tuskegee: New Ex
tion system."
The num ber o f children in mixed-
periments." The investigators follow
Rep. Carolyn M aloney, D-NY,
race families jumped from fewer than
on; “ D ecades after the Tuskegee
voiced the concerns o f the commit
500,000 to 2 million betw een 1970
Syphilis study and radiation studies
tee in hearing from the two sides:
and 1990, prompting the proposal
on civilians during the Cold War, the
"The pain caused by forcing the chil
for the new listing.
U S. pharmaceutical industry and the
dren o f an interrac ial couple to choose
Seven states now recognize a
federal government still are in the
between the mother's race and the
multiracial designation: Ohio, Illi
business o f conducting and paying
father's race is very real. So is the
nois, G eorgia, M ichigan, Indiana,
for medical tests on unsuspecting
pain caused by discrimination. A
Florida and North Carolina.
Americans." And, o f course, the to
solution that eases one pain, while
But while Harold M cDougall o f
bacco industry
making the other worse in no solu
the N A A CP said he supports people's
Horror stories abound as the sup
tion at all."
rights to determine their own racial
b etter 'Cd Che-
law in their country.
The difficult, dangerous times are
still ahead. Much depends on whether
or not President Kabila can forge a
transitional government that includes
the broad array o f political forces
that make up the Congolese democ
racy movement.
A crucial relationship will be that
between the ADFL (itself a very di
verse coalition) and the non-armed
opposition movement led by Etienne
Tshisekedi.
One thing is certain; the Congo
lese people have been thoroughly
politicized by their long struggle for
democracy, and will be the final ar
biter o f any new governm ent’s le
gitimacy.
The international community will
also weigh very heavily in the pros
pects for democracy in the Congo.
Several o f the Congo’s African neigh
bors, led by South Africa, have al
ready recognized K abila’s govern
ment. The United States has merely
recognized him as the ‘de facto’
leader o f the Congo.
The same administration that tol
erated M obutu’s murderous sabo
tage o f the democracy movement
and endless postponem ent o f re
forms, now presses the ADFL for
quick elections.
If the past history o f US policy is
any guide, the administration will
likely attempt to deploy its political
and economic assistance in ways that
will narrow, not broaden, the demo
cratic process in the Congo.
It will focus on leveraging power
struggles within the leadership to
achieve the outcome it wants, and
Department said, “almost any o f us
would find something to be disturbed
with... in particular the tests on fe
tuses.”
W hile som e have d isturbing
questions about the development of
chem ical and biological weapons
(that are m ost assu re d ly tested in
so m e m a n n e r u p o n h u m a n s ) ,
oth ers ad vance the q uery, “ How
d u rin g the y ears o f the e x p e ri
m ent) could there have been so
la r g e a n u m b e r o f A f r ic a n
A m erican d o c to rs and m edical
support people at T uskegee w ith
out a w h isp er a b o u t the e v il-o p
eratio n s?” A w om an called me to
say, “ Even d u ring slav ery , w h at
e v e r w e n t on up at th e b ig
h o u s e ’ w as k now n down in the
slave cabins before sundown.”
At first it may seem a bitter irony
that some sort o f Center for Study o f
Medical Ethics is to be set up at
Tuskegee U niversity - but we re
member the great Dr. George Wash
ington C arver who was “told by
God” where to look in his garden for
the cures to mankinds diseases and
ailments - this place is Dr. Carver’s
shrine. Fortunately, there have been
so many great ethical physicians: Dr.
Charles Drew (Blood), Dr. Jonas
Salk (Polio vaccine). The scales are
more than balanced, but be vigilant!
PGE's Ed Bunn.
On call,
on the move
24 hours a day,
seven days
a week.
As part o f Portland General Electric's
Eagle Crew, Ed is always ready to roll.
Power outages, broken poles from car
crashes, house fires and safety inspections,
— they're all in a day's w ork for Ed.
Ed is there— first on the scene in North,
Northwest and Northeast Portland.
i