Catalogue Number
NMLH.1994.168.626
Object Name
Poster
Title
OSPAAAL poster - National bank of Congo satire - anti-Mobutu Sese Seko. Posters for African Liberation
Events
Congolese Independence
Date
1967
Description
OSPAAL poster, long rectangular print, shows three images underneath eachother of a Zaire/Democratic Republic of Congo bank note that is gradually changing. The bank notes are green, the background of the poster is white. First image is a Congo Zaire bank note - the top says "Banque Nationale Congo, 1 Zaire, Un Zaire, 100 Makuta. " The rest of the image of the note has numbers and inscriptions, and an image of Mobutu Sese Seko who was leader at the time. The date on the note is "2.1.1967." The second image is the same note, but peeled back to reveal another bank note underneath - this is revealing an American bank note with "Annuit Coeptis" which is the seal of the United states. The third image should the American note being peeled back, revealing a black and white image of men talking - this photograph shows Patrice Lumumba who was Prime Minister of Congo from 24th June 1960, before being overthrown and imprisoned by Mobutu. Lumumba was a freedom fighter who fought for independence,
social justice and internationalism. He was tortured and killed by the congolese leaders who were tied to Western powers and the previous Belgian colonial leaders. He played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a colony of Belgium into an independent republic. Ideologically an African nationalist and pan-Africanist, he led the Congolese National Movement (MNC) party from 1958 until he was assassinated.
Shortly after Congolese independence in 1960, a mutiny broke out in the army, marking the beginning of the Congo Crisis. Lumumba appealed to the United States and the United Nations for help to suppress the Belgian-supported Katangan secessionists led by Moïse Tshombe. Both refused due to suspicions among the Western world that Lumumba ambiguously held pro-communist views. These suspicions deepened when Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union for assistance, which the CIA described as a "classic communist takeover".This led to growing differences with President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and chief-of-staff Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, as well as with the United States and Belgium, who opposed the Soviet Union in the Cold War.Over the years, inquiries have shed light on the events surrounding Lumumbaâs death and, in particular, on the role played by Belgium, and the United States.In 2002, Belgium formally apologised for its role in the assassination. This poster is condemning his assassination and
highlighting the ties America had to his death and America's ties to Mobutu Sese Seko. Seko was president of the Democratric Republic of Congo from 1965 1971, and was leader of Zaire from 1971 to 1997. He wa supported by America and Belgium due to his opposition of Communism - he had a very close relationship to the Reagan administration. This poster was was issued by OSPAAAL - OSPAAAL is the Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America. abbreviated as OSPAAAL, was a Cuban political movement with the stated purpose of fighting globalisation, imperialism, neoliberalism and defending human rights. The OSPAAAL was founded in Havana in January 1966, after the Tricontinental Conference, a meeting of over 500 delegates and 200 observers from over 82 countries.
Acting as the "key bridge" to unite liberation struggles and movements in the three continents, OSPAAAL's main objective is the promotion of anti-imperialism and socialism.[1] The Organization of American States (OAS) called OSPAAAL "the most dangerous threat that international communism has yet made against the inter-American system".
OSPAAAL's motto was "This great humanity has said: enough! And has started to move forward".
Until 2019, it published the magazine Tricontinental as their main transnational communication tool. After the closing of OSPAAAL by the Cuban Government,the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research seeks to continue the heritage of the Tricontinental conference and the organization. They "stand, in the words of Franz Fanon, with the wretched of the earth to create a world of human beings."
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