Part one of the definitive history and visual record of the rise and fall…
Mobutu, King of Zaire - Part 3
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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This is the definitive visual record of the rise and fall of Joseph Désiré Mobutu, ruler of Zaire (the Congo) for over 30 years. Drawing upon 140 hours of rare archival material found in Kinshasa, and 50 hours of interviews with those once close to him, MOBUTU, KING OF ZAIRE tells the story of the man at the heart of Central Africa's post-colonial history.
This is part three of three parts.
Part Three - THE END OF A REIGN
As the Cold War ended, Mobutu partied on the Mediterranean Coast with French and Belgian officials, prominent Americans and other dignitaries. Covering the years from 1988 to 1997, Part Three includes footage of these lavish affairs, even as close friend Nicolai Ceausescu is being tried and executed. A warning Mobutu did not heed.
Despite U.S. President George Bush's assertions, again captured on film, that Mobutu was 'our most valued friend in Africa,' with the Cold War over he felt increasing pressure from the West to pay his own way (and open the political process to opposition).
The film documents the emergence of an opposition movement in Kinshasa led by Etienne Tshisekedi, the development of the National Conference from 1990 to 1992, and the rebellion led by Laurent Desire Kabila in 1996. In May, 1997 Kabila, Mobutu, and South Africa's President Nelson Mandela met in Kinshasa, within weeks Kabila took the city, Mobutu fled, and he died in exile in September of that year. The film uses the best contemporary documentary material of all of these events.
Thierry Michel, whose two previous films on the Congo, THE LAST COLONIALS and ZAIRE, CYCLE OF THE SERPENT, are also distributed by First Run / Icarus Films, has crafted an essential history and documentary resource
'A stunning documentary of the life of Mobuto... one of Africa's most notorious postcolonial despots.'-American Historical Review
'Rejects shrill indictment in favor of the cumulative revelation of its subject through film and the testimony of knowledgeable Mobutu aides and other qualified individuals. [This film] is the devastating witness that lays bare the homicidal, corrupt, vainglorious tyranny of Mobutu Sese Seko.'-The New York Times
'Remarkable! A film of almost literally fantastic footage and revealing interviews. Students should see it... Excellent!'-David Moore, University of Natal, Durban, for H-SAfrica
'Previously unseen archive footage interspersed with interviews with survivors of Mobutu's inner circle makes for great cinematic drama. A rarity.'-Mail and Guardian
'A tremendous documentary on the folly of power.'-Le Monde
Citation
Main credits
Michel, Thierry (creator)
Michel, Thierry (film director)
Michel, Thierry (screenwriter)
Michel, Thierry (narrator)
Pireaux, Christine (film producer)
Barbé, Martine (film producer)
Lalou, Serge (film producer)
Yoka Lye Mudaba (narrator)
Other credits
Music, Marc Herouet.
Distributor subjects
Africa; African Studies; Biographies; Comparative Government; Congo; History (World); PoliticsKeywords
Michel; Thierry; Congo; Zaire; film; video; archival; archives; Joseph; Desire; Mobutu; Mobutu; Sese; Seko; Laurent; Desire; Kabila; Etienne Tshisekedi; Patrice Lumumba; documentary; film; video; DVD; congolese; "Mobutu; King of Zaire - Part 3"; Icarus Films;
WEBVTT
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[music]
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Having just being promoted to Lieutenant
General, Mobutu carries out a coup in 1965,
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and establishes a dictatorship in the former
Belgian Congo which he renamed Zaire.
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Two years later, he shows himself to be a
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Machiavellian prince, fearsome and especially
cunning. He uses every means available
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to a despond, based on bloodthirsty
repression, murder and disappearances,
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and trumped-up plots.
When civil war breaks out
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incited by his opponents in exile and by a
revolt of political dissidents, Mobutu\'s power
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is shaken and he institutionalizes a
dictatorship based on top-to-bottom corruption.
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In order to assure his durability, he
proclaims himself Marshal of Zaire
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and amasses for himself an immense fortune based on the
systematic plundering of the riches of the country.
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[music]
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Mobutu accruing and accumulating has
stopped counting his billions of dollars,
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his villas in Africa,
his mansions in Europe.
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Instead, he holds sumptuous receptions in his villa
on the Cote d\'Azur for the International Jet Set.
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[music]
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Among the invited that day, General Lacaze,
chief of staff of President Mitterrand,
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Mr. Bemba Saolona,
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President of the Employers of Zaire,
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Mr. Herman De Croo,
former Belgian minister,
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Mr. Pierre de Vos, Director
of News RTB Television,
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Mr. Melvin Daimali(ph),
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President of the Black Caucus
on the American Congress,
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President Mobutu\'s family.
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Mr. Raymond Burr former
prime minister of France,
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Mr. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand,
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son of the President of
the French Republic.
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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Soon one reception starts to
resemble another for Mobutu.
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In spite of the intoxication of power,
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in spite of the fortune, (inaudible)
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sometimes gains the upper hand.
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[music]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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Well, Zaire is among
America\'s oldest friends.
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And its president, President Mobutu,
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one of our most valued friends.
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Entire continent of Africa. I\'ve found
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President Mobutu\'s analysis
valuable and we support him
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as he strives to peacefully resolve problems.
And we thank him for his leadership.
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And we\'re proud and very, very pleased
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to have you with us today. Thank you, sir.
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He also played upon of course the potential, the economic
potential of Zaire in the international community.
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I mean, look, we have this cobalt, we have this
copper, we have diamonds, we have everything.
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Therefore you have to understand the importance
of this country. At that stage for example,
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cobalt was considered by the United States to be a
strategic mineral. We needed for our defense industry
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so we bought several thousand tons of
cobalt in a special purchase from Mobutu
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which he liked very much.
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Mobutu is a murderer. (inaudible)
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.
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Mobutu is a murderer.
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(inaudible)
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. Mobutu is a murderer.
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Mobutu is a murderer. (inaudible)
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.
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(inaudible)
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Mobutu is a murderer.
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[music]
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Great dictators end up by both
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recognizing and meeting each other.
For the second time, Mobutu visits
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his old friend Nicolae Ceaușescu, President
of the Socialist Republic of Romania
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in power for more than 20 years.
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[music]
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[non-English narration]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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My impression was he was forced into
the step of the democratization.
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
He didn\'t really believe in it.
But he felt it was necessary
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
if he was to avoid a civil
war, another civil war.
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
And also I suppose through oppression,
pressures coming from the western…
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
from Europe, from possibly
the… the United States.
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
Under the pressure of
events, the guiding light
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
has no choice but to accept a major
debate in public. A national conference
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is charged with organizing
the transition to democracy.
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Under the leadership of
Monsignor Monsengwo,
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the 2,850 participants from all over
the country publicly denounced the
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totalitarian rule of the supreme
guide, Marshal Mobutu Sese Seko.
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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While poverty becomes
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more and more widespread among the
populous, the Mobutu clan strives to
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guarantee its political survival and
self-finance by a systematic withdrawal of funds
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from companies. This heralds the final
collapse of the public services
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:35.000
and the main industrial
structures of the country.
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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[sil.]
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His pride hurt, Mobutu suspends
the National Conference.
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He doesn\'t forgive them for setting up
a popular tribunal against his regime.
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The party\'s, the press and the
population mobilized themselves
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and organized a peaceful protest,
\"The March of Hope\" also known as
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
\"The March of the Christians.\"
The demonstration
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ends in a bloodbath. Dozens of protesters are
injured. Dozens of others are shot out of hand.
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:53.000
[sil.]
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[sil.]
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
Spat out by Kinshasa,
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reviled by the whole country, Mobutu withdraws
to the village of his childhood at Gbadolite.
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Here the leopard King realizes
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a fairytale dream, a luxurious
presidential palace built deep
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in the heart of the equatorial forest.
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:13.000
[sil.]
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:25.000
[sil.]
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:08.000
[sil.]
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:35.000
[sil.]
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:48.000
[sil.]
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
Breaking his solitude,
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
President Mobutu seeks comfort among
the local villages of the region.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:13.000
[sil.]
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:38.000
[sil.]
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:05.000
[sil.]
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:58.000
[sil.]
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
Meanwhile the country sinks into chaos.
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
In Kinshasa as well as in
the rest of the country,
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
the soldiers owed several months in
back pay revolt. They loot shops,
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
warehouses, houses, offices.
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
[sil.]
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.999
Very soon the population starving join in the
looting which takes on a political turn.
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
[sil.]
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
At Gbadolite, entrenched in his palace,
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
Mobutu still hopes to save an
illusory sovereignty over more than
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:10.000
14 million inhabitants taken
hostage by his predatory power.
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:48.000
[sil.]
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:15.000
[sil.]
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
In less than two years, Mobutu loses
two of his children in succession.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
But the death of Konga Mobutu
is also a political windfall.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
Suddenly the anger of the National Conference
softens, suddenly the Bantu feelings reappear
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
recalling deep-rooted alliances.
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
[music]
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
Politicians from all parties are present at the
funeral, with at their head Monsignor Monsengwo
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
President of the National Conference,
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
along with the leader of the opposition,
the uncompromising Etienne Tshisekedi.
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:08.000
[music]
00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
[sil.]
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
At Gbadolite, Mobutu and his
entourage hang onto power.
00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.999
After three decades of robbing the country,
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they have enough put away to hold
their own. Billions of dollars
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:39.999
are sitting in western banks allowing them
to wait patiently for better days to come.
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
[sil.]
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
If necessary they make their own plates
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
and print money in Austria,
in Argentina, in Brazil,
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
and in England which they need to
bribe, or to reward, or to corrupt.
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:08.000
[music]
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
[sil.]
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
Diagnosed as having cancer of the prostate, Mobutu is
hospitalized in Switzerland to undergo an operation.
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
[sil.]
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
Suddenly Zaire realizes that the
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
old dinosaur is not invincible and that the
illness can have a bearing on the logistics
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
of the ballot box or on the
lore of the strongest.
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
[music]
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
Taking advantage of the prolonged absence
of their leader, a rebellion breaks out
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
in the east of Zaire and sweeps through the
majority of the country. The insurrection
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
is lead by an old Lumumbist
rebel Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:35.000
[music]
00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.999
Convalescing in his villa
on the Cote d\'Azur,
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Mobutu finds himself alone, faced with
old age, sickness, and rebellion.
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:08.000
[sil.]
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:43.000
[sil.]
00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:18.000
[music]
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:28.000
[sil.]
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:15.000
[sil.]
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:28.000
[sil.]
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:45.000
[sil.]
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
The return of the old leopard is
a disappointment to his people.
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
Saying that nothing has changed
after all, the population
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mobilizes around the leader of the
opposition, Etienne Tshisekedi.
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
[sil.]
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
The demonstration is brutally repressed by
soldiers of the special presidential division.
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[sil.]
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:35.000
[sil.]
00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:14.999
Mobutu driven back by the
advance of the insurgents
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agrees to a meeting with the rebel
leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
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The peace talks are conducted
in the presence of the
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President of South Africa, the
wise old man Nelson Mandela.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:34.999
[sil.]
00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.999
It was a great honor for me
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to preside sovereignty
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:49.999
of two of the greater son of Africa.
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:58.000
[sil.]
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.999
President Mobutu has cooperated very
well to make this agreement possible.
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:19.999
And he understands that
as the head of state
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the responsibility lies primarily on him.
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:34.999
Court, thank you.
00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:39.999
[sil.]
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:44.999
Laurent-Désiré Kabila has but one word
00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:49.999
for the dictator, resign.
Mobutu humiliated,
00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:55.000
thinks of his family, his
generals, his relatives.
00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:35.000
[sil.]
00:55:40.000 --> 00:55:48.000
[sil.]
00:56:15.000 --> 00:56:20.000
[sil.]
00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:29.999
Thrown on to history\'s rubbish
tip, exiled and lonely,
00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:34.999
Mobutu dies in Morocco far from
the country of his ancestors.
00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:39.999
His burial in the Christian
cemetery of Rabat
00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:44.999
is a strictly family affair.
00:56:45.000 --> 00:56:49.999
The half God was not immortal.
00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:58.000
[music]
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 58 minutes
Date: 2000
Genre: Expository
Language: French; English / English subtitles
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Closed Captioning: Available
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