Odinga Lumumba - the fearless and outspoken activist and agitator died from complications of a stroke on Saturday afternoon at the Karl Heusner Hospital. 62 year old Lumumba was born Wilhelm Bulwer but later changed his name when he converted to Islam. He was buried yesterday in keeping with Islamic tradition.
The history books will chronicle his central role in the 1981 Heads of Agreement uprising or his role as an advisor to Jerry Rawlings in Ghana between 1988 and 2001, after which he was incarcerated as a political prisoner. He returned to Belize in January of 2003, deported from Ghana where Rawlings had been ousted. Sent back to his home country, the aging rebel found new prominence in Belize where the unrest of 2005 bore similarities to the ferment of 1981.
Keith Swift took a look back at the last day's of Lumumba's activism and found that he was a rebel, without a pause.
Odinga Lumumba,
[May 25th, 2004] "You are the petty bourgeoisie, psuedo?intellectuals. This type of program should have been in the Bishop Sylvester place, Saint Mary's Hall, various communes where the people can really relate to what our future education system is about. It's wrong what we are doing to our Belizean people.
And Mr. Shoman he knows me very well; he came to Ghana I introduced him to people of importance in Ghana. When I was arrested in Ghana Mr. Shoman denied knowing Odinga Lumumba. I spent 16 months in solitary confinement because of your denial and you stand here today and you are talking of what? Education of our children and when you are a fake, you're a psuedo?intellectual. You! What have you done to deserve this privilege?" (Scattered applause)
Odinga Lumumba's resurgence into the spotlight began with his now unforgettable tirade against Assad Shoman at the 2004 Education Summit and from then this longtime rebel used a time of crisis to work himself into the national dialogue.
He was there when Port Workers stormed the Port and in Belmopan at the National Assembly during a union protest. He was always outspoken, always in the line of the fire, and always opinionated. Speaking to me back in March, in what would be his last television interview, Lumumba spoke passionately about the 1981 Heads of Agreement uprising. He also lashed out at the PUP administration for failing Belizeans and urged Belizeans to take back their country.
Odinga Lumumba,
[March 31st 2005] "When they talk to you of the Heads of Agreement they mention riot but the Heads of Agreement was an uprising against a document that was unjust and not in the interest of the Belizean people, that was what the Heads of Agreement was all about. The PUP party, always it is this particular party that makes this decision against the Belizean people so they introduced that Heads of Agreement, they came with a bogus constitution, and they have been robbing the state. This particular administration has reached a level where nepotism and all form and manner of corruption exist in this society. That's why I'm saying that both political parties are responsible for the situation and now I'm saying its up to the Belizean people to clear this deck, to get rid of this filth which has taken over our country."
A call to arms from a man who carried arms many times in his many struggles but lost his most important battle on Saturday afternoon.
Lumumba is survived by two sisters who live in California. He was buried at a location off the Coastal Road.
