Director Raoul Peck And The Legacy Of Lumumba

Raoul Peck is the celebrated director of acclaimed films about both his native Haiti and DR Congo, where he lived in exile. Peck is also a political activist whose films are acts of protest against injustice and corruption.
Born in Haiti in 1953, Raoul Peck and his family fled the Duvalier dictatorship in 1961 and found asylum in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Just the year before, in 1960, the DR Congo had gained its independence from Belgium after a long and often violent struggle. The struggle continued for years afterwards, with the events having a great influence on Peck and his later career.
Peck was educated firstly in the DR Congo, then later in the USA and France, where he earned his baccalaureate. He also studied industrial engineering and economics in Germany before starting a career in film, eventually receiving an M.F.A in Film at the German Film and Television Academy (DFFB) in 1988.

His work while at DFFB and subsequent teaching posts across Europe established him as one of the most prominent black filmmakers. One of his first and most successful films, a documentary titled Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Lumumba: Death of a Prophet), visited a topic that he would later address in full feature-length form: the political life and subsequent murder of Patrice Lumumba. It was widely critically acclaimed; winning awards at the Amiens and Fribourg International Film Festival amongst others, and cemented the reputation of Peck as a remarkable filmmaker. His next work, L’homme sur les quais (The Man by the Shore), became the first Haitian film to be released in theatres in the USA and was entered in the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Peck’s importance as a Haitian filmmaker was further highlighted by his appointment as Culture Minister for Haiti in 1996. Of this appointment, Peck has said, ‘It was a choice but also a need: because of my films, my commitment and because of a country which, generation after generation, destroys its resources.’ He remained in the post for eighteen months, which he described as a ‘harsh, ruthless political struggle’, and which influenced him to return to the subject of Patrice Lumumba.

Lumumba had been elected as the first Prime Minster of the independent DR Congo in 1960. He fought hard for a united Congo, one that was not divided by ethnic or geographical differences, but was deposed after just 12 weeks in power and assassinated shortly after. Lumumba’s political ideas and legacy clearly had a lasting effect on Peck, who labeled Lumumba’s story as ‘a tragedy that has never ceased to echo throughout all the recent tragedies in Africa and Europe, from Rwanda to Yugoslavia.’

Peck’s narrative film Lumumba, released in 2000, told the story from Lumumba’s rise as Prime Minster to his violent death, highlighting the struggle for freedom that Lumumba, and many citizens of Congo lost their lives for. There is still an air of mystery surrounding his murder, especially regarding the involvement of America’s CIA. In 2002, two years after Peck’s Lumumba was released, the Belgian government apologized to the Congolese people for its responsibility in his murder.

Peck’s international reputation is reflected in him being named a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, as well as in his decorations of Honour and Merit Order in Haiti and Order of the Arts and Literature in France.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.