Lumumba Color | Eco-friendly unisex hoodie

Material: 85% organic combed ring-spun cotton, 15% recycled polyester

Fit: relaxed

Fabric weight: 281.42 g/m²

Fitted sleeves

The fabric of this product is certified for its organic cotton content.

Sizing advice: this style runs large for the European market. Choose one size smaller than your usual size and consult the size guide.

The very first drawing in the United Souls collection, this portrait of Patrice Lumumba by Marie-Claire Laffaire holds a foundational place in the brand’s history.

It draws inspiration from one of the last photographs of Lumumba, captured in Katanga with his hands tied behind his back. Created in pencil using a subtractive technique, the drawing reveals Marie-Claire’s keen sense of perspective and her ability to capture the full power of his gaze.

It was this gaze that left a lasting impression on the founder of United Souls. He sees conviction in it, as though Lumumba were saying: “I may have come half a century too soon, but Congo will one day be free.” These words are not a quotation from Lumumba, but a personal interpretation of the strength emanating from the portrait.

Whether kept in black and white in the Classic version or enhanced with a wash of pastel colour in the Color version, the drawing remains anchored in that same gaze.

THE MARTYR OF AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE
PATRICE EMERY LUMUMBA (1925–1961) – DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Born on 2 July 1925 in Onalua, Patrice Emery Lumumba attained the status of an “évolué”, a colonial designation for Africans considered assimilated into European culture, in a Belgian Congo shaped by paternalism. Embracing Pan-Africanism after attending a conference in Accra in December 1958, he won the May 1960 elections and became Prime Minister.

On 30 June 1960, his speech on Congo’s independence day denounced Belgian colonialism and provoked King Baudouin’s anger. A few days later, the Congo Crisis erupted: mutiny, secessions and foreign interference. Lumumba tried to save his country, coveted for its vast resources.

He was eventually arrested and executed during the night of 16–17 January 1961, alongside Okito and Mpolo. Their bodies were buried, exhumed and dissolved in acid. In June 2022, Belgium returned to Congo a tooth belonging to Lumumba that had been kept by a mercenary.