#555 | Mobutu Sese Seko | The King of the Kleptocrats

Meet Mobutu Sese Seko, the man who rose from a lowly army officer to become the autocratic ruler of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Wearing his signature leopard-skin hat, Mobutu rebranded the country as Zaire and himself as a symbol of African pride.

Despite his charismatic persona and lavish lifestyle, his regime left the country impoverished, highlighting the dangers of unchecked power and corruption.

• Mobutu Sese Seko's rise to power in Congo

• Congo's harsh colonial history under Belgian rule

• Mobutu's involvement in Patrice Lumumba's downfall

• Mobutu's 1965 coup and 32-year rule

• Renaming Congo to Zaire and introducing the Authenticité movement

• Mobutu's repressive regime and personality cult

• Corruption and Mobutu's embezzlement of state funds

• Economic decline and dependency on foreign aid

• Mobutu's fall from power and death in exile

• Mobutu's enduring legacy in modern-day DRC

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/mobutu-sese-seko

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