All Episodes

July 3, 2025 26 mins

 


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: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/mobutu-sese-seko

---

You might like:

🔓 Unlock bonus episodes, interactive transcripts, subtitles & vocabulary lists

5 Powerful Tips for Learning English with Podcasts (Faster & Effectively!) [YouTube]

📹 A look inside Leonardo English membership

📧 Join our FREE weekly newsletter

---

Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2

Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2

Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.