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
Popular Podcasts
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.
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
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.