Mass Murder at The Rumble in the Jungle
In 1965, in a bloodless coup, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, commander of the Republic of the Congo’s armed forces, seized power and declared himself president. The former Belgian colony had achieved independence in 1960, but the country was rife with corruption, violence, and vast potential. In 1972, Mobutu undertook a new national policy of Authenticité to shed the nation of the last remnants of its colonial shackles and renamed it the Republic of Zaire. He also renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga, which translated to “The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake.”
Sese Seko modernized the country to exploit its vast mineral and agricultural resources. He did not undertake this to better Zaire’s people but to line his own pockets. For that potential to be reaped, the country needed foreign investment capital. Mobutu’s recent self-conferment of the title president for life and nationalization of foreign-owned assets did not bolster investor confidence.
In 1973, American boxing promoter Don King planned a match between heavyweight world champion George Foreman and former champion Muhammad Ali. He succeeded in getting them to agree to the fight by promising a ten-million-dollar purse, five million for each fighter. There was only one problem; the brash promoter did not have the money. King never viewed any obstacle as insurmountable, and through intermediaries, found a deep pocket in Sese Seko. King sold the dictator on the idea of how the fight would bring Zaire prominence on the world stage through its enormous publicity; all Sese Seko had to do was put up the money.
Using re-routed Zairean government funds, Sese Seko provided King with ten million dollars for the prize money. And then, in a series of financial and legal machinations, established personal offshore banking accounts to funnel Zaire’s portion of the boxing match’s profits into his own hands.
Sese Seko wanted the event to go flawlessly with so much at stake, both to himself and Zaire. Kinshasa, Zaire’s capital and host city for the fight, would soon be teeming with foreigners. The last thing the president for life wanted to see was any sign of crime, petty or otherwise, during the month of the match. The international community must see Kinshasa as a world-class city; modern, vibrant, and safe.
As a pre-emptive step, Sese Seko had his army round up one thousand of the “usual criminal suspects” and brought them to the stadium where the boxing match would be held. The army lined up the would-be culprits and then shot every tenth person. Those left alive were jailed until the fight was over, and everyone, including those criminals not scooped up in the sweep, clearly understood Sese Seko’s wishes. There was no crime in Kinshasa during the month of the fight.
On October 30, 1974, the boxing match christened the “Rumble in the Jungle” had sixty thousand people crowd the stadium alongside another one billion television viewers. In an upset victory, 4 to 1 favourite Foreman was knocked out by Ali in the eighth round. The event brought in over $100 million in revenues. Sese Seko himself reaped a personal windfall of fifty million dollars while presenting the new Zaire as a debutante on the world stage.
Insight and Application: While no moral person would advocate murder as a communication tool, Sese Seko’s message was plainly evident, unambiguous, and promised quick retribution for defying the president for life’s demands. If you are going to send a message, make it a clear one.
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