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

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

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

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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

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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

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