Trumpets blared and drums rattled as the proud procession moved down Leopoldville's broad Boulevard Albert I to celebrate the Congo's second anniversary of independence. President Joseph Kasavubu and Premier Cyrille Adoula took the salute from the black soldiers of the new Garde Républicaine, who were decked out in powder-blue uniforms with black lace trimming and red feathered hats. Along the route, 20,000 Congolese added their cheers to the festive occasion.
The panoply was welcome relief from the drabness of life in the Congo today. Six months after the end of the bloody...
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