Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle for independence in the Congo put the world on high alert. The newly independent nation faced its first coup d'état, orchestrated by Western forces and Belgium, which were reluctant to relinquish control over their resource-rich former colony. The US tried to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated, silencing a key voice in the fight against colonialism; his death was facilitated by Belgian and CIA operatives. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach took action, denouncing imperialism and structural racism. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev intensified his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barriers that characterized American society.
- 7.6
- 2024
- Released
- 2h 30m
Patrice Lumumba
Self (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong
Self (archive footage)
Nikita Khrushchev
Self (archive footage)
Dizzy Gillespie
Self (archive footage)
Andrée Blouin
Self (archive footage)
Abbey Lincoln
Self (archive footage)Max Roach
Self (archive footage)
Malcolm X
Self (archive footage)
Nina Simone
Self (archive footage)
John Coltrane
Self (archive footage)
Duke Ellington
Self (archive footage)
Miriam Makeba
Self (archive footage)Conor Cruise O’Brien
Self (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self (archive footage)
René Magritte
Self (archive footage)
Allen Dulles
Self (archive footage)In Koli Jean Bofane
Self
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Self (archive footage)
Fidel Castro
Self (archive footage)
Released
fr
$311,457.00
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