Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

2024/09/11 • Released • English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Dutch, Russian

Documentary
History
7.2
2h 30m

Overview

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.

Director : Johan Grimonprez

Casts
Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Lumumba

Self (archive footage)

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Self (archive footage)

Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Khrushchev

Self (archive footage)

Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie

Self (archive footage)

Andrée Blouin

Self (archive footage)

Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln

Self (archive footage)

Max Roach

Self (archive footage)

Malcolm X

Malcolm X

Self (archive footage)

Nina Simone

Nina Simone

Self (archive footage)

John Coltrane

John Coltrane

Self (archive footage)

Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

Self (archive footage)

Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

Self (archive footage)

Conor Cruise O’Brien

Self (archive footage)

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Self (archive footage)

René Magritte

René Magritte

Self (archive footage)

Allen Dulles

Allen Dulles

Self (archive footage)

In Koli Jean Bofane

Self

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Self (archive footage)

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Self (archive footage)

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