Belgian director Johan Grimonprez's Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat recreates a devastating period in history through the lens of jazz. For his uniquely powerful film, Grimonprez received an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
In 1960, the same year the Democratic Republic of the Congo gained its independence from colonial rule and joined the United Nations, thanks largely to newly-elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, Louis Armstrong brought New Orleans jazz to the country. Starting in 1955, the State Department had been flying prominent jazz musicians around the world in order to promote diplomacy (the 2018 PBS documentary Jazz Ambassadors provides a fine overview of the program).
If the Congolese appreciated what Armstrong and his band were putting down, Russian Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev failed to see the appeal of jazz, which he found cacophonous--he went so far as to compare it to gastrointestinal distress.
More significantly, though, Belgium wasn't prepared to let the uranium-rich African nation go without a fight, and just after Independence Day on June 30, 1960, when everyone should have been celebrating, things turned ugly.
There's nothing quite as volatile as the combination of racism and greed, and the United Nations and the United States, especially the wealthy industrialist sector, sided with Belgium over the people of the Congo, who had democratically elected Lumumba. Systematically, the prime minister and his associates were ostracized, neutralized, replaced--and killed.
When Armstrong learned that his concert was arranged as a distraction by CIA-aided, anti-Lumumba forces, rather than the goodwill gesture the State Department had promised, he was so incensed he threatened to renounce his American citizenship and move to Ghana, one of several nations that supported Congolese independence. Khrushchev, another Congolese supporter, may have been wrong about jazz, but he wasn't wrong about the evils of colonialism and imperialism.
Using archival footage combined with interviews and readings and on-screen extracts from several non-fiction texts about the era, including human rights activist Andrée Blouin's memoir, Grimonprez examines the politics of Belgium, the Congo, Russia, Ghana, Guinea, Cuba, and the US to show why a coup d'etat took place--and how jazz was involved.
The African and American music in the film, from Armstrong, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, and others can't be beat. If the leaders of the Western world abandoned the Congo in its hour of need, the jazz world, combined with literary luminaries like poet Maya Angelou, did everything they could to call out the injustice.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, Johan Grimonprez's highest-profile film to date, reveals a shameful period in history and gives the musicians who spoke truth to power their due. It's one of the decade's finest documentaries. Highly recommended.
What academic subjects or university courses would benefit from this documentary about the Congo Crisis?
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat is an exceptional resource for courses in African history, Cold War politics, postcolonial studies, international relations, Black studies, music history, and documentary filmmaking. By weaving together archival footage, political history, and the global influence of jazz, the film demonstrates how culture and diplomacy became intertwined during one of the twentieth century's most consequential geopolitical crises. It is particularly valuable for students examining decolonization, Western intervention in Africa, and the role artists played in challenging injustice on the international stage.
Which library audiences should watch Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat?
This documentary will appeal to patrons interested in world history, jazz, civil rights, African politics, and award-winning documentary filmmaking. History enthusiasts will appreciate its detailed examination of the Congo Crisis and the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, while music lovers will enjoy its outstanding soundtrack featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Miriam Makeba, and other legendary performers. Libraries serving African studies, political science, or music programs will find it especially valuable, and it also makes an excellent choice for community screenings followed by discussions on colonialism, diplomacy, and the power of cultural activism.
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