Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Soundtrack to a Coup D’État viser hvordan CIA utnyttet afroamerikanske musikere som våpen ved å bruke deres musikk og innflytelse som kulturelle ambassadører for å utvide amerikansk innflytelse i Afrika, spesielt i det ressursrike Belgiske Kongo—hvor Patrice Lumumba nettopp hadde blitt myrdet under svært tvilsomme omstendigheter.

I 1960 blir seksten afrikanske land medlemmer av FN, et politisk jordskjelv som flyttet flertallets stemme fra kolonimaktene og USA til det globale sør. Kongo blir arenaen der kampen om FN utspiller seg. Mens Nikita Khrusjtsjov hamrer skoen sin på FN-toppmøtet som reaksjon på det nykoloniale grepet om ressursene i nylig uavhengige Kongo, blir FN-delegater fra afrikanske land utsatt for utpressing. I en utrolig vending forener mordet på Patrice Lumumba den afroasiatiske blokken, som krever at FNs generalforsamling stemmer for øyeblikkelig verdensomspennende avkolonisering.

I denne svært eksplosive konteksten sender den amerikanske regjeringen ut personer som Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie og Nina Simone som jazzambassadører rundt om i verden—som en avledning fra CIA-støttede kupp.

En film med en elektrisk rollebesetning som inkluderer Fidel Castro, Malcolm X, Miles Davis, Dag Hammarskjöld, Nikita Khrusjtsjov, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Leonid Bresjnev og generelt en eksplosiv rollebesetning i en eksplosiv politisk uro, som forsøkes helbredet av jazzens magi.

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An epic journey through the 20th century. This explosive film juxtaposes political turmoil with the magic of jazz. It features many of the era’s key musical and cultural talents—from Miles Davis to Miriam Makeba, Louis Armstrong to Nina Simone.

11. October
Join an insightful discussion after the screening with renowned film editor Rik Chaubet, who has masterfully crafted this film from a rich array of archival material.

This densely hyperactive and electrifying assemblage of sound and image tells the story of a CIA-backed Cold War coup in Congo—and the American jazz musicians weaponised in its cause.

Soundtrack to a Coup D’État shows us how the CIA weaponised African American musicians without their knowledge, using their music and power as cultural ambassadors to extend American influence in Africa, particularly in the resource-rich Belgian Congo—where Patrice Lumumba had just been assassinated under very dubious circumstances.

In 1960, sixteen newly independent African countries entered the United Nations, a political earthquake that shifted the majority vote from the colonial powers and the U.S. to the global South. Congo became the arena in which the battle over the UN was fought. As Nikita Khrushchev pounded his shoe at the UN in reaction to the neo-colonial grab of the resources of the newly independent Congo, UN delegates from African countries were blackmailed. In an incredible twist, Patrice Lumumba’s assassination united the Afro-Asian bloc, leading to a demand in the UN General Assembly for immediate worldwide decolonisation.

In this highly explosive context, the United States government dispatched the likes of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nina Simone as Jazz Ambassadors around the world—as a diversion from CIA-backed coups. Featuring a cast including Fidel Castro, Malcolm X, Miles Davis, Dag Hammarskjöld, Nikita Khrushchev, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Leonid Brezhnev, and an explosive ensemble, the film portrays a period of intense political turmoil, with jazz as a healing force.