Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (+ Interval) (12A)
How Cold War politics, colonialism and jazz intertwined in 1960s Congo. All set to a syncopated, driving beat.
Set during the final months of the revolutionary Congolese politician Patrice Lumumba’s life, Grimonprez’s documentary, anchored by the rhythm of American jazz, forensically investigates the incendiary politics of the nascent Democratic Republic of Congo in 1960. In doing so, it reveals disturbing truths about the decolonial struggle between global political powers.
The film tells the story of the CIA’s use of unwitting jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong as distractions to cover their political meddling in various countries.
We meet the incredible women’s rights activist Andrée Blouin – Lumumba’s adviser and speechwriter. There are flash-forward peeps at ads for iPhones and Teslas, pulling together how the mineral resources of the DRC made it such a prized target for colonial powers, and tying the country’s past to the unfolding story in the present day.
Informative, exhaustively researched, but never dry or didactic, this is a phenomenal achievement by Grimonprez, who holds his own country to account. All set to a phenomenal Max Roach, Nina Simone, Ornate Coleman and John Coltrane soundtrack.
With interval.
Part of Winter Of Culture, curated by Remi Vibesman