Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat is a documentary film that intertwines jazz and decolonization as it recounts one of the Cold War's most tense episodes: the 1961 murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. The film features archival footage and interviews with key figures, including Nikita Khrushchev, Louis Armstrong, and Andrée Blouin, to tell the story of how African self-determination was undermined during this period. This powerful narrative sheds light on a forgotten episode of history that highlights the intertwined forces of jazz, politics, and colonialism in 1960s Africa, where American musicians performed for unwitting audiences while CIA operatives covertly operated amidst the turmoil.