In 1960, sixteen newly independent African nations joined the United Nations, triggering a political change that shifted the majority vote from colonial powers to the Global South. As Nikita Khrushchev famously pounds his shoe at the UN in protest against neo-colonial resource exploitation, the U.S. State Department sends jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo in an effort to distract from a CIA-backed coup. This hypnotic film essay weaves together compelling connections between post-war jazz, U.S. imperialism, and the Pan-African decolonisation movement. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars.

This screening is curated by Maona Art in partnership with the Black Association of Rhodes Scholars (BARS) and the African Society (AfriSoc, Oxford Student Society) as a fundraiser for Friends Of The Congo (FOTC). FOTC supports the liberation of the DRC from an individual to institutional level. They promote public education and awareness about the severity of the ongoing crisis in the DRC, in addition to investing in the efforts of the Basandja Coalition for the Rights of Indigenous People and Local Communities (frontline organisations reaching nearly 2 million people in the DRC). You can read more about their work here: https://friendsofthecongo.org/campaigns/

The ticket price for this screening includes a £3.00 charitable donation to Friends Of The Congo. Please consider adding a further donation to your purchase (on the MY ORDER page during the online booking process).

Reviews

‘It might manifest as a straightforward historical documentary, but the fascinating, hypnotic Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat unfolds into something much deeper — and more sinister.’
★★★★
Aaron Tyme, Time Out

‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is a dense and meticulously constructed picture.’
★★★★
Philip Concannon, Little White Lies