Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Jazz and decolonization intertwine in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the most tense episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN becomes the stage for a political earthquake when the fight for independence in the Congo puts the world on high alert. The newly independent country faces its first coup d’état, orchestrated by Western forces, while the US tries to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong on a diplomatic mission to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba is brutally assassinated, silencing a central voice in the fight against colonialism. Inspired by his memory and outraged by global injustice, musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach decide to take action, denouncing the imperialism and structural racism that permeated international relations at the time. At the same time, Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, intensifies his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barrier that marked American society.