Soundtrack to a Coup d'État
12A
Why watch?
“Wowza! This was an emotional, musical journey. I was outraged and empowered. I cannot recommend this innovative and exciting documentary enough for lovers any of the following: jazz, history, politics, liberation and Africa.”
Mosa Mpetha,
Creative Engagement Officer
Hyde Park Pick: Soundtrack to a Coup d'État
In 1960, sixteen newly independent African countries enter the United Nations: a political earthquake that shifts the majority vote from the colonial powers to the global south. Congo becomes the arena in which the battle over the UN is fought.
As Nikita Khrushchev pounds his shoe at the UN top in reaction to the neocolonial grab of the resources of the newly independent Congo, UN delegates from African Countries are blackmailed. In an incredulous twist, Patrice Lumumba’s assassination unites the Afro-Asian block, demanding the UN General Assembly to vote for immediate worldwide decolonisation.
"A vibrant, jazz-led history lesson on colonial machinations in the Congo" - David Opie, IndieWire
"[The] music presents a kind of commentary on Lumumba’s struggle and defeat but, in Grimonprez’s telling, has a tragic dimension of its own" - Sam Davies, Sight and Sound
Cinema Africa! tickets come with the special offer 4 for the price of 3, or 14 for the price of 10. The discount will be applied in the checkout process.
Details
“His documentary is rhythmic and propulsive, with reverberating sound and images juxtaposed against one another to lend more meaning. The result, in a word, is marvelous.”
The New York Times
“Informative, exhaustively researched, but never dry or didactic, this is a phenomenal achievement by Grimonprez, who holds his own country to account for its shameful role in this sorry tale.”
The Observer
“The film, with its dazzling musical energy, its complex narrative sweep and its dizzying cast of characters, finally emerges as a tragedy: a story of promises broken and trust betrayed, echoing into our own era with all the force and feeling of a ballad from Armstrong’s horn.”
Wall Street Journal
