Soundtrack to a coup d'etat

In 1961, as the newly independent Congo was plunged into a deep political crisis, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, prominent figures in the Civil Rights Movement, interrupted a session of the UN Security Council to protest the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. Beneath the surface, the country’s uranium resources were fuelling Western ambitions and interference. The United Nations became the stage for a major geopolitical confrontation. Meanwhile, Louis Armstrong, hailed as the “Ambassador of Jazz,” was sent to the Congo by the United States on a mission that also sought to divert attention from the CIA-backed coup. Through archival footage, testimonies, and literary accounts, director Johan Grimonprez creates a dizzying documentary in which music meets history, and jazz becomes a witness to the struggles for independence and freedom. The evening will continue with a live concert of Congolese rumba by Brussels-based artist and composer Youri Botterman (combined ticket at the entrance).