Soundtrack to a Coup d’État 16 LPV

This densely hyperactive masterpiece of documentary filmmaking tells the story of how the CIA weaponised African American musicians without their knowledge, using their music and power as cultural ambassadors to extend American influence in Africa, particularly the resource-rich Belgian Congo—where Patrice Lumumba had just been assassinated under very dubious circumstances. With its beautifully controlled barrage of sounds, words, and images building a coherent narrative around the CIA’s use of African American culture to consolidate its soft power and fight Soviet encroachment and the independence movements sweeping the world, the jazzy freeform structure of Soundtrack to a Coup d’État perfectly reflects the music that drives it. Featuring many of the era’s key musical and cultural talents—from Miles Davis to Miriam Makeba to Nina Simone—the film provides a unique perspective on the 20th century and a scorching reproach to US foreign policy and the machinations of the West’s intelligence agencies.