SoulPower

October 30, 1974, the Rumble in the Jungle in what was then called Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the 8th round of a 15 round bout, regaining his World Heavy Weight title.

The event was well-documented in director Leon Gast’s Oscar-winning documentary, “When We Were Kings,” which was held up for about 20 years by financial and legal issues, before being released commercially in 1996.

But I want to draw your attention to another related documentary titled “Soul Power,” which was released in the USA on this day, July 10th, 2009.

In brief, the critically-acclaimed verité documentary chronicles the 12-hour, three-night long concert held in then Kinshasa, Zaire, which was the dream-child of South African musician Hugh Masekela and American record producer Stewart Levine, that became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with the Rumble in the Jungle.

This legendary music festival was dubbed “Zaire ‘74.” It highlights the experiences and performances of musical luminaries who headlined the event, like James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, TPOK Jazz, and Tabu Ley Rochereau, among a host of others.

The concert has achieved mythological significance as the definitive Africa/African-American musical event of the 20th Century given its Pan-Africanist origins and overall make-up. In addition to promoting the Ali-Foreman fight, “Zaire ’74” was intended to present and promote cultural solidarity between African American and African people. Thirty one performing groups, 17 from continental Africa and 14 from overseas, performed.

The documentary that resulted also included extensive outtakes that remained after making “When We Were Kings,” which documented the epic title fight, but relegated the music festival to a small, supporting role.

The outtakes remained vaulted for more than 30 years, until this 2009 documentary, lensed primarily by celebrated cinematographer Albert Maysles, who died last year (March 2015).

“Soul Power” is available on several home video platforms, including DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download and rental.

Unfortunately it’s not streaming on Netflix.

Check out a trailer for “Soul Power” below, and look for it on home video:

Soul Power

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week