Zaire 74

Soul Power, released in 2008 and directed by Jeffrey Livin- Levy- Hinton, is a brilliant example of how music documentary can illuminate much larger historical narratives.

The film documents the Zaire 1974 music festival held in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in September 1974.

This three-day festival captured legendary soul, funk, and R&B artists, James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, The Spinners, and others, performing for African, uh, audiences as part of an event designed to draw global attention to Zaire.

As they had for so many of these iconic performances, Woodstock's Chipmunk was in Zaire as well, lighting the fes-festivities.

Tell us the story of

this, Zaire 74.

Zaire 74, yeah.

So we've been thinking a lot recently, obviously, with all the Macklemore, Ed Sheeran debacle about what's music's place in terms of pushing political boundaries.

This was a festival that took place in 1974 in Zaire, now known as Democratic Republic of Congo, which is where my dad is from.