Read, Watch, Learn: Books to Pair with “Soundtrack to a Coup d’État”
Oscar season is here, and one of the films nominated for Best Documentary is available exclusively on Kanopy!
In Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided. This magnificent essay film is a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate. Watch the film on Kanopy here.
Bring Soundtrack to a Coup d’État to Your Library
By adding Kanopy to your library’s digital offerings, you can provide access to exclusive, high-quality films that spark conversation and learning.
Recommended Readalikes
To enhance the experience for library patrons, we’ve put together a list of books that explore similar themes. For patrons who want to dive deeper into the themes of political intrigue, music as a revolutionary force, and the complexities of global power struggles, these books offer valuable insights.
Pairing films like Soundtrack to a Coup d’État with compelling books deepens engagement and broadens perspectives. Visit Marketplace to add these titles to your collection today.
Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara
Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves.
3 Shades of Blue by James Kaplan
In 1959, America’s great indigenous art form, jazz, reached the height of its power and popularity. James Kaplan’s magnificent 3 Shades of Blue captures how that golden era came to be, and its pinnacle with the recording of Kind of Blue.
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
From acclaimed short fiction writer Nisi Shawl comes a brilliant alternate history set in the Congo, where heroes strive for a Utopia and endeavor to live together despite their differences.
White Malice by Susan Williams
In White Malice, Susan Williams unearths the covert operations pursued by the CIA from Ghana to the Congo to the UN in an effort to frustrate and deny Africa’s new generation of nationalist leaders.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
A juvenile biography of African American jazz virtuoso Melba Doretta Liston, a pioneering twentieth-century trombone player, composer, and music arranger at a time when few women, of any race, played brass instruments and were part of the jazz scene.
Find all these books and more in Marketplace.
How Libraries Can Use This Pairing
Offering curated watch-and-read lists enhances patrons’ learning experiences. Here are a few ways to leverage this list:
- Book Displays & Digital Collections – Create a featured collection around Soundtrack to a Coup d’État and its companion reads.
- Film & Book Discussions – Host virtual or in-person discussions exploring the film and its literary counterparts.
- Thematic Programming – Develop programs that examine how music and art shape political movements.
About the author: Jill is a Marketing & Communications Specialist on the North America Public Library Marketing Team. A former librarian, she joined OverDrive in 2015. Outside of the office she can be found writing, hanging out with her cats, collecting more Tarot decks than she has room for, and playing competitive pinball. Her favorite genre is something she calls “Murder at an educational institution that involves a close-knit group of suspicious characters.”
