This essay documentary takes us to the 1960s Congo, where a CIA-backed coup takes place, and the charismatic leader Patrice Lumumba is assassinated. Masterfully woven archival footage and a pulsating jazz soundtrack expose the political machinations that led to this tragedy. Through the lens of music, the film explores how American jazz artists like Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie – unknowingly – became pawns in the Cold War power game, with their concerts serving as a distraction from political turmoil.