Fall 2024 marks 50 years since both the legendary Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and the Zaire’ 74 music festival, headline...
Stuck in Zaire, Ali stays busy winning The People to his side. Foreman remains sullen and sequestered. Don King keeps the hype going as the festival is ramping up, and all involved insist: The Rumble in the Jungle will happen. In the meantime, we recount the tragic history of Zaire's decolonization attempts and Pan-Africanism 2.0; the rapid rise and fall of beloved independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, and the role of the CIA and the Western World in all of it. The consequences of this corruption are tangible to the musicians, photographers and festival-makers, who experience first hand, Mobutu's tyrannical grip on his country. LITERARY REFERENCES “The Greatest, My Own Story”by Muhammad Ali (autobiography) “By George” by George Foreman (autobiography) OTHER REFERENCE MATERIALS AP Archive: Syndicated Press Conference with George Foreman, June 23, 1974 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbJjZHf5xRo) AP Archive: Syndicated Press Conference with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, September 20, 1974 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyZ9vHqOh1M) CIA Archives (Church Committee Report –– on Congo activities and Patrice Lumumba assassination)(https://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/church/reports/ir/pdf/ChurchIR_3A_Congo.pdf) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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57:40
COMIN' HOME TO AFRICA ... If James Brown Don't Kill Us All!
The music festival promoters hustle hard to secure a plane to Zaire. Finally on board, all the artists are nearly killed by James Brown and his oversized ego. Despite the high drama, the flight is a magical experience for all aboard when the musicians turn the plane into an epic jam session. This shared joy carries the crew through to Zaire. Upon arrival, they are greeted by the drums and voices of The Motherland. Meanwhile, fight promoters scramble to rearrange the weekend after Foreman’s cut and, in doing so, find out who President Mobutu really is. LITERARY REFERENCES “The Greatest, My Own Story”by Muhammad Ali (autobiography) “By George” by George Foreman (autobiography) “Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography) “LATIN NY” (Magazine, Issue No. 20, Nov 1974 Editor-in-Chief, Diane Weathers) Courtesy of Lola! Love OTHER MEDIA US State Department cables (available online in the US State Dept Archives and Wikileaks: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1974KINSHA07638_b.html) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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45:20
SILENCE vs. NOISE
Ali and Foreman continue to train for their upcoming title fight and the great writers of the day document the progress. Across the Atlantic, Don King and Hank Schwartz oversee the preparations for the title fight and sweetens the deal by announcing the music festival. On the plane to the mother land, Ali instantly recognizes the significance of this moment. Upon arrival, he instantly wins over the people of Zaire, pitting them against Foreman automatically. When Foreman arrives, an unwitting faux pas seals his fate as the villain. LITERARY REFERENCES “The Greatest, My Own Story” by Muhammad Ali (autobiography) “The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig “The Fight” by Norman Mailer “Shadow Box” by George Plimpton “Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage” by Budd Schulberg “Ego: the Life” article by Norman Mailer (Life magazine Cover Story, March 19, 1971) FILM & VIDEO REFERENCES “When We Were Kings” (documentary, 1996) directed by Leon Gast (available on streaming) “Soul Power” (documentary, 2008) directed by Jeffrey Kusama–Hinte (available on streaming) Richard Nixon resignation speech (CBS News, Aug 8, 1974) (available on YouTube) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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52:22
CASH IS KING AND KING IS CASH
Fight promoter Don King and his business partner Hank Schwartz join forces with African strong man, President Mobutu of Zaire to put on an epic boxing event. To up the star power of this international affair, Don King joins forces with Hugh Masekela and Stuart Levine to build the three-day music festival, Zaire ‘74. It will serve as the lead-in to the next great superfight. As Ali and Foreman get into fighting shape, jazzman Hugh Masekela pushes both musical and social boundaries, strengthening the bond between Black Americans and their roots. REFERENCE BOOKS: “The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig “Only in America” by Don King (autobiography) “The Fight” by Norman Mailer “The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery” by Gary Stromberg “Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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54:30
ENTER DON KING
Don King swans into the boxing world and manages to get both Ali and Foreman to trust him completely. By working their egos and their dreams of a huge payday –– Don King’s able to persuade the two heavyweights into setting a date for a new title fight. The twist? This title bout, Ali’s latest attempt to reclaim his lost crown, will take place in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali nicknames their upcoming fight: The Rumble in the Jungle. NEWS REPORTS (AVAILABLE ON NEWSPAPERS.COM) “The Akron Beacon” March 25, 1974 “Philadelphia Daily News” March 25, 1974 "Akron Beacon" March 29, 1974 REFERENCE BOOKS “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig “Only in America” by Don King (autobiography) “Lawdy Miss Clawdy: The True King of the ‘50s” by Lloyd Price and William Waller (autobiography)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fall 2024 marks 50 years since both the legendary Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and the Zaire’ 74 music festival, headlined by the likes of James Brown, BB King, Miriam Makeba and myriad other stars.
Muhammad Ali’s life bobs and weaves through an era of revolutions and disruptive social change in both the US and Africa. In the lead up to this highly politicized superfight, Ali and many other freedom fighters are forced to confront old truths and build bridges toward understanding while they learn to wield the power of influence and sacrifice. Featuring personal accounts of the monumental effort it took to put on these events, Rumble walks backstage with a staggeringly powerful group of fighters, performers, producers and activists, uplifting the legacy of Black Excellence.
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