the last book I ever read (The Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali & George Foreman on the Global Stage, excerpt six)

from The Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali & George Foreman on the Global Stage by Lewis A. Erenberg:

The world first learned of Zaire 74 when Don King, in an effort to make an epic global sporting event even more spectacular, announced that the Rumble in the Jungle would include a three-day music festival that would precede “the greatest sporting event in the history of the world,” on September 20-22. As Ali declared, the Rumble in the Jungle was “much more than a sports event. It’s a symbol of the Black American Awakening, with . . . all those beautiful black people goin’ home to share their experiences with the black musicians who never left.” Financed by the brother of President William Tolbert of Liberia and organized by Levine, Hugh Masekela, and R&B singer Lloyd Price, the festival featured the Americans James Brown, B. B. King, Bill Withers, the Spinners, the Jazz Crusaders, Sister Sledge, the Pointer Sisters, Etta James, and Price. Representing the Caribbean, where enslaved Africans has also deeply influenced the region’s musical traditions, were Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican artists Johnny Pacheco, Celiz Cruz, Ray Barretto, Jorge Santana, and Héctor LAvoe, among others, including the Caribbean music devotee Jewish pianist and bandleader Larry Harlow—the top names in salsa. Like the fight itself, Zaire 74 highlighted a global black consciousness that was an important element in the cultural politics of the era.

The festival also sought to bring the music of Africa to the attention of the world. Among the major stars on the bill was transatlantic singer Miriam Makeba, the South African expatriate who had built an audience in the United States and Africa for her international repertoire or protest, popular, and native songs. In addition, Manu Dibango, the saxophone and keyboard dean of Paris-based African musicians, and the composer of “Soul Makossa,” an Afro-beat hit that moved global dance floors, was also expected to perform. Zaïrois bands were scheduled too, including the Madjesi Trio, Franco and the TPOK Jazz Band, Abumba Masikini, the Pembe Dance Troupe, Abeti, and afrisa with singer Tabu Ley.