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)

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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)

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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)

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