Guerrilla History Lumumba's Assassination & the US's "Jazz Ambassadors" w/ Gerald Horne & Anthony Ballas (AR&D Ep. 14)
Apr 1, 2026
Gerald Horne, eminent historian of African, African American, and Cold War history; Anthony Ballas, organizer and PhD student specializing in culture and Cold War cinema. They unpack the State Department's Jazz Ambassadors program and Louis Armstrong's Africa tour. They trace Congo's exploitation, Patrice Lumumba's assassination, and U.S. and Belgian maneuvers in Katanga. They debate jazz as Cold War soft power and artists' dilemmas.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Armstrong's Tour Arrives Amid Congo's Resource Struggle
- The film tracks Louis Armstrong's tour and connects it to Congo's independence turmoil under Patrice Lumumba.
- Gerald Horne ties Armstrong's arrival to Congo's extraction history, noting materials from Congo fed atomic bomb production.
Jazz Ambassadors As Cold War Propaganda
- The Jazz Ambassadors program was a Cold War cultural initiative sending Black American musicians abroad to counter criticism of U.S. racism.
- Gerald Horne highlights Louis Armstrong's tours as State Department efforts to project U.S. freedom while masking domestic oppression.
Armstrong Concert Used As Cover In Katanga
- Louis Armstrong's concert in Katanga likely served as operational cover for CIA and Belgian plotting against Patrice Lumumba.
- Anthony Ballas notes Larry Devlin acted as Armstrong's chauffeur in Elizabethville, linking the performance to on-the-ground intelligence activity.
