Following its independence from France in 1962, Algeria developed a status as a space for liberation movements and postcolonial thought, and the ruling FLN party had links to a multitude of such groups across the continent.
[3] Amílcar Cabral, a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean activist and key postcolonial thinker, remarked in a press conference that “Christians make pilgrimages to the Vatican, Muslims go to Mecca, and national liberation movements go to Algeria”.
[2] The festival began with an opening day parade, in which four thousand participants from all the represented nations and groups marched through Algiers, interacting with locals and performing regional dance and music.
[4] Notable performances over the 12-day event included concerts by Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone, as well as a much-lauded improvisatory jazz collaboration between Archie Shepp and Southern Algerian Tuareg musicians.
Recorded in the film are the dozens of notable artists, musicians, activists, and political figures, as well as performances from Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, and Archie Shepp.
Mohammed Seddik Benyahia, the Algerian minister of information, and his chief of staff, Mahieddine Moussaoui, were the key figures overseeing production of the film.