[1] The concert, conceived by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and record producer Stewart Levine, was meant to be a major promotional event for the heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle.
When an injury forced Foreman to postpone the fight by six weeks, the festival's intended audience of international tourists was all but eliminated and Levine had to decide whether or not to cancel the event.
Featured performers included top R&B and soul artists from the United States such as James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B.
[3] At the time of the event, Zaire was run by Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator who became notorious for corruption, nepotism and human rights violations.
The film was directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who served as the editor on the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings, which also contains selections of concert footage from the festival.