The epic ‘Rumble in The Jungle’ battle in the then-Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman which saw underdog Ali spectacularly reclaim his title has been touted as the “greatest sporting event of the 20th Century”. Film Fixers Africa were approached by long-time client Discovery Channel to remote shoot and produce a documentary on the fight and the events leading up to the fight as part of a series on ‘Yesterdays Heroes’.
DRC is a challenging filming destination at the best of times – which is what makes it one of our favourites! Doing it in the midst of the COVID storm throws an extraordinary curved ball. And the pressure of doing it for an illustrious partner like Discovery Channel added a little extra pressure.
Game on!
A LITTLE HISTORY
The match took place during one of Congo’s bloodiest periods under the reign of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who sought to instate a communist regime and renamed the Congo to Zaire during his time in office as part of his initiative to remove western culture and ideals from the country. It was a slow progression to a communist state and kleptocracy.
The shoot threw us into a mix of bittersweet memories- Ali in his heyday in the shadow of Africa’s dark past in the hands of a feral dictator. The mandate was not just to cover the sporting event itself, but also the build-up to the fight and the location itself.
THE FIGHT
Muhammad Ali sought to reclaim his title after having it stripped due to his refusal to be drafted into the army in 1967. In 1970, Ali was allowed back into the ring and spent years trying to regain his title, after losing to undefeated Joe Frazier.
The fight was organized by a well-known promoter, Don King, who sought a stage outside of the United States to host this event and had built up a consortium of investors – Muammar Gaddafi being a primary financial sponsor, covering almost all expenses. The dictator, Mobutu agreed to host the boxing match as he believed that it would generate the publicity that would help his regime. It was so important to him, that during this time with the international press at his door, Mobutu rounded up one-thousand known criminals and executed one-hundred of them in order to ensure nobody dared to step out of line. Mobutu was well known for his corruption and public executions of his political rivals and any who opposed him. He was also a man of extravagances, going as far as chartering the Concorde – a supersonic passenger airliner – for his shopping trips into Paris with his wife. Being a ruthless dictator in one of Africa’s mineral-rich countries has its perks….
THE PRODUCTION
We ventured into the heart of Kinshasha, and into Nsele, one of Mobutu’s palaces, where Ali trained for five weeks before the upcoming fight. Our contact in the DRC, who took us through the country and shared his story had a personal connection to it all – he used to be a chef, stationed specifically in Nsele, the palace where Ali stayed in and trained for five-weeks before the actual fight. Nsele, now an abandoned mess gives little evidence to its anarchic past, holding many secrets and being claimed back by the encroaching nature that surrounds it. We absolutely loved what we saw and experienced, and as usual, love any opportunity to send us out on the road. A huge thank you once more to Discovery for putting their faith and trust in our hands yet again. This was also a great chance for us to showcase our abilities for self-shooting in remote locations.
