Rumble in the Jungle

The documentary "When We Were Kings" is based on the epic match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974. It is also known as "Rumble in the Jungle" as it takes place in Zaire, a state in Africa. The documentary situates the boxing match in a specific political climate, where the Black Americans were demanding civil rights, and the Vietnamese were waging resistance war against America. The intermixed nature of the documentary perfectly captures Muhammad Ali as not only an athlete but also as a political agent who used sport to lend support to black resistance and promote black unity.

The boxing match is significant as it pits two black men against each other who represent two different strands of black identities within America. Malcolm X differentiates between these two identities by referring to the House Negro and the Field Negro, who operate differently under racial oppression. Similarly, in the documentary, Muhammad Ali is from the radical black tradition that favors racial segregation and calls Africa the home of black people. While on the other hand, George Foreman is portrayed as the apolitical black athlete who is not against the government and is admired by the white media and people. This makes the match a "dramatic spectacle" between different black identities, and between black radicals and the conformists. Unlike Foreman, Muhammad Ali lent support to all forms of racial resistance inside and outside America by openly opposing the Vietnam war as it symbolized white supremacy over another race. He was vocal about the persecution of Black Americans who did not know self and history. Perhaps this increased his appeal in front of the Africans who saw him as a prophet and anti-colonial leader when he landed in Zaire. In contrast, Foreman was criticized for his support for the American government, and people were surprised to find that he was black.

It is interesting to note that the location of the match was an African state. It was probably for the first time that the white man's game was being played in Africa. Through sport, Ali was able to bridge the gap between African Americans and Africans and raise voice for black unity. Much like music, sports gave black people the chance to attain a form of collective identity. Through Ali's victory in the match, the Africans and his followers in America had something common to celebrate. Just like a cricket player, a boxer is the "individual character symbolical of the entire whole" within the ring. In this case, Ali represented not only Black Americans and their expectations but also the struggles of the people of the global south. The documentary shows this aspect when Ali remarks that he is "free" while flying to Africa. He also praises African and says, "this is strange to the American Negro. We never dreamed of this. And every time we watched television, they show us Tarzan and the natives and the jungles, they never told us about this, that Africans are more intelligent than we are". Attached to the idea of black unity is the notion of dignity. For Ali, the Black Americans may be wealthy, but they are still not better off than the Africans who may be poor, but they show dignity in their poverty. Perhaps Ali wanted to excel in the ring to restore the lost dignity of the Black Americans.

Moreover, CLR James writes about the constant change and movement within cricket that makes it a form of art. We can apply the concept of movement to the documentary and Ali's "dancing" within the ring. The idea can also be applied to the flow of black people within sports who created new identities and opportunities for themselves. Boxing provided the African-Americans with creative and bodily freedom, and Ali made use of this freedom in the ring by changing his tactics to defeat Foreman. His actions within the ring highlight the inventiveness and adaptive nature of the African American culture and the black resistance movement in the face of the changing political circumstances.