Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Real historical footage of violence shows Congolese people being aggressively hit, restrained, pushed and rounded up by soldiers and police. Children crouch as bombs are dropped, guns are fired and villages are destroyed. A mercenary describes how killing women and children did not faze him and references are made to torture, executions and lynchings. A soldier points a gun at a man on the ground and appears to shoot, though there is no injury detail. Other real footage depicts race riots and protestors storming into Government buildings.

Infrequent use of strong language ('motherf**ker') is accompanied by milder terms such as 'son of a bitch', 'screw' and 'damn'.

There is use of the racist term 'n****r' in archive footage, which is expressed in a directly discriminatory way and by an African American who challenges the attitudes behind it. Terms such as 'mulatto', 'negro' and 'coloured' are spoken in a historical context. People, such as mercenary soldiers, dehumanise Black people, calling them 'cannibals' and 'jungle primitives'. References are made to lynchings and other racist violence. Racism is clearly condemned by the film throughout.

References are made to sexual violence being carried out by soldiers during the attack on the Congo including a distressing mention to parents being forced to have sex with their children.