Featured Exhibit
A photograph of Muhammad Ali holding Message to the Blackman in America by Elijah Muhammad, the former leader of the Nation of Islam, in Zaire in 1974.
Donated by photographer Sonia Katchian in 2020.
Ali's Connection to Africa and Pride of Zaire
Before the “Rumble in the Jungle,” Muhammad Ali had already visited several countries in Africa. In 1964 after Ali defeated Sonny Liston and publicly announced his conversion to the Nation of Islam (NOI), he visited Africa for the first time stopping in Ghana, Nigeria, and Egypt. During the 5-week trip, he met influential African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt.
The venture instilled a greater connection for Ali to his African heritage and allowed him to grow in his Islamic faith. During the trip, he worshipped with 1,500 fellow Muslims at a Mosque in Cairo, which he discussed as an important spiritual moment. This trip helped popularize Ali in Africa, setting the perfect ground for his return in 1974.
While in Ghana, Ali ran into his former mentor and recently ousted member of the NOI, Malcolm X, having a brief exchange. Later in his trip, Ali received a cable message from Malcolm X, imploring him to always behave in a way that reinforced a positive image across Africa.
As Ali returned to Africa ten years later in 1974, he was allowed to rekindle the connection he developed with his African heritage. When Ali saw Black airplane pilots in Zaire, he expressed deep pride. He further realized stereotypes of Africa being uneducated were often just that. Ali quickly praised locals’ abilities to speak multiple languages, including English, stating that we can barely speak one language in the United States. Though Ali's 1964 African trip sparked a personal connection to the continent, his time in Zaire in 1974 further embedded the importance his African ancestry, black pride, and anti-colonialism played in forming his identity.
