Countdown at Kusini

During a trip to the newly independent nation of Fahari, Africa, Red Salter, an African American jazz musician, falls in love with Leah Matanzima, but she is involved in Fahari's struggle against a puppet government run by multinational corporations. Jealous of Leah's friendship with white British journalist Charles Henderson, Red reluctantly joins her support of revolutionary leader Ernest Motapo and helps her obtain guns from weapons dealer Saidu. When Fahari officials arrest them, Charles rescues Leah and Red; then spirits them away in a motorboat, but Ben Amed, a French mercenary hired to assassinate Motapo, rams them with another boat and kills Charles. Marnie (Yola), Motapo's traitorous nephew, arranges with Amen to ambush Motapo at a railroad junction near Kusini, but Leah and Red arrive in time with revolutionary fighters. After killing Marnie and Amed, Leah welcomes Red to Africa's revolution against European imperialism.[1]

• Ruby Dee - Leah Matanzima
• Ossie Davis - Ernest Motapo
• Greg Morris - Red Salter
• Tom Aldredge - Ben Amed
• Michael Ebert - Charles Henderson
• Thomas Baptiste - John Okello
• Jab Adu - Juma Bakari
• Elsie Olusola - Mamouda
• Funsho Adeolu - Marni
• Ibidun Allison - Sniper

The film was conceived and entirely financed by Delta Sigma Theta, an African-American sorority that owned DST Telecommunications which produced material to counter the “inaccurate portrayal of black people in media.”[1]

Filming took place in August 1974 in Lagos, Nigeria with both U.S. and Nigerian crews.[1]

Dee, Davis and Morris deferred their salaries until the film made a profit.[1]

• Countdown at Kusini at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Countdown at Kusini at IMDb