Zaire Province a vassal state of the Kingdom of Portugal. In 1914, the Kongo monarchy was abolished after Portuguese suppression of several revolts. From 1885, Portuguese Angola included the district of Congo, which was split in 1919 into the districts of Cabinda and Zaire, respectively north and south of the Congo/Zaire River. During the 1961–1974 Angolan War of Independence, a large fraction of the Bakongo fled to the Republic of Zaire. Many of these refugees and their offspring returned after the Alvor Agreement recognised Angolan independence. Historical and cultural monuments include: M'Banza Congo (formerly São Salvador do Congo) is the provincial capital.
Zaire 74 performers included Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars. The concert was promoted by Don King, as a part of the build-up to the Ali-Foreman fight. At the time of the event, Zaire was run by Mobutu, a dictator who became notorious for corruption, nepotism and human rights violations. Mobutu agreed to host the festival and to help cover its costs. A documentary about the Zaire 74 festival, entitled "Soul Power", was released in 2009. The film was directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who served as the editor on the 1996 documentary "When We Were Kings", which also contains selections of concert