Authenticité (Zaire) renaming of the nation from the Republic of the Congo to Zaire, a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word "nzere" or "nzadi", which translates as "the river that swallows all rivers." It is generally unknown why the head of state chose a Portuguese colonial name instead of an authentic Congolese name. A biography about the President by "Le Monde" journalist Jean-Pierre Langellier, however, traces the naming of the currency "zaire" back to a dinner Mobutu had with his economic adviser Jacques de Groote and Belgian anthropoligst Jan Vansina, where the latter came up with the term as it believably designates,
Zaire 74 had to decide whether or not to cancel the event. The decision was made to move forward, and 80,000 people attended. In addition to promoting the Ali-Foreman fight, the Zaire 74 event was intended to present and promote racial and cultural solidarity between African American and African people. Thirty one performing groups, 17 from Zaire and 14 from overseas, performed. Featured performers included top R&B and soul artists from the United States such as James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, and The Spinners as well as prominent African performers such as Miriam Makeba, TPOK Jazz, and Tabu Ley Rochereau. Other