Louis Armstrong playing for his wife Lucille in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza (1961)

Armstrong’s trip to Egypt was US State Department propaganda designed to counteract the racism and violence within the US that was getting international exposure. By sending bands comprised of black and white musicians to play together around the world, the State Department could engineer an image of racial harmony to offset the bad press about racism at home.

State Department sponsored Jazz Tours started in 1956 but Armstrong initially refused to come on board. He finally relented and began negotiations to perform in the USSR, but abruptly canceled these plans in September 1957 to protest the injustices in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was not until 1960, when the civil rights movement had made significant headway, that Armstrong changed his mind, and agreed to tour Africa.