This festival was originally intended to complement the famous George Foreman/Mohammad Ali championship boxing match aka "The Rumble in the Jungle." However, shortly before the match, Foreman was injured in training and the bout had to be delayed for him to recuperate. To both avoid further disappointing the locals and in recognition that the performers have outstanding commitments elsewhere after the festival, it was decided to have it proceed on schedule on its own.
The festival took part in September 22-24, 1974.