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Congolese rumba
The War-torn History of Rumba
Paris
16/07/2001 -
Hip-swaying rhythms and totally infectious beats are just two of the reasons Congolese rumba is the most popular sound to come out of Africa to date. Visit any Afro soirée in the Francophone world – whether it be in bar, nightclub or private home – and you'll find hundreds of fans on the dancefloor miming the elaborate routines of the hottest rumba groups on the scene. In this article we take a look at the history of Congolese rumba, tracing the movement from the time of Joseph Kabasele and his legendary African Jazz band to the controversy on the current scene.
Congolese rumba has gone by many names in the past, but these days fans only seem to be familiar with its modern version: Ndombolo. Interestingly enough, the term was invented by Congolese street kids known as chegues and referred to a new dance which mimicked the walk of the country's assassinated president Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Ndombolo has developed into a veritable craze on the Francophone music scene these days, but in the process it appears to have obscured rumba's origins – and many fans are completely unaware that the rumba movement actually stretches back over more than four decades!
A short history of rumba
Infectious rumba rhythms began emanating from the Belgian Congo in the 50s and the hip-swaying dance soon caught on right across Africa. From there it was only a matter of time before rumba fever spread to Europe and the Americas, going down in the record books as the first African music to take off on the international music scene. The international success story of rumba is all the more amazing when you consider that the movement was largely ignored in the Western media. Rumba's frenzied rhythms were left to filter through on the bar and club 'underground' where they fuelled dance parties and soirées that frequently ended in collective hysteria.
With the exception of South Africa and its complex history of musical fusion, rumba was the first example of traditional sounds from 'black Africa' and 'old Europe' coming together. In other words, rumba was born out of the colonial womb. Its roots can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century when, tempted by the idea of making their fortune on the colonial construction sites of Central Africa, boatloads of Caribbeans began arriving in the Belgian Congo. The vibrant sound of the new arrivals' accordions and guitars would dominate the first programmes broadcast on Radio-Léopoldville (named after the Belgian king) in the late 30s.
Caribbean sounds, already widely popular in Europe at that time, wasted no time in catching on with local music fans in Congo. This was perhaps unsurprising when you consider that Congolese music fans would have discovered certain similarities between the melodies played by the descendants of African slaves and their own traditional rhythms. In fact, this marked a sort of homecoming for African music. After having emigrated with slave populations to the Americas (most notably Cuba) and fused with colonial influences such as mazurka, polka and other popular dances performed in the European salons, traditional African melodies and rhythms came home to roost. Local Congolese musicians immediately reappropriated these melodies and rhythms and wove them into their own work, thus giving shape to the first form of rumba.
The Rumba Wars Rumba emerged as a genre in its own right in the 50s with the rise of Joseph Kabasele – aka "le grand Kallé" – and his legendary African Jazz band. Kabasele's frenetic rumba beats and squealing electric guitar would accompany the first stirrings of independence in the Belgian Congo and Indépendance cha cha went on to become the national anthem of Zaire. Meanwhile, Kabasele's rival, "Franco" Luambo Makiadi and his band O.K. Jazz, were also contributing to the propagation of rumba-fever. As rumba-mania spread, so did infighting between the stars of the day and a full outbreak of hostilities was soon declared between rival clans. In 1972 the great Tabou Ley Rochereau would lose Sam Mangwana, one of his most valued tenors, to O.K. Jazz and the rumba wars continued to rage unabated over the following years. A host of colourful figures emerged in the constantly-evolving world of rumba, one of the most charismatic of whom is undoubtedly Papa Wemba, the sharp-dresser renowned for launching the SAPE ("Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes") craze. Then , of course, there is the prolific musician and songwriter Ray Lema who once famously described rumba as the "respiration of the people". However, as the rumba wave has unfurled and become an international phenomenon – music fans in the Antilles going crazy for Ndombolo, Colombians creating their own version through sound-systems and French music fans plugging into the 'world' scene – internecine fighting amongst rumba artists has continued unabated. In fact, the rumba wars got so bad at one stage that when legendary group Zaïko Langa Langa threatened to split in the 80s, President Mobutu himself intervened, begging the members not to spoil the "dream" they represented for hundreds of thousands of fans across Africa.
The Wenge Affair
Given rumba's troubled history of rival clans and infighting, major players in the international record industry are hardly keen to invest in it – even though the rumba scene's biggest stars are capable of packing out top venues like Le Zénith or Bercy stadium!
One of the most significant splits in the rumba movement to date was the separation of top 90s band Wenge Musica. Following years of internal infighting the legendary outfit split into two separate bands - Wenge BCBG and Wenge Maison-Mère – in 1997, much to the disappointment of hundreds of thousands of fans. However, looking at things from an optimistic point of view, both Wenge BCBG and Wenge Maison-Mère have continued to produce top-quality albums, giving rumba fans a double run for their money!
On the one hand, JB Mpiana, the charismatic lead singer of Wenge BCBG, scored a major hit with his debut album les Feux de l'amour and sales of his latest opus, TH, recently topped 230,000. All eyes are now fixed on the horizon, awaiting the release of his new album Internet Mbwa Aswi Mbwa, which will be launched at a mega-rumba concert at Bercy stadium in Paris this September. (Even French rock veteran Johnny Hallyday is due to attend – as guest-star!)
Meanwhile, Noël Ngiama Makanda (aka Werrason), the patron saint of Wenge Maison-Mère, launched his own attack on the charts with Solola Bien, an album which earned him a gold disc, no less! Far from being content to rest on his laurels, Werrason recently re-entered the rumba fray with a new album entitled Kibwisa Mpimpa - which has sold a staggering 100,000 copies within two months of its release! Meanwhile, as if the ongoing Mpiana/Werrason hostilities were not enough, a new outbreak of rumba war was declared in Kinshasa this June between "Gentamycine" (Mpiana's MC) and "Sankara de Kunta" (a dancer with Werrason's troupe). The Generation Gap A major difference of opinion also exists between 'old' and 'new' generations as to the correct way of playing rumba, the 'old guard' not always appreciating the "light and easy" option adopted by modern performers. Sam Mangwana recently included an admonitory message on Femmes Africaines (the album he recorded with Dino Vangu). The sleeve notes inform listeners, in no uncertain terms, that: "This album was made with the sole ambition of attempting to restore the tarnished image of Congolese rumba at a time when the movement is undergoing a period of extreme crisis. In my eyes this is a matter of individual responsibility involved (…) Listen to this album and reflect." One of the main criticisms Mangwana levels at the new generation of rumba stars is that the latter appear to have forgotten certain fundamental concepts laid down by the pioneers. Mangwana is currently campaigning for the saxophone to be reintegrated into rumba, for example, but so far his appeals appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Koffi Olomide, one of the stars of the new Congolese scene, has publicly retaliated to Mangwana's salvos, a few months prior to the release of his new album Efrakata. "The thing you have to remember is that things move on and scenes renew themselves," Olomide says, "No-one is eternal. Things move on. That's inscribed in the normal course of things and no-one can change that! I have a lot of respect for Sam Mangwana. He's like an 'elder brother', someone I really look up to. But I don't agree with his opinion that Congolese music is in crisis right now. Take a look around you, it's the complete opposite. More than ever before Congolese sounds are in pole position right across Africa. You have to accept that different people are going to come along and experiment with different takes on what has gone before. Maybe the older generation feel that what the new generation is doing isn't credible – but then again maybe that opinion's exacerbated by the generation gap! Surely, audiences will ultimately let us know whether they like our music or not and right now audiences seem to be right behind us! Basically, you have to learn to move with the times or step aside!".
Ouch! Looks like the rumba wars are set to continue for a few years yet! To find out more about Congolese rumba check out the following web sites:
The Rumba Wars Rumba emerged as a genre in its own right in the 50s with the rise of Joseph Kabasele – aka "le grand Kallé" – and his legendary African Jazz band. Kabasele's frenetic rumba beats and squealing electric guitar would accompany the first stirrings of independence in the Belgian Congo and Indépendance cha cha went on to become the national anthem of Zaire. Meanwhile, Kabasele's rival, "Franco" Luambo Makiadi and his band O.K. Jazz, were also contributing to the propagation of rumba-fever. As rumba-mania spread, so did infighting between the stars of the day and a full outbreak of hostilities was soon declared between rival clans. In 1972 the great Tabou Ley Rochereau would lose Sam Mangwana, one of his most valued tenors, to O.K. Jazz and the rumba wars continued to rage unabated over the following years. A host of colourful figures emerged in the constantly-evolving world of rumba, one of the most charismatic of whom is undoubtedly Papa Wemba, the sharp-dresser renowned for launching the SAPE ("Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes") craze. Then , of course, there is the prolific musician and songwriter Ray Lema who once famously described rumba as the "respiration of the people". However, as the rumba wave has unfurled and become an international phenomenon – music fans in the Antilles going crazy for Ndombolo, Colombians creating their own version through sound-systems and French music fans plugging into the 'world' scene – internecine fighting amongst rumba artists has continued unabated. In fact, the rumba wars got so bad at one stage that when legendary group Zaïko Langa Langa threatened to split in the 80s, President Mobutu himself intervened, begging the members not to spoil the "dream" they represented for hundreds of thousands of fans across Africa.
The Wenge Affair
Given rumba's troubled history of rival clans and infighting, major players in the international record industry are hardly keen to invest in it – even though the rumba scene's biggest stars are capable of packing out top venues like Le Zénith or Bercy stadium!
One of the most significant splits in the rumba movement to date was the separation of top 90s band Wenge Musica. Following years of internal infighting the legendary outfit split into two separate bands - Wenge BCBG and Wenge Maison-Mère – in 1997, much to the disappointment of hundreds of thousands of fans. However, looking at things from an optimistic point of view, both Wenge BCBG and Wenge Maison-Mère have continued to produce top-quality albums, giving rumba fans a double run for their money!
On the one hand, JB Mpiana, the charismatic lead singer of Wenge BCBG, scored a major hit with his debut album les Feux de l'amour and sales of his latest opus, TH, recently topped 230,000. All eyes are now fixed on the horizon, awaiting the release of his new album Internet Mbwa Aswi Mbwa, which will be launched at a mega-rumba concert at Bercy stadium in Paris this September. (Even French rock veteran Johnny Hallyday is due to attend – as guest-star!) Meanwhile, Noël Ngiama Makanda (aka Werrason), the patron saint of Wenge Maison-Mère, launched his own attack on the charts with Solola Bien, an album which earned him a gold disc, no less! Far from being content to rest on his laurels, Werrason recently re-entered the rumba fray with a new album entitled Kibwisa Mpimpa - which has sold a staggering 100,000 copies within two months of its release! Meanwhile, as if the ongoing Mpiana/Werrason hostilities were not enough, a new outbreak of rumba war was declared in Kinshasa this June between "Gentamycine" (Mpiana's MC) and "Sankara de Kunta" (a dancer with Werrason's troupe). The Generation Gap A major difference of opinion also exists between 'old' and 'new' generations as to the correct way of playing rumba, the 'old guard' not always appreciating the "light and easy" option adopted by modern performers. Sam Mangwana recently included an admonitory message on Femmes Africaines (the album he recorded with Dino Vangu). The sleeve notes inform listeners, in no uncertain terms, that: "This album was made with the sole ambition of attempting to restore the tarnished image of Congolese rumba at a time when the movement is undergoing a period of extreme crisis. In my eyes this is a matter of individual responsibility involved (…) Listen to this album and reflect." One of the main criticisms Mangwana levels at the new generation of rumba stars is that the latter appear to have forgotten certain fundamental concepts laid down by the pioneers. Mangwana is currently campaigning for the saxophone to be reintegrated into rumba, for example, but so far his appeals appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Koffi Olomide, one of the stars of the new Congolese scene, has publicly retaliated to Mangwana's salvos, a few months prior to the release of his new album Efrakata. "The thing you have to remember is that things move on and scenes renew themselves," Olomide says, "No-one is eternal. Things move on. That's inscribed in the normal course of things and no-one can change that! I have a lot of respect for Sam Mangwana. He's like an 'elder brother', someone I really look up to. But I don't agree with his opinion that Congolese music is in crisis right now. Take a look around you, it's the complete opposite. More than ever before Congolese sounds are in pole position right across Africa. You have to accept that different people are going to come along and experiment with different takes on what has gone before. Maybe the older generation feel that what the new generation is doing isn't credible – but then again maybe that opinion's exacerbated by the generation gap! Surely, audiences will ultimately let us know whether they like our music or not and right now audiences seem to be right behind us! Basically, you have to learn to move with the times or step aside!".
Ouch! Looks like the rumba wars are set to continue for a few years yet! To find out more about Congolese rumba check out the following web sites:
africmusic.com (in English)
afromix.org
Malanga, the website of the Congolese community
Congo online
Soeuf Elbadawi
23/03/2011 -
