Rumba fever in Paris

Unesco Celebrates Congolese Music

Paris 

27/09/2004 - 

Rumba fever reigned at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 23 September as major Congolese stars, including Papa Wemba, took to the stage to play at a special tribute evening organised as part of the "Congo, a heritage in danger" campaign.

A concert at Unesco is a rare event. So when the organisation staged a tribute to Congolese music in its conference centre last week, it pulled out all the stops, inviting everyone from Passi and Papa Wemba to Kekele, So Kalmery and their Angolese cousin, Bonga. In all, some 50 artists raised their voices in support of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) at the grand finale of UNESCO’s fortnight-long campaign entitled "Congo, a heritage in danger." As the country emerges painfully from the civil war which brought it to the brink of ruin, singers and musicians joined together to celebrate Congo's musical history, performing a medley of hits from the past forty years. The audience assembled in UNESCO's underground 'bunker' were spirited off for a whistle-stop tour of Kinshasa, enjoying rumba and other wild Congolese rhythms from the comfort of their velvet-covered seats.

The sets segued impeccably into one another under the direction of Bony Bikaye (an artist the French public supported as he played alongside Hector Zazou twenty years ago now). Rumba night at UNESCO certainly disproved the cliché that Congolese music events unroll in a state of disorganised shambles. The pressure was on for Bony and his team as the evening had to end at 11pm sharp. Imagine the surprise of Congolese fans, for whom a concert never starts before 2 in the morning! This probably explained the fact that the majority of the audience assembled in the conference centre was made up of diplomats and UNESCO members. A far cry from the usual crowd who turn up to late-night Saturday/Sunday morning concerts in the suburbs north of Paris!

Rapper Passi was bang on time. As his BMW slid into the UNESCO car park at 8.30pm, Passi was immediately assailed by a crowd of young fans, begging for autographs, acknowledgement or a bit of general advice. Looking laidback and relaxed in a black leather jacket and white T-shirt, the rapper made a striking contrast to the members of the group Kékélé – who had all turned out in tuxedos and bow ties! Shaking scarlet maracas and executing elaborate dance steps from the 60s, the golden age of Kinshasa (when hope reigned in people's hearts and Congolese rumba reigned on dancefloors across Africa), the four music veterans put on an impressive performance. And to add to the retro feel of their show, the Congolese granddads (often compared to Cuban supergroup Buena Vista Social Club) invited a French accordionist up on stage with them for a spot of 'musette.'

Angolese music star Bonga followed the retro set with an infectious burst of dikanza. Bonga, who was born in Luanda to a Congolese mother, declared, "I'm here to express my solidarity. We have to help Congo get back on its feet again and start moving in the right direction! We have to help the country even if the politicians seem to be messing around!" Bonga, who had flown in that morning from Luanda, looked a little jet-lagged, but this did not stop him pounding out two songs in support of his Congolese brothers. "Angola's the third Congo, after the Democratic Republic and Congo-Brazza," he cried, making a triumphant exit from the stage.

Next up on stage was Passi, now recognised as one of the leading figures in the French hip-hop world. The turntable wizard sprang up behind his mixing decks, declaring he was there for Congo - and for Africa as a whole. "I spent my entire childhood immersed in Congolese music," he said, "and I've used it a lot in my work, whether it be with the group Bisso Na Bisso or on my own solo albums. In fact, my latest album includes a cover of the Zao classic 'Ancien combattant.'" Passi performed the song live on stage with Stomy Bugsy (an old schoolfriend as well as a former fellow member of hardcore French rap group Ministère Amer). "War's no good! Lay down your arms!" the double act roared, creating a frenzied ambience as Stomy threw the contents of a bottle of water over the heads of the diplomats in the front row.

After this, the audience were treated to a retrospective of Congolese music with classics by Wendo Kolosoy, Franco and other great veterans of the past covered by Bozi Boziana, Yondo Sister, Abby Suria, Academia, Papa Wemba and the group Makutano fronted by Beniko (aka "Zéro faute"). Makutano feature a dozen talented musicians in their line-up, but one in particular stood out from the crowd: Koshi Niwa, their 40-year-old Japanese bass-player. Koshi discovered rumba twenty years ago in Tokyo and ended up moving to Paris three years ago to play with Congolese artists. He has recorded with top stars including Empire Bakuba and Aurlus Mabelé and is fluent in Lingala (the main language used in Congo).

Papa Wemba was there in support of his homeland, too. The Congolese rumba king, renowned as the king of the "sapeurs", declared, "Don't get things wrong, our country's not knocked out for the count. People have got food and work. The problem is, the country's in a mess politically speaking. I've never seen any other country where they've got four vice-presidents! And they're just in it for what they can get, for money and power. Everything's run from outside. Congo doesn't belong to us, the Congolese people. I think culturally things will start to pick up again after the next presidential elections and, believe me, people will be knocked off their feet by what the Congolese scene's got to offer."

Papa Wemba was ecstatic because this was the first time in history, as far as he could recall, that such a tribute had been organised to Congolese music. But there was no recreating the street ambience of Matongue (the hottest neighbourhood in Kinshasa). The show at UNESCO drew to a close at 11pm. A downright shame given that some members of the audience looked ready to dance till dawn Kinshasa-style!

Pierre  René-Worms