It’s exciting times for the people of the Congo as their iconic rumba music has just been granted UNESCO-protected status. Together with the recent opening of the Delia Ndaro Art Culture Center in the town of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the musical legacy of the past is now protected and the promise of the future looks exciting.
Rumba’s Congolese Roots
Outside of the African continent rumba music had become confusingly more associated with Latin dance and the sounds that came out of Cuba in the 19th century. To be fair, its roots go back to the drumming of slaves from Central Africa. Cuba’s Spanish colonizers really only added the melodies. When vinyl records made their way to Congo in the last century, the Congolese were like ‘hey, these are our beats!’
Five years ago Cuban rumba music was granted cultural heritage status, so it’s only fair that the same acknowledgment has been afforded to Congolese rumba. Rumba comes from the Kikongo word ‘nkumba’ (meaning ‘navel’) – so it’s a poignant journey for the music involving the drum genres of abakuá and yuka back to the womb, so to speak.
Of course, Congolese artists such as Papa Wemba – the “King of Rumba Rock” – have been beating this drum his whole career. But Congolese artists campaigning for African music to have a seat at the world music table have fought hard throughout their careers to have their sounds defined as anything other than ‘world music’. They are also few and far between, hard as it has been to make an impact on the westernized musical landscape where Hollywood and the ‘Hot 100’ go hand in hand.
Delia-Ndaro Art Culture Center ~ Hope For The Future
The Delia Arts Foundation, together with NDARO Culture, is about to make all that change. While we can’t change the past, we can shape the future. The Delia-Ndaro Art Culture Center is a safe haven on the lakeside city of Bukavu for up-and-coming Congolese artists to march to the beat of their own drum. It is a cultural center where musicians can collaborate, artists can express themselves, and aspiring musicians can learn the more technical aspects of their craft.
All this to be able to take their music, dance, art, and culture – and share it with the world. Congolese cultural heritage will be protected by more than just a status acknowledgment. It will be protected by the oral tradition that is so intrinsically African – the sharing of stories and values from one generation to the next.
The hope is that musicians and artists will, in time, be able to turn their fledgling potential into full-time careers and not let the legacy of war in the region define them. For this too is the humanitarian goal of the Delia Arts Foundation: supporting musicians and artists in conflict zones.
But who are these aspiring young African musicians to look up to? In a musical world awash with the auto-tune sounds of pop music on heavy rotation on playlists with a strong commercial agenda, it can be hard to discover new sounds. Or indeed, be discovered. Let’s check out our Top 5 Congolese musicians…
Top 5 Congolese Musicians To Check Out
While by no means definitive, here are some musicians you should be searching for wherever you get your music.
1. Lokua Kanza. Starting off local, in the city that now hosts the Delia-Ndaro Art Culture Center in Bukavu, comes a singer/songwriter who is known for his ballads and acoustic sound. He won Best African Album at the African Music Awards in 1994 and has worked with artists such as Youssou N’Dour and Angélique Kidjo. Check out ‘Ma Mama’ for an example of his soft, sultry sound.
2. Abby Sury Djai. From Kinshasa in the DRC, Abby has been singing and collaborating with Congolese singers such as Papa Wemba and Koffi Olomidé. Her biggest hit was perhaps ‘Ousmane Bakayoko’ with collaborator Mayaula Mayoni which remains a firm favorite at Congolese weddings. Check out ‘Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerais’ to hear her silky yet assured voice singing in French with melodic drums and guitar in the background.
3. Koffi Olomidé. is a popular if controversial Congolese musician who has recently been cleared of sexually assaulting four of his former dancers in a French court but convicted of holding them against their will. If Michael Jackson’s alleged child molestation means you won’t dance to Billie Jean, then similarly Koffi Olomidé’s ‘Loi’ might not be for you. He remains a huge star of rumba and soukous music, despite falling foul of the law on several occasions.
4. Fally Ipupa. found fame as a member of Quartier Latin International, the band formed by Koffi Olomidé. The success that came from the release of his first solo album Droit Chemin has seen him go from strength to strength, including being the only artist from Central Africa to perform for Barack Obama at the White House in 2014. The urban album Tokooos followed in 2017, and Tokooos II dropped at the end of 2020. Check out ‘Kiname’ (featuring Booba) to hear the Congolese sound coming through in a fresh way. With his superstar status and the way he mixes rumba and ndombolo with an urban pop sound, Fally Ipupa is someone that the cool kids in Congo no doubt look up to.
5. Zaiko Langa Langa. is a Congolese soukous band that are a part of the Congolese New Wave. Soukous music is characterized by syncopated rhythms and intricate contrasting guitar melodies. Though they are no longer performing, they make it onto our list as they showcase the diversity of Congolese music – ensuring that Central Africa is known for more than just rumba. Their band name translates loosely as “marvelous Zaire of our ancestors” and they performed a 50th-anniversary concert in Brussels in 2020. Known as Zaire’s “Rolling Stones”, the band was plagued by leadership struggles and in-fighting, perhaps on account of their large line up. On the plus side, their big collaborations resulted in them pioneering ‘cavacha’ (faster drums and melodic lead guitar) and their longevity kept Congolese music as part of the conversation for several decades. Check out ‘Selenge 1 & 2’.
Feel free to contact us at: hello@delia-arts.org should you know of other Congolese artists worth featuring as we get to know the music of the region and celebrate its past while also helping to ensure its bright future.
