"Rumba in the Jungle"
The broken land of Congo still rocks with a sexy, home-grown music that has swept Africa and Europe. As the tattering economy and social fabric take their toll on the local music scene, expatriate Congolese musicians are on the rise in Paris and Brussels.

The author of The Economist's Dec. 20, 2003 article "Rumba in the Jungle" described literally dropping his pen at the sight of the "carnal" ndombolo dance at a recent concert in Congo's capital Kinshasa. "Congolese music is sexy," concluded the writer for the serious British business magazine.

Indeed, and in many senses of the word. In Europe, Congolese music stars draw crowds of tens of thousands, and their music has "become almost synonymous with African music." Elsewhere in Africa, local artists can rarely compete with the Congolese. (The Cameroon government tried to ban the ndombolo dance on the grounds of excessive hip-thrusting sexuality.)

In Congo itself, five years into a war that has taken more than 3 million lives, "music is keeping the nation alive." Just barely, though, and from afar. Most Congolese musicians live outside the country, the clubs are more empty, the local recording industry has collapsed, innovation is starting to wane, and tribal divisions are starting to show.

Congo's music derives some of its uniqueness from its colonial history. During WWII, migrants from the rain forests brought with them their traditional musics and instruments when they flocked to the cities to work in new factories supplying the war efforts. There they encountered the Cuban music -- itself derived from music taken to Cuba by African slaves -- favored by the French and Belgian colonialists of that day. The biggest hit was the rumba, which was then integrated back into Congolese music.

The reporter's night out in Kinshasa showed him that despite the decimation of the local economy, Congolese music's "roots are still flourishing," with "Congolese music and the brutalised people who make it are thriving still."

Read the Dec. 20, 2003 article in The Economist or at Kilimanjaro Entertainment

Visit AfroPop radio web site for an audio close-up on Congolese music