I left Kinshasa on April 27th 2005, I was 11 years old at the time and still remember most details of that day like it was yesterday. Me and my two brothers were heading to Canada to finally join our mom and little sister. A one way ticket to Canada that changed my life forever. I left Kinshasa as a kid, lived in Montreal as a teen and now living in Ottawa as an adult. My dad stayed in Kinshasa. A few years after that April 27th flight, my parents divorced. Growing up in Canada with a single mom managing 4 kids wasn’t easy, she was strong and brave; and truly helped us become who we are today.
Sekele ya vie, le coeur ne l’oublie jamais
Ata molili, miso na nga emoni yo té
Na mongongo nayebaki ezali Pito Lukaya
Lokola bébé a se referaka na solo ya nzoto po a identifié oy’a ye mama ah
One thing I really embraced early as a kid was Congolese rumba, a popular genre of dance music which originated in the Congo basin during the 1940s, deriving from Cuban son. The style gained popularity throughout Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. My love story with Congolese rumba started at home. My parents didn’t have an easy marriage, something every one of us (kids) noticed as soon as we were old enough to assess the tension in the house. But every time we would attend or host a party, something special happened when the DJ played a rumba song. Every couple (almost without exception) would stand up and start dancing. I remember seeing my mom looking at my dad with so much tenderness, my dad looking at my mom with so much tenderness, they looked perfect, in harmony and most importantly, in love. These moments were priceless. I would always seat in front of the dance floor and stare at them. I could feel their joy and love for each other by simply looking at them; and I loved every single seconds of it.
Mawa na nga bonne santé, esengo santé médiocre
Vitamine ya love na nga ezali Berado Prince, soki ozongi nako vivre bonheur, Esengo na nga ekozala plus que victoire ya ba Spartiate na guerre de 300
I fell in love for the first time in 5th grade, I believe I was 9 years old when a girl in 4th grade caught my eyes. I was a big romantic at the time, I wrote her a long love letter detailing how beautiful she was and how I wanted her to be my love. I also bought a ring in the market with my weekly allowance and finished the letter by saying: wear this ring as a symbol of our love. The day of the delivery, everything went sideways. The letter was caught by her teacher, who opened it and read it aloud in front of the entire class. She was embarrassed. I didn’t know about it until lunch time, when all the students in her class rushed to my class to search for the kid who writes love letters in 5th grade. That was by far the worst day of primary school. I was held in the principal’s office the entire day and couldn’t leave until my dad showed up. Dad thought it was funny, he was laughing while swearing to never reveal it to mom. Then he started playing one his Zaïko Langa Langa CD in the car. Before pressing play, he told me: La rumba a bien meilleur goût après une paine d’amour (rumba has a better taste after a heartbreak). I didn’t know I was going through a heartbreak at a time, but it truly was. After the drama, the girl never responded to my letter, yet she wore the ring every single day. Maybe it was an answer? I will never know. At the time, I also wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics of the songs, so my dad’s comment didn’t make a lot of sense.
Motema pasi
Soki na kuti yo na mbanda eh
Ousman Bakayoko, ya nga nzoto eboya ko swana
Ousman Bakayoko, ya nga nzoto eboya bitumba ehWapi mpema yango ya ko swana na mbada, Don Padrino
Wapi nzoto yango ngo ya bitumba eh, Don Padrino
Wapi mpema yango ya ko swana na mbada, Don Padrino
Wapi nzoto yango ngo ya bitumba eh, Don Padrino
Many years later, after my first real heartbreak, listening to the same classics I’ve been listening to since I was kid was different. It was calming and painful at the same time. That was when I realized that these songs were full of truth and wisdom on life, love, relationship, family and more. Most rumba songs are about love. I used to wonder why most popular songs were about really complicated or painful relationships, now I know the answer: relationships are not easy.
Alingaka na bengaka yé mon bébé
Elengi ya bolingo ya nga na yo ekokani
Tosangana, tovanda, tozala bomoko
Bolingo ya nga na yo ekokende likolo
Yo na nga Mimina
Yo na nga Mimina
For those of us who saw our family and friends going through a lot in their marriage, we hope that our marriages we will better, however we define better. Love is universal, Congolese love is unique. The Congolese culture is very special. Congolese are very warm people, family values are extremely strong and music runs into our veins. When it comes to love, these cultural traits form something truly special, and the rumba delivers soundtracks to add something extra to the moment. Wether it’s a marriage, a birthday or an evening with the wife, there’s always a perfect song to tag along and create memories with. That’s how Ousmane Bakayoko became synonym for love and wedding for me.
Motema ezoki eh, luka solution noki té ngai lilita pene
Ambulance ekumba babel,i ekumbi nga bokono té
Mama yemo te bokendé kotika nga epayi ya B.M
Bana nsuka bakangaka mbula nakoki té kokanga ba larmes
Liziba na matama chérie yaka kotorchoner, Masengu ohBerndatte bolingo na pesa yo, il fallait o bomba na motema
Obombi na frigo courant ékatani bolingo ekufi
Kitalatala esikisa makaku nga bolingo elelisi ngai
Love ékomi mbilinga mbilinga mbilinga
Because there’s a song for every moments, the music has a bad reputation for being too sexually charged, which is actually not the case. While it is true that popular artists like Koffi Olimide and Fally Ipupa have a lot of success releasing bedroom rumba songs; most rumba songs are about love stories, heartbreak, challenges within marriage and life in general. Which offers a lot of priceless wisdom that we all need to hear as we’re striving to become better people and not repeat the same mistakes our parents did.
Lastly, Congolese rumba kept me close to my roots like nobody can imagine. The love of my country can’t be represented in an outfit or reduced to a flag emoji on social media, it something that lives within me. Listening to Congolese rumba brings amazing memories of friends and family in Kinshasa, some who already left us by now, which makes the songs even more personal and meaningful to me. Congolese Rumba also kept me closer to my dad, the last time I saw him was in 2007, but we developed a very good long distance friendship thanks to music. He reaches out to me for new songs, I reach out to him for classic, and we talk about everything and nothing in between. I love it.
Despite the circumstances, my love for Congolese rumba is a testament of his presence in my life, he’s the one who introduced me to that world, he grew up listening to Franco Luambo and Zaïka Langa Langa. I hope my kids will develop that same love for Congolese rumba, it is truly special.
Amour no ezali nde mystere
Nga na kangamimi na mignololo ya sentiment, Mbenge nangai
Ko pimela ngai yango te
Sans yango nga nayo zero
Yaka to se faire souder, Papy kake
Today, while I still enjoy the classics we share, I’m a huge fan of Ferre Gola, Fally Ipupa and all current ambassadors of Congolese rumba. I honestly think our music is a national treasure and something we should be really proud of. You don’t have to understand Lingala to listen to it, but it helps. I’ve built a playlist to introduce anybody to Congolese Rumba, a world full of rhythm, love, joy and sadness.
Thank you for reading!
Ned
I write about my experiences, entrepreneurship and philosphy on medium, and tweet at @NedNadima.
