On 20 March, the residency of the rumba Congolais project MRCI (Mythique Rumba Congolaise Internationale) kicked off at Theatre Molière. In the late 40s and 50s, Congolese Rumba musicians fought the colonial authorities and the Belgian occupation by creating this new style of music. This music was not exclusively based on Congolese musical forms; it also integrated foreign musical genres, especially from Cuba and other Caribbean countries.
MRCI is a project with Congolese artists from Brussels and Paris who played and sang alongside the founders of the classic Congolese Rumba – such as Tabu Ley Rochereau and Franco Luambo – and artists from younger generations. Together, they reinterpret the great classics of the genre.
The project was launched on the occasion of Congolese rumba’s application for the list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” and includes, in addition to concerts, an educational component and a conference. It is realised in collaboration with Klay Mawungu.
(photo Fabienne Pennewaert)