Congolese music
By Patrick Musira in Harare : IT may be the food of life that makes the world go round and is easily one of that country’s most well known and popular exports across the length and breadth of the African continent and the four corners of the world, but the Democratic Republic Congo’s ambassador in Harare has called on his fellow nationals to “slow down the pace on the song and dance!”
Ambassador Mwanananga Mwanakanga, recently called on his fellow Congolese resident in Zimbabwe, to re-channel their energies into promoting investments to their country, create business linkages and networks and adopt a disciplined work ethic for the development of their country – “and not dance ndombolo all day!”
“My fellow Congolese here and in the re4gion, I appeal to you to work hard and develop the Congo, work hard to bring investment back home. We must work hard and be ehical and disciplined in our business dealings,” he said, lighted-heartedly..
Congolese music genres – chachacha, rhumba and soukous – have been popular in Southern Africa since the 1950s and have been adopted and adapted into several branches like Zimbabwe’s popular sungura beat. And the music is well played across the Congolese Chez Ntemba music networks across the sub-region.
The diplomat, who is also the dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Zimbabwe, was speaking during his country’s 51st independence anniversary in the capital Harare.
Zimbabwe hs a sizeable Congolese community that grew especially after Zimbabwe assisted the DRC repel Western-backed invaders from Rwanda and Uganda in 1998. The two countries have strengthened relations and are both members in the Southern Africa Development Community, African Union as well as the United Nations.
Mwanananga further invited Zimbabwean enterprises to come and invest in his country – one of Africa’s potentially resource-richest.
