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Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire
Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) from 1965 until 1997, was fond of saying “happy are those who sing and dance,� and his regime energetically promoted the notion of culture as a national resource. During this period Zairian popular dance music (often referred to as la rumba zaïroise) became a sort of musica franca in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. But how did this privileged form of cultural expression, one primarily known for a sound of sweetness and joy, flourish under one of the continent’s most brutal authoritarian regimes? In Rumba Rules, the first ethnography of popular music in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bob W. White examines not only the economic and political conditions that brought this powerful music industry to its knees, but also the ways that popular musicians sought to remain socially relevant in a time of increasing insecurity.Drawing partly on his experiences as a member of a local dance band in the country’s capital city Kinshasa, White offers extraordinarily vivid accounts of the live music scene, including the relatively recent phenomenon of libanga, which involves shouting the names of wealthy or powerful people during performances in exchange for financial support or protection. With dynamic descriptions of how bands practiced, performed, and splintered, White highlights how the ways that power was sought and understood in Kinshasa’s popular music scene mirrored the charismatic authoritarianism of Mobutu’s rule. In Rumba Rules, Congolese speak candidly about political leadership, social mobility, and what it meant to be a bon chef (good leader) in Mobutu’s Zaire.
- GenresMusicAnthropologyAfrica
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2009
Often fascinating, especially when White joins a working band and plays some shows. He doesn't strike me as all that well-versed a music guy, frankly: he talks about how bandleaders are autocratic Big Men, which mimics the logic of Mobutu's regime, which of course explains, um, James Brown. And to say that taking all these titles like "general" shows some sort of imbibing of authoritarian thought patterns...as Robert Christgau , that's kind of common elsewhere, too. But there is a ton of fascinating stuff here about how soukous bands work in the Congo these days, particularly libanga, or commercialized mentions in songs: for a mere $1000, you could get a whole song named after you, or get your name "shouted" for a little less. (One song has 110 mentions.) Jill Sobule, I think it was, sold mentions on her last album, but this goes far beyond that.
May 14, 2019
The high? His time as a stand-in atalaku. The low? Lyric analysis; White should be commended for putting together a readable book that balances a compelling personal story with academic rigour
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