UNESCO Endorsement and Brazzaville-Kinshasa Cultural Diplomacy
In December 2021 the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed “Congolese Rumba” on its prestigious list, framing the genre as a shared cultural asset of the two capital cities that face each other across the Congo River. Brazzaville’s authorities, supported by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, seized that moment to underline the Republic of the Congo’s commitment to cultural diplomacy and to position the country as a steward of African soft power. The new documentary Rumba Congolaise, les Héroïnes, directed by Franco-Algerian parliamentarian and filmmaker Yamina Benguigui, builds on this recognition by opening a parallel conversation about gender and historical equity within that same heritage.
While Kinshasa and Brazzaville sometimes vie for primacy in rumba’s lineage, both governments endorsed the inscription as a symbol of regional cooperation. Congolese Minister of Culture Lydie Pongault recently stressed that “our intangible heritage is an instrument of dialogue as much as it is of celebration” (Radio Congo, 2023). Benguigui’s film functions as a cultural bridge, compatible with the Republic of the Congo’s strategy of showcasing inclusive narratives without jeopardising national pride.
The Benguigui Lens: Curating Archival Memory with Diplomatic Sensitivity
Yamina Benguigui has long practised what French critics call “cinéma-diplomatie”: a form of documentary that strives to rehabilitate forgotten memories while avoiding polemics. In her latest work she deploys a mosaic of black-and-white newsreels, studio recordings, and private photo albums recovered from families in Brazzaville’s Poto-Poto district. By restoring fragile nitrate reels in collaboration with Paris’s CNC laboratories, she carries out an act of cultural conservation that mirrors UNESCO’s objectives.
Throughout the film she refuses sensationalism. The camera lingers on Mbilia Bel explaining, in Lingala, that she was once asked to sing behind a curtain so that male vocalists could keep the spotlight. It pauses on the late Abeti Masikini’s diary, where a pencilled note reads, “My voice is my passport.” These vignettes avoid the temptation of indictment; instead they suggest the necessity of recalibrating public memory. Such curatorial restraint aligns with Congo-Brazzaville’s broader diplomatic stance: acknowledging historical silences without engaging in accusatory rhetoric.
Female Agency amid Colonial and Post-Independence Soundscapes
Academic literature, from Kazadi wa Mukuna’s ethnomusicology to Graeme Counsel’s field recordings, underscores that women were present in rumba orchestras as early as the 1950s. Benguigui’s documentary illustrates how singers such as Lucie Eyenga negotiated European copyright regimes and Congolese customary expectations simultaneously, leveraging the night-club stage as both livelihood and platform for self-representation.
The film traces a delicate arc from late-colonial Leopoldville, where dancers coded political dissent into body language, to post-independence Brazzaville, where national orchestras became vehicles for ideologically sanctioned modernity. Women navigated these spaces with strategic adaptability. In one sequence, veteran choreographer Aida Mbuyi recalls receiving travel permits from the colonial administration only if she agreed to perform ‘sanitised’ routines; in another, she praises the 1973 National Festival of Culture in Brazzaville for giving her troupe official recognition. The juxtaposition underscores the continuum between constraint and opportunity, rather than a simple narrative of victimhood.
Contemporary Reverberations in Congo-Brazzaville’s Creative Economy
By foregrounding female pioneers, the documentary also speaks to the contemporary music sector’s evolving gender dynamics. Brazzaville’s urban festivals, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and the World Bank-funded PREFEC project, now include parity clauses for performers. Popular singer-songwriter Fally Ipupa appears briefly in Benguigui’s film, crediting Mbilia Bel and Tshala Muana for his own vocal phrasing. His intervention is more than a cameo; it signals a broader intergenerational contract in which current male stars actively legitimise female antecedents.
Economists at the African Union’s Observatory for Cultural Policies estimate that recorded rumba contributes nearly 1.3 per cent to Congo-Brazzaville’s creative GDP. Showcasing a more inclusive historical narrative could further professionalise the sector by attracting heritage grants and international co-productions. Government officials familiar with the forthcoming National Strategy for Creative Industries hint that Benguigui’s documentary will be screened at diplomatic missions to stimulate cultural tourism.
Memory, Soft Power and the Future of Rumba Heroines
Rumba Congolaise, les Héroïnes arrives at a pivotal juncture for both cultural policy and gender discourse in Central Africa. Its premiere at FESPACO in Ouagadougou drew a standing ovation, and the Brazzaville city council has scheduled open-air screenings along the corniche. Such gestures transform memory work into civic ritual, reinforcing the state’s narrative of unity while also accommodating plural voices.
The film does not simply rehabilitate individual careers; it reframes rumba as a living repertoire that can absorb present-day aspirations, from women’s economic empowerment to the nation’s diplomatic branding. In doing so, it complements President Sassou Nguesso’s call for ‘cultural emergence’ articulated during the 2022 State of the Nation address. As embassy attachés and festival programmers assess Benguigui’s work, one conclusion emerges: cultural heritage, once it integrates the stories of its heroines, wields even greater resonance on the international stage.
