Atlantic Music Expo: Jocelyn Balu, prince of Congolese rumba
Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, is bathed in music all this week, with the renowned Kriol Jazz Festival this weekend - Salif Keita and Steve Coleman in particular will be on stage - and the Atlantic Music Expo which lasted all week . This music market allows artists to present their music in front of professionals but also in front of the public because all concerts are free. Some musicians have come from far away, notably Jocelyn Balu, prince of Congolese rumba.
A worthy successor to the greats of rumba, Jocelyn Balu enchanted the audience at Luís de Camões Square in Praia, Cape Verde, on April 5, 2024. © Atlantic Music export
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With our special correspondent in Praia,
Guillaume Thibault
A golden voice, a great smile and an extremely endearing boy. Jocelyn Balu sings every morning so that life goes well: “
May the great spirits guide me and everything goes well.
»
Like many Cape Verdeans, Jocelyn Balu is nostalgic for his country, because the artist left Kinshasa for France, with the hope of earning a better living.
Authentic, the rumba singer expects better from political leaders: that they respect and apply in particular the ideals of Patrice Lumumba, a forgotten figure, he believes: “
Everything that Lumumba had said, especially in his speech, we should teach it, to begin with, at school. It's weird that we don't even teach it in school. This is the basis.
»
“
You have to stop everything to look for your future elsewhere
”
Like many Cape Verdeans, Jocelyn Balu is nostalgic for his country, because the artist left Kinshasa for France with the hope of earning a better living: “
Between the disappointment and the love you have for this country… unfortunately, you have to stop everything to seek your future elsewhere
. »
Faced with the troubles that the DRC is experiencing and the divisions within the communities, Jocelyn Balu therefore believes that only the people can provide the solution: “
So, if there are problems in the Congo, that means that it is us, the problem. The day we say to ourselves, this has to stop, it will stop.
»
Remember that the Congolese rumba has been included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage since 2021.
Also read: Congolese rumba, from its origins to its inclusion in the Intangible Heritage of Humanity
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