Rumba: From Congo To Cape Town The spread of Congolese music and musicians across the African con... more Rumba: From Congo To Cape Town The spread of Congolese music and musicians across the African continent since the 1960s is a phenomenon without parallel. How this was achieved has not been given the academic attention it is due. The welcome Congolese musicians received to perform at Independence Day celebrations all over Africa in the early 1960s was a testament to the Pan-African appeal of their music. The perceived modernity, the national coherence, and the danceable quality of their music all contributed to this appeal. The cosmopolitan influences from the African Diaspora, especially those from Latin America, were reunited with their African origins in the Lingala songs and guitar driven melodies of Congolese stars in African Jazz, OK Jazz, and Les Bantous de la Capitale. Their performance skills were allied with the entrepreneurialism of Greek traders who produced and sold their records around Africa. The power of the radio transmitters built by the colonial authorities during World War Two in Leopoldville and Brazzaville meant the music could be heard throughout the continent. In the 1970s Congolese music benefited from state patronage, more investment in broadcasting capacity and the establishment of stadium tour circuits in the regions of Africa where urban populations were seeing unprecedented growth, especially in capital cities. Congolese musicians also settled and became an enduring musical presence in these regions. Congolese musical migrants staffed bands in Sierra Leone,
Rumba: From Congo To Cape Town The spread of Congolese music and musicians across the African con... more Rumba: From Congo To Cape Town The spread of Congolese music and musicians across the African continent since the 1960s is a phenomenon without parallel. How this was achieved has not been given the academic attention it is due. The welcome Congolese musicians received to perform at Independence Day celebrations all over Africa in the early 1960s was a testament to the Pan-African appeal of their music. The perceived modernity, the national coherence, and the danceable quality of their music all contributed to this appeal. The cosmopolitan influences from the African Diaspora, especially those from Latin America, were reunited with their African origins in the Lingala songs and guitar driven melodies of Congolese stars in African Jazz, OK Jazz, and Les Bantous de la Capitale. Their performance skills were allied with the entrepreneurialism of Greek traders who produced and sold their records around Africa. The power of the radio transmitters built by the colonial authorities during World War Two in Leopoldville and Brazzaville meant the music could be heard throughout the continent. In the 1970s Congolese music benefited from state patronage, more investment in broadcasting capacity and the establishment of stadium tour circuits in the regions of Africa where urban populations were seeing unprecedented growth, especially in capital cities. Congolese musicians also settled and became an enduring musical presence in these regions. Congolese musical migrants staffed bands in Sierra Leone,
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