Concert

BLCK MAMBA PRESENTS : CLUB SEBENE 

Blck Mamba brings together diaspora, club culture and Congolese heritage in a visionary musical project.

After more than ten years as a DJ, curator and connector within the Afro-electronic scene, Blck Mamba takes a next step with Club Sebene as a creative driving force within the Belgian-Congolese music scene. This audiovisual compilation brings together a generation of Belgian and Congolese artists around one shared approach: a contemporary electronic interpretation of sebene — the hypnotic, rhythmic core of Congolese soukous music. What emerges is a powerful sonic universe where tradition, diaspora, club culture and identity come together. From experimental electronics to Afro-club sounds: Sebene To The Future shows how African musical heritage is being reshaped on international dancefloors today. As curator and creative director, Blck Mamba uses her extensive network to build bridges between generations, scenes and cultures.

NELSON S. LEONI : AFRICAN RHYTHMS POWER 

During a trip to the east of the DRC, a young beatmaker of African descent had a life-changing encounter with Mababu. The words of this guardian of the Congo’s oral traditions and customs still resonate in his mind: ‘Music heals! It is the rhythm that gives power...’. That moment sparked within him a quest to discover his roots and a deep exploration of African rhythms. Through fascinating encounters and sonic experiences, this documentary explores the powerful influence of African music and its impact on the origins of African-American music and hip hop.

Nelson Shongo LÉONI was born in Belgium; his African roots lie in the Lodja region,
in Sankuru Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. From a very young age, he was immersed in an international musical environment. In 2023, this young beatmaker, a graduate of Belgium’s oldest film school, directed, as part of his final-year project, a documentary entitled ‘ARP’ (African Rhythms Power). This musical documentary was inspired by a journey to eastern Congo during an audiovisual mission where he worked with Dr Mukwege’s Panzi Foundation in Bukavu, South Kivu, in 2022. Part of the research was subsequently carried out at CAPA, drawing on instruments from the collections and sound archives of the Africa Museum in Tervuren. Following several nominations at festivals, such as the PAFF Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles in February 2025, and the Cannes International Pan-African Film Festival in October 2025, where it won the award for ‘Best Short Documentary’; it was important to present this project and to organise a screening at the Africa Museum, where it was partly filmed.

RODRIGUEZ VANGAMA

Rodriguez Vangama is a renowned guitarist and bassist. Thanks to his talent as a musician, arranger and producer, he is sought after by major artists such as Papa Wemba, Werrason, Jean Goubald, Lexxus Legal and Monik Tenday. He played in the jazz group J’AFROZZ and collaborated with Pierre Vaiana and Baloji. Together with Fabrizio Cassol, he took on the musical direction of the production ‘Coup Fatal’, a show that toured the world and was a huge success. He is also continuing his collaboration with Alain Platel on *Requiem pour L.*, for which he co-composed the music and conducts.

He is currently on an international tour with Ray Lema for the project *Hommage à Franco*.

Partners

The roots of Congolese rumba can be found in traditional music. It was influenced by the transatlantic slave trade, slavery, and colonisation. Rumba is both the witness and heir of the history of Congo.

Pytshens Kambilo puts a spotlight on the guitar – lindanda, in Lingala. Despite its central role in rumba, the guitar and its artists, aside from a few famous ones, have often stood in the shadow of the vocals and lyrics. This project is also a homage to the great guitarists and their skill. The performance will cover some of their most emblematic tracks, interpreted by peerless musicians:  

• Pytshens Kambilo - Guitar
• Costa Mbunda - Guitar
• Diego Higuera - Guitar
• Émile Petit Poisson – Guitar
• Rodriguez Vangama – Guitar
• Florence Kraus – Saxophone
• Sam Saloom - Bass
• Thierry Nguiegui Massamba - Percussions
• Yannick Koy – Vocals
• Boule Mpanya – Vocals

About the book  

The Guitar in Congolese Rumba. From playing by ear to transcription.
LINDANDA

Lindanda ('guitar' in Lingala) is a scholarly work aimed at identifying guitar scores in Congolese rumba pieces and making them available digitally or in print to allow everyone to access this often-unwritten repertoire that is an integral part of Congolese culture and heritage. Additional research, particularly on the history of the music, rounds out the book. The author conducted research in the sound archives and collections of the AfricaMuseum during a 2022-2023 artist residency.

About the author

A guitarist, singer, and writer-composer-interpreter born in Kinshasa, Zaïre in 1977, Pytshens Kambilo has recorded four solo albums (Kobanga Te !, 2007; Ndoa, 2008; To Loba Vérité, 2010; Silikoti, 2014) and collaborated with musicians and artists from all walks of life (Jean Goubald, Gaël Faye, Ray Lema, So Kalmery, Bebson de la Rue, Faustin Linyekula, Sammy Baloji, Fiston Mwanza Mujila, Serge Kakudji, Freddy Massamba, Gaëlle Côte, Vitshois Mwilambwe). He teaches and transcribes Congolese music (staff notation and jazz tablature). In Kinshasa, he initiated Lindanda, a music festival celebrating instrumental musicians, particularly guitarists. In France, he created ARKO (Académie de la Rumba congolaise) to promote all aspects of Congolese culture.

On 30 June 1960, the Democratic Republic of the Congo gained its independence. One of its fathers was Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961), born exactly 100 years ago. This independence represents an historic achievement for Congolese people around the world. 

Dipanda 65 offers a festive afternoon centered around 'Congolese success' in tribute to Congolese independence. 

Conference 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Introduction

• Dries Vanysacker (KULeuven) : Sports and independence

• Klay Mahungu (cultural entrepreneur) : Rumba music, a symbol of resistance

Discussion with inspiring personalities

• Didier Mbenga (NBA)

• Jeny Bonsenge (dance)

• Prof. Meshia Cédric Oveneke, PhD (technology)

• Francesca Lueya (football)

   

Concert 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

The Super Rumba orchestra offers a musical journey through the great classics of Congolese rumba. A festive atmosphere driven by seasoned musicians from the best music schools in Congo.

Congolese cuisine

Okapi Catering offers a unique Congolese culinary experience: traditional dishes revisited with finesse. A culinary immersion into Congolese heritage, symbolized by the okapi, the national animal.

This event is an initiative of Bambelle, an organization dedicated to promoting Congolese culture and history through inspiring and enriching events. Its goal is to promote Congolese cultural and historical heritage by offering participants a unique opportunity to draw inspiration and reflect together on the impact of these elements on the evolution of Congo. 

Partners : AfricaMuseum, Kadoc-KULeuven

Sponsors : Koni De Winter, Zinho Gano, Altrax Parts

Who is Papa Wemba?

The Congolese singer, songwriter and actor Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, aka Papa Wemba, was born in 1949 in Lubefu, Belgian Congo (now the province of Sankuru, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and died in 2016 in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) after falling ill on stage. The co-founder and manager of the label Viva la Musica, he recruited and trained Congolese and African music stars such as King Kester Emeneya and Awilo Longomba.

Considered one of the legends of Congolese and African music, his career spanned nearly fifty years. While Papa Wemba did not invent Congolese rumba, he was a pillar of the genre and one of the few artists to propel it to the international scene. He was also involved in the early days of soukous, and would also explore rock, ndombolo, and other world music styles. Rumba would nonetheless remain his signature genre.

He joined the group Zaïko Langa Langa in 1969 and left it five years later to create Isifi Lokolé, then Yoka lokole. In 1977 he founded the band Viva La Musica.

In the late 1970s, he was one of the fashion icons of the SAPE movement.

After Tabu Ley Rochereau, Papa Wemba became the second Congolese artist to sign with an international record label, Peter Gabriel’s Real World, under which he would release three albums: Le Voyageur (1992), Émotion (1995), and Molokaï (1998).

In 1980, Analengo became his first pan-African hit. After moving to France in 1986, he made his first screen appearance in La vie est belle. His fame spread to the United States in 1989 when he toured with the revue Africa Oyé. In 1999, Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci chose two of his songs, Maria Valencia and Le Voyageur, for the film Paradiso e inferno.

A celebration is held each year to commemorate the foundation of the African Union on 25 May 1963. Africa Day celebrates African successes and diversity, shining a spotlight on the continent’s cultural and economic potential and spreading the knowledge of pan-African ideals in a bid to inspire Africans and members of the African diasporas in their contemplation of the future of the continent.

The guest country for this year’s Africa Day is Ghana. The event wishes to pay homage to the work of Kwame Nkrumah, the great pan-Africanist and first president of independent Ghana. His struggle for the independence of his country inspired many other African nations to seek their own.

The day will end with live performances and an afterparty.

Nana Benz asbl is an Antwerp-based non-profit created by Tetty Kayembe, Audrey Ikirezi and Eyram Amavi to promote African culture among members of the African diaspora in Belgium through cultural and educational activities.

Who is Shak Shakito?

Shamba Benoit Olela was born in the town of Lodja, Kasai-Oriental province, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At age 14, he joined his sister in the capital, Kinshasa, some 2,000 km from his hometown. Evenings in his working-class district would be filled by the sound of a neighbour’s guitar, inspiring him to take up the instrument to accompany the texts he wrote.

He received his music diploma from the Institut national des Arts in 2007. The following year, he launched his professional music career as Shak Shakito at Kinshasa’s Festival Cœur d'Afrique. He now plays in the capital’s major festivals and on its biggest stages.

A lyricist, composer, singer, and musician, Shak Shakito produced and released his first album Fausses Notes in 2011. In February 2017, he presented his second album Ngelo at the Institut français de Kinshasa.

On 21 July, the #AfricaMuseum invites you to a free concert featuring Congolese Rumba. The story will be told and performed by Rodriguez Vangama (bass, guitar, vocals) with Yannick Koy (vocals), Petit Poisson (guitar), Pito Fundu (keyboard) and Paulin Lukombo (drums).

Cécile Djunga © Lillo Mendola

After a five-week creative residency in Burkina Faso in April 2023, Cécile Djunga will present her new show in Belgium.

A Belgian with Congolese roots, Djunga visited Africa for the first time at the age of 33. Culture shock guaranteed. All the twists and turns, surprises, and misunderstandings, from getting had at customs, being impervious to flirting, or laughing at the wrong time, are fodder for this well-paced, hilarious, good-natured and solid solo show! With her naiveté and her trademark energy, this journey to unfamiliar territory is a hymn to the encounter with the other – and with herself.

Author: Cécile Djunga
Director: Edoxi Lionnelle Gnoula

More information in French or Dutch.

In 2023, between 8 March (International Women's Day) and 30 June (Congo Independence Day), the ticket for this event will allow you to visit the AfricaMuseum for free.