That’s it, the Congolese rumba has entered the representative list of the intangible heritage of humanity established by Unesco. Africa and lovers of African music are delighted with this recognition of a musical form of incredible fertility, and whose birth certificate is fixed by specialists on this song, Marie Louise, here in a version recorded in 1959 by its creator Wendo Kolosoy.
You may be wondering why I am telling you this. Well, because Congolese rumba can be seen as a metaphor for the All World, as Édouard Glissant said – a world in which all humans and all cultures are potentially in contact with all the cultures of the world.
Well, it is not only the Congolese rumba which has entered the list of the intangible heritage of humanity. There is also the Thiéboudienne from Senegal. The thiéboudienne, you see, is rice with fish, vegetables, spices finally …
In the first episode of These songs that make the news this weekend, you hear excerpts from:
Wendo Kolosoy and Began Band, Marie Louise, 1959
Zaïko Langa Langa, Mondo fever, 1980
Booba, Caramel, 2013
Nekfeu (with Alpha Wann), 3095 (Part 2), 2020
Booba, Mothership, 2011
Maurice Alexander, Couscous , 1931
Bob Azzam, Make me couscous, darling, 1960
Maurice Alexander, Couscous , 1931
You can also follow the news of this column on Twitter.
Remember: during the summer of 2019, La Playlist de Françoise Hardy was a journey through the musical baggage of an author, composer and performer considered to be the arbiter of the elegance of pop in France.
In July and August 2017, we spent Un été en Souchon, during which Alain Souchon guided us on a tasty walk through a lifetime of love for song.
All summer 2016, in the company of Vincent Delerm, we wandered around in La Playlist amoureuse de la chanson, truant exploration of popular heritage. You can also extend the delicacies of this summer column with the French song lover dictionary, co-published by Plon and franceinfo.