Rhythms of Kolonga: The Democratic Republic of Congo Beyond the Headlines
By : Sara basemera & Parismita Sonowal
Rhythms of Kolonga DRC Beyond the Headlines is a transnational initiative by the National Institute for African Studies (NIAS), designed to reclaim and reposition the DRC within public imagination not as a place to be pitied, but as a wellspring of memory, beauty, resilience and vision.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has long been defined by the world through a narrow lens war, minerals, crisis, and displacement. These narratives, often accurate in fragments, are incomplete in their essence. They omit the DRC’s cultural genius, its rythmic resistance, its intellectual heritage, and its people’s relentless creativity.
“Kolonga” is not simply a sound it is survival. A song that defies silence. A rhythm that remembers. A beat that binds memory, movement, and identity.
Why The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)?
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most resource-rich and culturally influential nations on the African continent and yet one of the most misrepresented.
It is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, roughly the size of Western Europe, and is home to over 112 million people. The DRC possesses extraordinary wealth in minerals such as cobalt, copper, coltan, and gold resources that power global technologies from electric vehicles to smartphones. It also contains 60% of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world and a vital regulator of the Earth’s climate.
Yet despite its abundance, the Congolese people have not benefited proportionally. The country has endured decades of foreign interference, conflict, and exploitation a legacy rooted in colonial rule and sustained by global economic systems that extract without accountability. Armed conflict continues to destabilise the east, with the resurgence of the M23 rebel group now controlling nearly 20% of national territory. More than 73% of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, and one in six people living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is Congolese.
The social cost is profound. The DRC ranks 164th out of 174 on the Human Capital Index. Almost half of all children under five experience stunting, and girls face high barriers to completing education. Congolese women and girls report some of the highest levels of gender-based violence on the continent, and continue to be underrepresented in economic and political life.
Despite these conditions, the DRC continues to rise culturally, spiritually, and creatively. Its people are not only survivors, but storytellers. They are musicians, dancers, painters, philosophers, and youth organisers. From the streets of Kinshasa to the refugee communities in Uganda, Congolese voices carry rhythm, vision, and brilliance.
This campaign steps into the gap between global silence and local expression. It invites institutions, educators, artists, and allies especially across the UK to shift the gaze: from pity to power, from deficit to dignity, from being spoken about to being heard on their own terms.
Why This Campaign and Why Now
Recognising the DRC’s cultural and ecological importance is essential but recognition without responsibility falls short. Despite its contributions to the world’s technological future and climate stability, the DRC continues to be spoken about rarely spoken with. Its people have been documented, extracted from, and debated over, but seldom given the platform to narrate their own legacy and define their future.
This campaign exists to change that: We are shifting the spotlight placing Congolese voices at the centre of their own story. Not as passive subjects of crisis, but as cultural authors, artistic innovators, and ecological custodians. Through rhythm, memory, and collective storytelling, Rhythms of Kolonga reframes the DRC as a place of power, not pity. It challenges institutions, media, and funders to listen differently and to invest in narrative justice as a critical form of development and diplomacy.
This is not just about telling stories. It’s about returning authorship. And that shift is long overdue.
Vision: Inspired by Kolonga a Congolese rhythm rooted in resistance and joy this campaign merges storytelling, art, film, and dialogue to reshape global narratives about the DRC. It amplifies stories that reflect the soul of a nation too often summarised by suffering.
Led by NIAS, this initiative is grounded in research, dignity, and cross-cultural dialogue. It connects diaspora communities, refugee voices, and cultural institutions across the UK and East Africa, creating a rhythmic space for memory, conversation, and future-making.
Objective
Reframe global perceptions of the DRC through creative storytelling and archival preservation.
Facilitate cross-border conversations between youth, elders, and cultural leaders across the UK and Uganda.
Elevate Congolese youth as cultural storytellers and community historians.
Generate tools and outputs including a digital archive, legacy toolkit, and film to preserve and scale the impact of this narrative shift.
Why This Campaign Is Unique
Research-rooted: Grounded in NIAS’s scholarship and African development advocacy, this is not just a campaign it is a cultural intervention backed by evidence, ethics, and memory
Transnational structure: From refugee communities to diaspora youth in London, the campaign creates a pan-African bridge of voices and visions
Not just art narrative diplomacy: We honour art as advocacy, rhythm as resistance, and storytelling as a vehicle for social transformation
Legacy-focused: Every song, story, and mural is documented, archived, and repurposed for education, policy engagement, and diaspora organising
Anchor Events:
This vibrant, multi-layered campaign unfolds through a series of signature moments that bring its vision to life:
Cultural Opening Night (UK) on 6th of June 2025
A celebratory launch bringing together artists, scholars, and activists for an evening of performance, dialogue, and immersive cultural exchange.
Film Night and Main Dialogue Forum: The DRC Beyond the Headlines (UK) on 27th June 2025
A powerful convergence of film and conversation, challenging dominant narratives and amplifying Congolese voices often left out of the mainstream.
Online Cultural takeover celebrating Congo’s Musical Heritage (From launch to Closure)
A digital celebration of Congo’s rich musical heritage, spanning the length of the campaign, engaging global audiences through sound, memory, and shared joy.
Reference:
Group, W.B. (2025) Democratic Republic of Congo, World Bank Group News Feature. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc (Accessed: 23 May 2025).
Forum, W.E. (2025) The Democratic Republic of Congo to create the Earth’s largest protected Tropical Forest Reserve, Nature and Biodiversity. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/congo-kivu-kinshasa-green-corridor/ (Accessed: 23 May 2025).
