CONGO 2006

Congo Trip

Since Jan was inviting two different shows to his theater that were going to Peter Sellar's "New Crowned Hope" Festival in Vienna and he had ongoing projects through his theater ( The KVS ) in the Congo, he wanted to see how one of those projects in particular was coming along. He had met Congolese director/choreographer Faustin Linyekula a few years back, and wanted to see if he could be any help with Faustin's latest work, The ??? ??? Series: Dinosord, which was going to be presented in Vienna and at the KVS in December (2006). He had also heard that Faustin had discovered a young (17) self-taught countertenor from Lubumbashi, and was going to use him in this show. As each project in the New Crowned Hope Festival took as its inspiration some of the last works of Mozart and their themes, this project was going to use excerpts of Mozart's Requiem, with said countertenor singing. Since the singer was only 17 and had no real formal training, we thought it would be very opportune to help him out. We didn't want him to appear before all of Vienna (a difficult public), singing Mozart ("their" boy), without at least a little bit of musical or vocal coaching.
The show was a tribute to Faustin's friend Kabako, a writer who had died of the PLAGUE on the border of the Congo after having been imprisoned. Jan had been wanting me to share his experience in the Congo, as it had been life-changing for him. We had planned to go earlier in 2006, but then I was busy, and then set it up for August 2006, and there had been unrest in conjunction with the announcement of the two run-off candidates for president. So we had cancelled that much-anticipated trip. When we figured out we could make it work in November, we jumped at the chance to go together.
So we went to the Congo - first Kinshasa, to touch base with some of Jan's contacts there, and then on to Faustin's hometown of Kisangani. Our first night in Kinshasa was the night of the second round of elections. Tension was high in the diplomatic circles, as the run-off was between Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba. Kabila is the son of a former president who had used a coup to take power after Mobutu. "Young" Kabila was probably born outside of Congo (although they are at pains to deny it) and raised speaking the language Swahili, which is spoken mostly in the East of Congo. He formed a coalition government of sorts with many of the warlords who had been squabbling over Congo in a long civil war, most of them backed by one or another neighbor of Congo. Jean-Pierre Bemba was one of these warlords, educated in England, and now one of seven vice-presidents. He was a native of Kinshasa, and speaks the language Lingala, which is spoken in the capitol and mainly the West part of the country. Bemba is absolutely hated in many parts of the East, as his warloads trounced all over that part of the country, creating mayhem and violence while Kinshasa saw only mainly refugees from other parts of the country. Because travel is so difficult between any of the cities in the Congo (no roads or highways linking the different cities), each city feels like its own world.
Kisangani is near the border with Burundi and Rwanda, and saw some fierce fighting among all the different rebel factions over a local electricity plant. The people of the town weren't part of the fight, but all these foreign and foreign-led factions fought horrible battles all over Kisangani, killing countless local people and destroying the local countryside.

The Congo

I know you're thinking, "Why the heck does she want to go to the CONGO?" I actually thought it a few times, too, when I had to get a plethora of vaccines for diseases I thought were eradicated - - Polio, yellow fever, diptheria... I thought the latter was only something dogs and cats got!

So, why am I going to the Congo? Let me give you some background: my beau, Jan Goossens, is the director of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg - KVS - the Royal Flemish Theater in Brussels. Years ago, they were temporarily housed in an old Bottlery in Molenbeek, a very Arab part of town, while their historic downtown theater was being renovated. They pragmatically and open-heartedly decided to engage that local population there. This, in turn, turned their attention to the general population of Brussels as it is, not as some people WISH it were. They decided they needed to not only make sure that their theater was accessible to all stripes of Bruxellois, but also discovered that there was immense talent in the Magreb (Northern African) community and the African community in Brussels. They started working with interesting "Maroxellois" (a funny word mix between Marocco and Brussels) and created the Green Light project, which brought together the disparate elements of African diaspora in Brussels to do workshops and projects. These mainly French-speakers even took Dutch courses.

Now, if you're American, engaging your immigrant population and mixing using languages other than the one you're 'supposed' to be speaking may not be that scandalous. Oh, I forgot - we're living in George Bush's America now, aren't we? Hmmmm. In any case, it was scandalous to be engaging some audiences and voices in Brussels because - gasp - not all of them were native Dutch speakers and some -GASP! - didn't speak Dutch at all!! Since Brussels is the capitol and is nominally bilingual, this shouldn't be a problem. However, many Dutch speakers rightfully feel that French is usurping their native language's place in the national capitol, which is also the capitol of the Dutch-speaking part of the country, Flanders. There is increased pressure to keep cultural things in the capitol (whose payment is divided along linguistic lines) free from the "other side's" language. However, in a city where, in reality, French is the lingua franca, English is next, and the majority of Brussels dwellers speak a language OTHER than French or Dutch as their first language at home, some kind of practicality must be kept. Vlanders likes to say that 20% of Brussels is Dutch-speaking, but in reality, native speakers of Dutch in the capitol are probably less than 10%.

As a result of this engagement, the KVS decided to look farther than these communities in Brussels and look at their origins. The seeds of an idea to engage with these international links took root. So last year, the KVS took one of their Green Light shows to Kinshasa. It was an overwhelming success, and they have done acting and dance workshops ever since. And they have invited talented Congolese artists to Belgium to show their talents. They are now expanding their workshops in Kinshasa to music (jazz, world music) and authors, as well. Since Jan had been there three times already and was so enthusiastic about the things they could accomplish there, I thought it was about time I went and saw what was going on for myself.

One trip we had planned in August got waylaid, as there was political unrest between the two main factions who were vying for the presidential spot. So, we decided to go back in November with a small group. Since communication is difficult, and there is no postal service any more, Jan felt he needed to go before their planned January trip to keep their connections there alive. We arrived the day of the run-offs of the elections between Bemba and Kabila. This was one of the most exciting parts of the trip, I have to say. Kinshasa was mainly supporting Bemba, a candidate who was from Kinshasa, who had led militias in the East of the country during the civil war. The people in the East absolutely hated him. Kabila was very popular in the East, but hated in the capitol because he doesn't speak the language they speak in the West of the country, Lingala, among other things. SIDE NOTE - Kabila ended up winning the vote with over 60% of the national vote. Kinshasans didn't believe it, because each city is so isolated from the other ones, that they couldn't believe that so many people voted for Kabila, because they didn't talk to or see all these people themselves! The lack of roads or rail links really has isolated each big city in this enormous country. So, our first night, we tagged along with some friends who were European Commission Election Observers. We watched people vote for the first time in their lives, and then watched as they transparently counted the votes into the middle of the night. The most striking thing about this is that there is no electricity in many parts of the city, so once the sun goes down, it is pitch black. They were counting votes by candle-light. I wish I could've taken pictures, but the paranoia in the Congo from the days of Mobutu is still alive and well, and it is nearly impossible to take pictures outdoors anywhere without getting caught by the police. (And being asked for a bribe.) So I don't have many outdoor pictures from the Congo. But I'm proud to say I was there for the decisive night of their first elections in over 30 years!

We spent the first part of our trip in Kinshasa, visiting the Church of Kimbangu, as they have a classical orchestra. (Pictured at right) We had asked if we could sit in on one of their rehearsals. Instead, Jan and I (the great theater director and the world-famous opera singer) were treated to a private concert of a full orchestra plus huge choir plus soloists. What did they perform? Excerpts from Nabucco! I never thought I would be hearing Verdi like this! The level of technical proficiency was overall not that high, but the SPIRIT of their playing could teach a thing or two to the greatest orchestras in the world. I was almost in tears from the first note! This is the future of classical music.

I started to think that maybe I might be able to help here somehow, so my mind started racing with ideas. But how to help here, without seeming like a cultural imperialist? So many people are hungry for a connection with Europe and the U.S., and have talent in some fields, but there is a lack of teachers for the classical arts which require technique as a foundation. I can not be there all the time, but I'm toying with the idea of setting up something there that will invite different teachers to come in and help support the local teachers with further expertise. We shall see. I'll keep you posted.

The next part of our trip, we went to KISANGANI in the East. It is near the border with Rwanda, and saw some horrible fighting over an electrical power plant, which we saw, by the way. We got a personal tour of the hydraulic power plant (pictured on the left), which has 1950 and -60 era technology that they're still trying to keep working. Only two of the turbines still work, so there are rolling blackouts when they must do maintenance on one of them. (Pictured at left)

We were in town to watch rehearsals of Faustin Linyekula's show Dinosord, which was going to go to the Vienna New Crowned Hope festival and then to the KVS. Faustin is a Congolese choreographer/director that Jan had been watching. The KVS had presented his earlier piece "Festival de Mensonges." Since the New Crowned Hope Festival had taken as its departure point the last works of Mozart and their themes, this theater/dance piece used the Requiem as a departure point. Faustin had found a 17-year-old self-taught countertenor named Serge Kukudji from the southern town of Lubumbashi. My task was to help Serge prepare for the Vienna and Brussels appearances.

Serge (pictured at right with me) is a very mature 17 and a half year old, as most Congolese are. The only time he gives away his age is when he giggles! I was pleasantly surprised at his voice. Because nobody where he comes from knows much of anything about countertenors, Serge had no idea that he was, in fact, a mezzo-soprano and not a soprano. So I quickly put that notion in his head... I gave Serge two lessons, and already the next day, he was identifying his problems and self-correcting! This is a talent even some graduate students don't have! So I am confident that Serge will be able to fulfill his dream of being an opera singer. I am also going to make sure I help to give him a fighting chance of that happening! So Serge is a willing "project" - not only a lovely person and a lovely musician, but a hard worker. This is the main attribute of an opera singer who will make a career! So I'm hoping to work with him some more this Spring in Europe, and get him up to speed with vocal technique and with theory, etc... so that he could enroll in a European conservatory. He has a wonderful heart, and is someone who is innovative and proactive, so I know he will do great things, no matter where his voice will take him. He should be what is the equivalent of a junior in high school. But he worked his butt off for a few months, and took (and passed!) all his exit exams so he could fully concentrate on his musical studies. I am so proud to know such a great individual. It is so exciting to see the wonder and the passion he has for music and singing. It reminds me of the transformative power of making music all over again. I just got an email from him, telling me that he is creating an opera with a composer friend in Lubumbashi, and it will take place in the next few months. So I look forward to hearing more about this creative project soon! I'll keep you apprised on this page!

I may be hitting some of you up for a scholarship for his studies sometime soon. That would be good news, as that would mean he had gotten in to a European conservatory. Luckily, European conservatories' fees are not high at all, but he will need some kind of scholarship to live off of while in Europe. Keep your fingers crossed and your prayers in the pipeline for this talented individual!

Click here to see more pictures from Kisangani

While in Kisangani, we also got see the very special fishermen, who use these elaborate nets to catch fish from the nearby river. There are children (who should be in school) who wait by the river, playing, for people to come by. (Pictured at left) They thronged us, hoping to get a tip, holding fish in their mouths and being just about as cute as possible. Their parents are so poor they can't afford the tuition for schools, so they'd rather have a little extra money from what the kids can make at the fishermen than spend money on school. At least that is what our guide told us... You never know...

Next, we headed back to KINSHASA, the lively capitol, and met up with some more "old friends" of Jan and the Theater - we were able to meet up with writers, actors, dancers, some singers... We ended our trip with a trip to the best chicken restaurant in town - Maman Colonel's with members of the Bejarts Collective Arts Center in Ngili (one of the "cité's in Kinshasa). They have built up this arts center, whose board consists of writers, thinkers, artists, etc... and serve their community with arts. It is so heartening to see, in the midst of a very poor slum, this flourishing arts center which they themselves have created. Bravo, les Bejarts!! Then, it was time to head home and off again to work in London.

Click here for more pictures of KINSHASA