‘Rumba Lumumba (SOLD OUT)’

Patrice Lumumba was not just the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Congo but also a talented listener and passionate music lover. On 21 January twenty-five musical veterans of the OK Jazz and African Jazz of the 1960s and 70s will sing about the iconic leader in the fight for independence. With twenty songs from the heyday of the rumba and as many powerful anecdotes they raise Lumumba to his rightful place. The evening concludes with an after party – the perfect opportunity to get down to the beats of Beniko Popolipo!

17h00, Rotonde Galerie Ravenstein: Inauguration of a travelling Lumumba Square

In addition to being the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Congo, Patrice Emery Lumumba also greatly loved art. Emerging artists have chosen to celebrate this cultural aspect during the inauguration of a travelling Lumumba Square*, which features a lifesize sculpture of the politician by Rhode Makoumbou. This initiative echoes the demands of the African communities, who wish to increase the visibility of historical figures and raise awareness about the shared history between Africa and Europe, between Congo and Belgium…

* after an original idea by Mireille-Tsheusi Robert (Bamko asbl), www.lumumba.org

This programme is produced by BOZAR in the framework of its Africa programming :

BOZAR presents contemporary Africa since the 1990s. Ever since, an increasingly rich programming, developed thanks to  local and international institutional, corporate and associate  partnerships, has allowed the creation of a transversal Africa Desk at BOZAR. From 2011 on, this department has worked to present on a continuous basis the best of contemporary creativity linked to Africa and its Diaspora, through a platform called Afropolitan. Its objective is to promote a positive image of the African continent and contribute to the dialogue between Africa and Europe and between Belgian citizens of diverse origins.  Afropolitan represents over 25 annual events across all artistic disciplines, and this makes BOZAR one of the rare European cultural institutions offering such a multidisciplinary and permanent platform for African artists. It also opens up a path for BOZAR to address its own institutional diversity and social cohesion in Brussels. In this framework, BOZAR regularly puts forth the voice of local artists and activists of Congolese origin, as a way to contribute to the construction of a common and inclusive narrative about the country’s colonial past. Our next events are January 29 with the Belgian première of the film Tribunal sur le Congo, in the presence of director Milau Rau, and the Afropolitan Festival 2018 starting February 23.