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March 23-28 2021
When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.
RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES, offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.
When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.
RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES, offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.
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Born in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1978, Sammy Baloji graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Lubumbashi. While comics first grabbed his attention, he gradually turned to photography and video as his interest in art deepened. The underlying theme in Baloji’s work is the industrial and cultural heritage of his home region of Katanga. He is particularly fascinated by the notion of memory and the remnants of colonization. In 2005, Baloji went to Brussels to present Views of Likasi, a 0.60mx200m photo-montage that merged the mining town’s colonial architectural with evidence of the present. The show even traveled to Cape Town in South Africa and to Maputo in Mozambique. In 2007, Baloji worked on a photography project in Mozambique during an artist’s residency in the country. The capital Maputo’s recent history served as a powerful point of inspiration, as demonstrated by the name of one of the city’s main streets, Avénida Vladimir Lenin. His latest feature is the documentary RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES (2020) which he co-directed with David Nadeau-Bernatchez.
David N. Bernatchez is a Quebec filmmaker, writer and producer. As an anthropologist, he has investigated the Congolese music scene since 2004. He nowadays work in creation, research and performance. Whether they focus on music (RUMBA SPACES (2018)), sport (TEMPS TEMPS (2009)) or more widely, on history and memory (LUDOVICA (2018), JOSEPH SAMUEL JACQUES JULIEN (2015)), Berntachez's projects constantly questions social and narrative structures. His images, performances and lectures had been presented in various contexts and countries. RUMBA RULES (2020) is his first feature lenght film.
When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.
RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES, offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.
