{"id":128242,"date":"2024-02-29T11:47:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T09:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=128242"},"modified":"2024-02-29T17:09:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T15:09:00","slug":"central-african-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/central-african-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Central African music, in search of lost treasures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Outside its borders, the music of the Central African Republic (CAR) is little known. The country is most often perceived through the distorting prism of an international press that relays the history of its conflicts or the current horrors of the mercenaries of the Russian group Wagner. But in the midst of political and humanitarian tragedies, war also has other victims who suffer in silence: musicians and music lovers. I now count myself among the latter, since I dove into the ocean of the web to fish out a few pearls that testify to the creativity of the former. This is my chance to make a mix of them, and to share with PAM readers some of the treasures I&#8217;ve found, and the winding path that led me to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1383509683&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\" title=\"Mixanthrope (African Beats &amp; Pieces)\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">Mixanthrope (African Beats &amp; Pieces)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic\" title=\"Zooming In, Vol. 3 \u00b7 Central African Republic\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">Zooming In, Vol. 3 \u00b7 Central African Republic<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When I decided to take a closer look at the music of the Central African Republic, I quickly came up against a dearth of information, as physical supports are rare beyond a few <a href=\"https:\/\/digthiswayrecords.bandcamp.com\/album\/vibro-success-intercontinental-orchestra-drunkard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reissues<\/a> and compilations such as those in Radio France&#8217;s Ocora collection, which collected music from the oral tradition in the 1970s (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/fr\/release\/8482810-Aka-Centrafrique-Anthologie-De-La-Musique-Des-Pygm%C3%A9es-Aka\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/fr\/release\/2244894-Aka-Centrafrique-Central-Africa-Anthologie-De-La-Musique-Des-Pygm%C3%A9es-Aka-Musical-Anthology-Of-The-A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wanting instead to take the pulse of local pop, I stumbled in my quest on these ethnographic recordings of traditional music featuring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/fr\/release\/9261824-Various-Centrafrique-Xylophones-De-lOuham-Pend%C3%A9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">xylophones<\/a>, harps and <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/7JyOxzMkD2iKFKN8T93Soy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sanza<\/a> (thumb piano, used <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/4kKjEVMia3dPm1FxnwoEEc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> to accompany &#8220;thinking songs&#8221;). Particular attention is paid to polyphonies, such as the astonishing ones played on trumpets by members of the Banda-Linda tribe, requiring one musician per note, to be discovered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=g5Y765MahQw&amp;ab_channel=N%C3%A3-Topic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/prophet-label.bandcamp.com\/album\/musiques-banda-centrafrique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">there<\/a>; or the vocal polyphonies of the <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/6a6hsRtvolWDMTJpa0DKp6?go=1&amp;sp_cid=800263e5ffee62ecef634455c9612bdf&amp;utm_source=embed_player_p&amp;utm_medium=desktop&amp;nd=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aka pygmies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fascinated by this heritage, I&#8217;m no less curious about what&#8217;s going on outside the equatorial forest: so I turn to YouTube to access the country&#8217;s urban and popular music. Nourished by this research, which allowed me to scratch the tip of a cast-iron iceberg, I put together a mix in the pandemic decline of 2022, which strives to paint a broad portrait of contemporary music from the CAR, discovered through clicks. A varied and prodigious music, a living and surviving music, played in the face of misery and death, a music for all its worth. Let&#8217;s take a closer look at some of the songs in this selection, each of which offers a glimpse into the country&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 60s: post-independence euphoria<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The first local recordings flourished in the 50s, and were imbued with the melodies of the neighboring Congos. The capitals of Leopoldville and Brazzaville were the destination of many Central African artists, as the network of radio stations and studios was better developed there, and a common Bantu culture conveyed similar musical sensibilities. Songwriters such as the pioneering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.auxsons.com\/en\/breves\/60-ans-dindependance-en-musique-prosper-mayele-pere-de-la-musique-centrafricaine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prosper May\u00e9l\u00e9<\/a> got their start there, covering popular Cuban and Ghanaian highlife tunes, as did the famous pioneering guitarist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universrumbacongolaise.com\/artistes\/jimmy-zakari\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jimmy &#8220;The Hawaiian&#8221; Zakari<\/a>, who formed the arpeggiated style of Congolese legend Franco Luambo Makiadi. These two pioneers would later return home to put their Congolese experience to good use in the development of the country&#8217;s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After independence from France in August 1960, the decade saw, under the aegis of the first president David Dacko, the emergence of the first amateur orchestras &#8211; made up largely of teachers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LQ4p4DQ4mBc&amp;ab_channel=G%C3%A9rard,Jean-ClaudeMay%C3%A9l%C3%A9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(Vibro Mayos<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9huICiVpI5Q&amp;list=PL0lIWAHQU0fCZESoh46eTahuTEloMkjmO&amp;index=3&amp;ab_channel=G%C3%A9rard,Jean-ClaudeMay%C3%A9l%C3%A9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Centrafrican Jazz<\/a>) or soldiers (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V8ePW64Bv2k&amp;ab_channel=MagloireLamine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Commando Jazz<\/a>) &#8211; who competed in private parties and bar-dances with evocative names: &#8220;Ciel d&#8217;Afrique&#8221;, &#8220;Dragon Rouge&#8221;&#8230; In a scene dominated by covers of Congolese stars such as Kabasele and Rochereau, a national music scene began to take shape. The two pioneers Prosper May\u00e9l\u00e9 and Jimmy &#8220;The Hawa\u00efan&#8221; Zakari played a key role in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"598\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-128213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2.jpg 598w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-465x466.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-375x376.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-85x85.jpg 85w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-2-73x73.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Led by the brilliant saxophonist Bekpa &#8220;Beckers&#8221;, the Vibro Succ\u00e8s orchestra represented the young Central African nation at the 1974 Festival de la Francophonie in Quebec, where it won a gold medal &#8211; one of the few events to mark international recognition of the country&#8217;s music. The track &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/on.soundcloud.com\/c3XtP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dounia<\/a>&#8221; features the striking beauty of male choirs singing in unison, reminiscent of the style of their Congolese cousins. Velvety vocals caress a bouncing orchestra, twirling guitars in the background and a saxophone that embraces the soul with a few solos&#8230; &#8220;<em>oh, pardon ch\u00e9ri!<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bokassa era: from hope to hell<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Jean-B\u00e9del Bokassa took power in 1965, ousting President Dacko who, according to his French &#8220;protectors&#8221;, had had the bad taste to turn to Communist China. The ex-Chief of Staff &#8211; who had not yet turned megalomaniac &#8211; got off to a promising start, and his &#8220;Bokassa operations&#8221; of nationalization initially turned the country&#8217;s economy around. The 70s were a flourishing decade in the capital, then known as &#8220;Bangui la Coquette&#8221;, where dance halls multiplied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Musiques de Centrafrique\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ozoL7fl9hbc?start=152&#038;feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Electric performance of Formidable Muziki at Babylone La Grande, a Bangui dancing bar <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t until the 70s that the status of professional musicians developed in CAR. Leading groups of the time, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VV2FEYH_kkA&amp;ab_channel=Andr%C3%A9NGBOGNOLATEMBRE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Formidable Musiki<\/a> led by Thierry Serge Darlan aka &#8220;Yezo&#8221;, encouraged a new generation to embark on a career. The tutelary figure of Yezo left a lasting mark on the diaspora, including the new generation who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nMEeZHXY-0E&amp;ab_channel=HernameisAurora\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">still pay tribute to him<\/a> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Legend has it that the orchestra was created in 1974 thanks to the patronage of the director of Bangui&#8217;s Safari H\u00f4tel, with the aim of creating an &#8220;international variety&#8221; band that would do the country proud. The experience gained by Yezo during his initiatory trips to Africa &#8211; such as Abidjan, where he had joined the Radio-T\u00e9l\u00e9vision Ivoirienne orchestra under the direction of a certain Manu Dibango &#8211; had made him realize that the Central African Republic was brimming with talent to be showcased. Originally simply called Muziki, this &#8220;orchestra for young people aged 7 to 77&#8221; earned its &#8220;formidable&#8221; epithet like a stripe thanks to the praise of a dazzled local public, who soon demanded a repertoire sung in Sango, the national language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>Wo!<\/em> <em>Woulouwo!<\/em> There&#8217;s something mischievous about this sentence from Formidable Musiki&#8217;s hit &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=54f9ec8c11ed441c8f59105a80fdc180&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=7:18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ti laso a ounzi awe<\/a>&#8220;, with its highly effective guitar riff and its singers&#8217; infectious enthusiasm. It never fails to set dancefloors alight at the Berlin &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/african_beats_and_pieces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">African Beats &amp; Pieces<\/a>&#8221; parties where I officiate. We smile at the incongruous arrival in the song of an advertisement for a webmaster in the style of a Congolese <em>libanga<\/em>: &#8220;<em>La nouvelle formule informatique ww.fr en direct de Lyon<\/em>&#8220;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The situation worsened at the end of the 70s for a people in the hands of a Bokassa who had turned dictator and crowned himself emperor on the model of his idol Napoleon, while the economy sank and food insecurity resurfaced. Faced with this situation, many intellectuals and artists fled into exile in a sinister end-of-reign atmosphere. In 1979, Bokassa was deposed by the French army, who reinstalled his first cousin David Dacko as president. He was ousted two years later by Andr\u00e9 Kolingba&#8217;s coup d&#8217;\u00e9tat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-128216\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-465x465.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-375x375.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-85x85.jpg 85w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/centrafrique-1-73x73.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back to basics at the end of the millennium<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The early &#8217;80s saw a revival of traditional-modern music: a number of groups called &#8220;Zokela&#8221; popularized the syncopated trance dance known as &#8220;danse des chenilles&#8221; (caterpillar dance), known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AOnxFrn9lsI&amp;ab_channel=TV5MONDEInfo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Mont\u00e8 Ngu\u00e8n\u00e8<\/em><\/a> (&#8220;pleasure&#8221; in the Mbati language) and derived from a tradition of the Ngbaka pygmies of the Lobaye region. This dusting off, necessary to <a href=\"https:\/\/information.tv5monde.com\/afrique\/centrafrique-le-monte-nguene-hymne-culturel-musical-du-pays-9865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>&#8220;revive the soul of the country&#8221;<\/em><\/a>, is achieved by replacing the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jbOkJxSKdyo&amp;ab_channel=Lesfr%C3%A8resMakouaya\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> n&#8217;gombi harp<\/a> with the electric guitar and the drums with the drum kit. <em>Mont\u00e8 Ngu\u00e8n\u00e8<\/em> has thus moved beyond rural and ritual ceremonies to urban dance floors, carrying the banner of typically Central African festive music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This desire to promote and preserve a common cultural heritage, a source of pride and cohesion, would take on its full meaning a few years later, in the context of the instability and conflicts that would fracture the nation: &#8220;<em>My greatest concern is to bring Mont\u00e8 Ngu\u00e8n\u00e8 up to the same level as Congolese rumba, which has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO<\/em>. <em>We Central Africans also need to promote our musical identity.<\/em> <em>We have to work hard to make Mont\u00e8 Ngu\u00e8n\u00e8 part of this heritage<\/em>&#8220;, declared musician and peace activist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LXyfCGru3VU&amp;ab_channel=FredYAPANDE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Losseba Ngoutiwa<\/a> on Central African radio station Ndeke Luka in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Zokela hity maity yeni asuku dina 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bsNo2qjEy00?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Zoleka Hity Maity &#8211; \u00ab Yeni Asuku Dina \u00bb (2017)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 90s, new artists such as the groups <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZdFIh7IrjlI&amp;ab_channel=Denat58\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nda\u00ef Nda\u00ef<\/a> &#8211; a name derived from a popular Sango expression meaning &#8220;ecstasy&#8221; &#8211; and <a href=\"https:\/\/pad.philharmoniedeparis.fr\/doc\/CIMU\/0082113\/la-parole-du-fleuve-musiques-de-la-republique-centrafricaine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abakinlin from Bangassou<\/a> continued this work of musical cross-fertilization and return to the roots of the country&#8217;s different ethnic musics<em>.<\/em> They advocate the use of traditional instruments to convey ancestral messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These songs captivate with the depth of their polyrhythms, the bewildering complexity of their polyphonic melodies and the invocation of nature through the insertion or imitation of birdsong. &#8220;<em>Oh \u00e9h, I&#8217;m in over my head, I&#8217;m 100% pygmy, I live in the forest among the trees, I need my husband,<\/em>&#8221; laments Francis Gon, about whom absolutely no information can be found online, as is all too often the case in the quest for texts and contexts for Central African music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The scourge of instability: from coups d&#8217;\u00e9tat to civil wars<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the 90s finally saw a president, Ange-F\u00e9lix Patass\u00e9, come to power following elections, he was soon confronted by a mutiny and then coup attempts: first by former president Kolingba, then by general Fran\u00e7ois Boziz\u00e9, which narrowly failed&#8230; only to re-emerge later. Landlocked in the heart of the continent, the CAR is at the center of a &#8220;great belt of crises&#8221; (as political scientist Dominique Darbon puts it) stretching from Angola to Sudan. One of the world&#8217;s poorest countries, despite its wealth of natural resources (gold, diamonds, uranium), the CAR was to experience more than two decades of crises at the dawn of the new century. Initiated by the coup d&#8217;\u00e9tat of General Fran\u00e7ois Boziz\u00e9 in 2003, the atrocities continued ten years later with the bloody seizure of power by the S\u00e9l\u00e9ka, a coalition of predominantly Muslim armed groups which, after overthrowing the regime, plunged the country into an abyss of inter-community clashes. The latest crisis was triggered by a coalition of rebels in 2020<em>, <\/em>withinstability constantly pushing back hopes of better days ahead: in 2020, 71% of the population was living below the international poverty line. The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator estimated that 56% of the population would need humanitarian assistance in 2023, a 10% increase on 2022 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.banquemondiale.org\/fr\/country\/centralafricanrepublic\/overview#:~:text=La%20RCA%20demeure%20l'un,de%20pouvoir%20d'achat).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Bank<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"sultan zembellat rebecca\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TVbBXtznw2c?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan Zembellat &#8211; \u00ab Rebecca \u00bb <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The break-up of the musicians&#8217; diaspora is symptomatic of the fracture of a people dispersed by dictatorship and then political instability, illustrated by a sixty-something Sultan Zembellat swaying with his friends on the terrace of a Parisian brasserie in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TVbBXtznw2c&amp;ab_channel=comfran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">video clip for &#8220;Rebecca&#8221;<\/a>. Tired of being forced to sing the praises of a bloodthirsty Bokassa, who like Mobutu in Zaire wanted to make art the instrument of his power, several artists denounced or fled political pressure. Prosper May\u00e9l\u00e9 was imprisoned, while others took advantage of student visas to go into exile in Europe, especially Paris: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KLywmOpTMYA&amp;ab_channel=JeanTouss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bhy Gao<\/a><strong>,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZHTIPveoTVQ&amp;ab_channel=la\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lea Lignanzi<\/a><strong>,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rhSGiB1tTyg?si=6FOzRxDxSXs6g8-T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">L\u00e9onie Kangala<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IxQ5LdNRzuU&amp;ab_channel=MusiqueCentrafricaineBeafrikaArchive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sultan Zembellat<\/a>. Others maintained their careers by moving closer to power, such as Charlie Perri\u00e8re (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QOWyhHtctmQ&amp;ab_channel=Andr%C3%A9NGBOGNOLATEMBRE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tropical Fiesta<\/a><strong>)<\/strong>, who became Emperor Bokassa&#8217;s Minister of Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Rebecca&#8221; is a real &#8220;daddy-style&#8221; rumba sung by a giant of the genre with a sovereign voice, whose long, sustained notes make us feel all the torments of &#8220;<em>poor Rebecca<\/em>&#8220;. This dancefloor sweetness, which has nothing to envy of its Congolese counterparts, is only available on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TVbBXtznw2c&amp;ab_channel=comfran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Youtube in a truncated and compressed version<\/a>, which illustrates the scandalous inaccessibility of Central African musical heritage. To listen to this song in its original quality, a wealthy collector will currently have to pay over 40 euros on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/fr\/sell\/release\/15725176?ev=rb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Discogs<\/a> to buy the only CD copy of the album available online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zembellat, an expatriate in France, created the <a href=\"http:\/\/maziki.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">maziki.fr<\/a> website in the 2000s to promote Central African music on the verge of extinction: &#8220;<em>It raises the question of what we leave to future generations<\/em>. <em>The headquarters of Radio Bangui, a repository of musical works, was destroyed several times by mortar shells at the turn of the century<\/em>.&#8221; In the absence of national archives and faced with the shortcomings of the specialized music press and the difficulty of navigating local media sites with limited resources (<a href=\"http:\/\/sangonet.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sangonet<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/centrafrica.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">centrafrica.com<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/oubanguimedias.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oubangui M\u00e9dias<\/a>), interested music lovers must therefore rely on private and often voluntary initiatives on volatile platforms such as YouTube (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@artmusikcentro2427\/featured\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fred Yapande<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCE0TrPFuRbPqtFQg1RZgIIg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shogi Productions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@musiquecentrafricainebeafr4769\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Musique Centrafricaine Beafrika Archive<\/a>). Gathering the crumbs of a battered musical memory in the <em>cloud<\/em>, these <em>digital diggers <\/em>are brutally aware of the archive duty that every nation owes to its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>Pakapo, pakapo, boum boum!<\/em>&#8221; As we explore the Youtube galaxy, we sometimes stumble across comets. What a pleasure it is to discover the zany energy of the character Bienvenu Paradis Gbadora, whose &#8220;uprooted dance&#8221; is even better appreciated on video with its frenzy of costumes and choreography, all wrapped up in the charming grain of 20th-century VHS clips and the crackle of an mp3 converted with the means at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Gbadora - Gombana Bororo.flv\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3HnfKvy2GNA?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gbadora &#8211;  \u00ab Gombana Bororo \u00bb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As always with untraceable comets, there&#8217;s virtually no information on the artist, song or album in question. Between the inspired samples, however, we can detect a good dose of irony and humor in the lyrics, which evoke Jesus&#8217; birthday, wish us a happy new year and inform us that &#8220;<em>it&#8217;s going to get hot tonight!<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the start of 2024, the political and security situation in the Central African Republic remains unstable. Military operations are underway throughout the country against armed groups who regularly commit acts of violence. As always, the collateral victims of these conflicts include thousands of musicians deprived of a stage, and an audience deprived of their messages and thrills. Symptomatic of this asphyxiation: local authorities recently imposed a nationwide night-time curfew, which is hampering the recovery of an already atrophied music scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This mix also exists to remind us that the music market is not immune to the consequences of capitalist and post-colonial phenomena: the songs that reach our ears mainly come from politically and economically stable countries, in other words, the &#8220;winners&#8221;. Actively turning our ears to music from countries whose cultural influence is prevented by war and poverty is therefore a militant act. It&#8217;s a way of resisting the platform algorithms that systematically steer us towards familiar sounds. It&#8217;s a way of turning a deaf ear to the hegemony of the monotone voices of the &#8220;world that&#8217;s all right&#8221;, or would have us believe so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope the listener will be as sensitive as I am to the infectious energy of the performances, the richness of the rhythms, the beauty of the languages, the brilliance of the melodies, as well as the amateurish charm of some of the recordings contained in this selection. Many of these tunes still resonate within me, and are a regular feature in my DJ sets, like distant friends who turn up unannounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Zooming In, Vol. 3 \u00b7 Central African Republic<\/strong><\/a><br>by Mixanthrope (African Beats &amp; Pieces)<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>00:00 \u00b7 Super Stars &#8211; Quartier Consign\u00e9<br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=6885c261f0b44af3ac36c7cef3b1563e&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=0%3A26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>00:26 \u00b7 Zokela de Centrafrique &#8211; Nostalgie de zokela<\/strong><\/a><br>03:17 \u00b7 Canon Star &#8211; The Yankata<br>04:17 \u00b7 M Wanawa &#8211; Ceci-cela<br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=54f9ec8c11ed441c8f59105a80fdc180&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=7:18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>07:19 \u00b7 Formidable Musiki &#8211; Ti laso a ounzi awe<\/strong><\/a><br>09:28 \u00b7 JMC Quartier libre &#8211; Quartier libre<br>10:16 \u00b7 Abakinlin de Bangassou &#8211; Gb\u00e8lin mando<br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=bb01b46b4d75422da2e521a5498f0c50&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=12%3A26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>12:26 \u00b7 Nda\u00ef Nda\u00ef &#8211; Intr\u00e9pide<\/strong><\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=0f76cec5913d4762ab1c19cd964b3ae0&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=15:31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>15:31 \u00b7 Francis Gon &#8211; Caresse des Les<\/strong><\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=a823150135c041588855b7c706c79b9a&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=20:21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>20:21 \u00b7 Gbadora &#8211; Gombana Bororo<\/strong><\/a><br>22:28 \u00b7 Vey-Zo &#8211; Ya Soso<br>25:04 \u00b7 Losseba Ngoutiwa &#8211; Mensonge (Nv\u00e8n\u00e8)<br>28:35 \u00b7 Ozaguin &#8211; ?<br>31:54 \u00b7 ? &#8211; ?<br>35:24 \u00b7 Laskino Ngomateke &#8211; Soifa Tene<br>37:48 \u00b7 Williano &#8211; Wambangana<br><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/djmixanthrope\/zooming-in-vol-3-central-african-republic?si=5d22ef326c7647108d09a07522e820a6&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing#t=39:29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>39:30 \u00b7 Zokela &#8211; Injection<\/strong><\/a><br>42:39 \u00b7 Les Yakuza de Centrafrique &#8211; Gbadouma<br>45:10 \u00b7 Marina Reason &#8211; Ye ti kekereke<br>48:16 \u00b7 Majora &#8211; Wa Vrin<br>50:31 \u00b7 Canon Stars &#8211; Cousin<br>52:25 \u00b7 Ashem &amp; Senat Or F\u00e9e &#8211; Centro love<br><a href=\"https:\/\/on.soundcloud.com\/3QyRW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>54:39 \u00b7 Sultan Zembellat &#8211; Rebecca<\/strong><\/a><br>58:42 \u00b7 Centrafrican Jazz &#8211; Promesse<br><a href=\"https:\/\/on.soundcloud.com\/c3XtP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>1:00:53 \u00b7 Orchestre Vibro Succ\u00e8s &#8211; Dounia<\/strong><\/a><br>1:04:42 \u00b7 ? &#8211; Dikoboda Sombe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dive into the rich yet little-known history of music in the Central African Republic. From the Congolese inspired independence music of the 1960s, the Bokassa era sounds of Formidable Muziki.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":128221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7833,9400],"tags":[],"location":[],"yst_prominent_words":[8403,8509,25489,9169,36026,8414,8447,8435,19313,8543,8438,8848],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128242"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128242"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=128242"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=128242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}