Article 15 (''article quinze'', ) is a humorous
French idiom in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
which refers to an imaginary legal provision permitting individuals to take any measures, whether legal or illegal, necessitated by adverse personal circumstances such as
economic hardship
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
,
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
, or oppression by the state.
Originating during the
Congo Crisis
The Congo Crisis (french: Crise congolaise, link=no) was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost immediately after ...
and popularised under the
Zairean regime in the 1970s, Article 15 references a fictional provision of the 14-article constitution of the secessionist state of
South Kasai
South Kasai (french: Sud-Kasaï) was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised Secession, secessionist state within the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (the modern-day Democratic Republi ...
which was said to read "" in French. This is variously translated as "get on with it", "fend for yourself", "figure it out yourself",
"deal with it yourself", or "do what you need to do".
A popular idiom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Article 15 refers to an individual's inability to expect help from the state and thus justifies actions taken at their own initiative to muddle through. It is sometimes used to justify or explain unlawful conduct especially
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
and
petty crime in the country.
Article 15 plays a prominent role in Congolese popular culture, such as the
Congolese rumba
Congolese rumba is a popular genre of dance music that originated in the Congo basin during the 1940s, deriving from Cuban son. The style gained popularity throughout Africa during the 1960s and 1970s.
It is known as Lingala in Kenya, Uganda, ...
song "Article 15, oyebi yango" (1963) or "Article 15 Beta Libanga" (1985).
See also
*
System D
System D is a manner of responding to challenges that require one to have the ability to think quickly, to adapt, and to improvise when getting a job done. The term gained wider popularity in the United States after appearing in the 2006 publica ...
, an equivalent concept in English from European French.
*
Politics of the belly.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
{{Africa topic, Corruption in
Crime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Corruption in Africa
French language in Africa
1960s neologisms
French slang
Informal economy in Africa
Fictional laws