Radio Congo Belge (
French, "Belgian Congo Radio") was a radio broadcaster in the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
(the modern
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 played an important role in the early development and popularisation of
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, ...
music across
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
in the aftermath of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Radio Congo Belge was established in
Léopoldville
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
(modern-day Kinshasa) as a means of broadcasting news and propaganda to the white population of the Congo and
German-occupied Belgium in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It broadcast for the first time on 1 October 1940. However, this role was assumed by
Radiodiffusion nationale belge (RNB) in May 1943 which also broadcast from Léopoldville and Radio Congo Belge became more focused on broadcasting within the colony. It played an important role in providing Congolese musicians with access to foreign musical influences. It was particularly influential in introducing
Afro-Cuban music Music of African heritage in Cuba derives from the musical traditions of the many ethnic groups from different parts of West Africa that were brought to Cuba as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. Members of some of these groups formed thei ...
into the Congo through groups such as
Septeto Habanero
A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry. ...
and
Trio Matamoros
The Trío Matamoros was one of the most popular Cuban trova groups. It was formed in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros (8 May 1894 in Santiago de Cuba – 15 April 1971; guitar), Rafael Cueto (14 March 1900 in Santiago de Cuba – 7 August 1991; gu ...
.
According to historian
Gary Stewart, Radio Congo Belge, together with
Radio Brazzaville
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and
Congolia, "contributed to the critical mix of music taking shape on the banks of the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
". The station has also been described as an "important promotional outlet for local music" which allowed Congolese bands and recording studios to emerge.
After the independence of
Congo-Léopoldville in 1960, the station was renamed Radiodiffusion Congolaise ("Congolese Radio Broadcasting"). Other radio services of the period included
OTC and
Radio Léopoldville.
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*{{cite book , last1=Pauwels-Boon , first1=Greta , title=L'Origine, l'évolution et le fonctionnement de la radiodiffusion au Zaire de 1937 à 1960 , date=1979 , publisher=Musée Royale de l'Afrique Centrale , location=Tervuren
Radio in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Radio stations in Africa
Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo in World War II
Democratic Republic of the Congo music
Radio during World War II
Radio stations established in 1940
Radio stations disestablished in 1960