Congo/ Did you know? Le théâtre populaire de Brazzaville: a mirror of the people, by the people and for the people

When we think of culture in the Congo, we often think of rumba, masks or sape. But we forget that Brazzaville is also the cradle of a lively and committed popular theater, which has shaped the social and political consciousness of several generations.

Born in working-class neighborhoods in the 1960s, Congolese popular theater was distinguished from classical theater by its language (Lingala or Kituba), its incisive humor, and its closeness to the everyday realities of the people. Performed in communal courtyards, public squares or cultural centers, it attracted a varied audience, often unaccustomed to so-called "official" artistic forms.

Troupes such as "Les Béjarts du Congo", "Nzoto na nzoto" or "Mbongui théâtre" were able to use their plays to detheir plays to expose injustice, mock society's shortcomings and convey powerful messages about corruption, family conflicts, witchcraft and migration dreams. Popular theater had thus become a tool for social criticism, a channel for popular education, but also a form of cultural resistance.

This theater was not limited to the spoken word: it blended music, dance, direct questioning of the audience, and sometimes even improvisation. All in a burlesque or tragic style that made people laugh as much as it made them think. Yet the actor was not a star as we see him today. He was a messenger, a mirror of society.

Despite the lack of institutional support and the disappearance of certain cultural infrastructures, Congolese popular theater is still going strong. Today, it is reborn in urban festivals, community initiatives and social networks, thanks to a new generation of artists determined to speak the truth, in their own way.

Some plays by playwrights

"Attitude Clando" by Dieudonné Niangouna, "La femme cannibale" by Jean Jules Koukou, "Cafard" by Julien Bissila, and "Nu de la rue" by Fortuné Koumba Kaf.

Source: www.adiac-congo.com/