Our vast westerly neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, turned 50 last week. Not that there was much to celebrate for a country whose middle name could as well be “rape”. That was the situation when it suffered under Belgium’s 80-year yoke of colonialism and things have not changed much 50 years later with marauding militias raping vulnerable women. Yet things were looking bright when Patrice Lumumba received the reins of power before cold war intrigue set in, leading to his eventual demise.  
There is still something to celebrate about DR Congo’s 50th; its soukouss musical legacy. Franco, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Mpongo Love, king of Tcha Tcho (romantic soukous) Koffi Olomide, Tshala Muana (she of the infamous skirt-raising antics) and the agile Yondo Sister were all purveyors of this DR Congo’s half-a-century cultural export that means more to many than all DR Congo’s mineral wealth combined.     
Soukouss (or Lingala if you like) is mostly referred to as an African rumba style. The term is a derivative of the French word “secouer”, meaning, “to shake”. It emerged as a hybrid sound that fused Congolese and other African traditional music with Caribbean, mostly Afro-Cuban, and Haitian music and South American sounds. It later yielded offshoots like the fast-paced kwassa kwassa popularised by Kanda Bongoman and later ndombolo.
Soukouss had its birth in Leopoldville (present-day Kinshasa) and Brazzaville, then capital of the French Congo, now capital of the Republic of the Congo. The style quickly became Africa’s answer to the global big band phenomenon of the day. Those whose memories go that far back will be familiar with names like Antoine Kolosoy a.k.a. Papa Wendo, said to be the first star of African rumba who toured extensively in Europe and North America in the 1940s and 1950s with his regular band, Victoria Bakolo Miziki.
For most people, Francois Luambo Makiadi (Franco) and his TPOK Jazz Band (Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa, meaning “all-powerful Kinshasa band”) and Tabu Ley Rochereau are the earliest names that come to mind every time soukous is mentioned. The intricate arrangements on Mario have ensured Franco’s memory lives on. The guitar wizardry, velvety lead vocal, syrupy harmonies and the ever-catchy sing-along phrase “I love you, baby touch me” make Tabu Ley’s Maze a timeless classic.  
Then there were the latter-day purveyors of soukouss; Kanda Bongoman and his signature kwassa kwassa dance moves, Diblo Dibala and his dextrous guitar skill, the elegant Mbilia Bel (Eswi yo Wapi was such a cool number), Yondo Sister, Loketo, Madilu System, Soukous Stars, Pepe Kalle, Koffi Olomide who carried the Lingala from Kinshasa to the rest of Africa and further afield to London and Paris.  
Interestingly, East Africa also fed off the soukouss craze. The chaotic political scene in ‘70s Zaire led to the inevitable invasion of the entertainment scenes in Tanzania and Kenya. Anthems like Les Wanyika’s Sina Makosa or Super Mazembe’s Shauri Yako may have been bland offerings hadn’t it been for a little soukous garnishing. To all soukouss-philes, a toast to DR Congo’s 50th is very much in order.   

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