Congolese Rumba

Congolese rumba, also called soukous in its faster later form, is the dance music that grew from Cuban son records in 1940s Léopoldville and Brazzaville into Central Africa's defining popular sound: interlocking guitars, lilting Lingala vocals and, later, the animated sebene dance sections. *Grand Kallé* founded the modern era, *Franco Luambo* and *Tabu Ley Rochereau* built its empires, and singers like *M'bilia Bel* and guitar bands like *Zaïko Langa Langa* renewed it for new generations. UNESCO inscribed Congolese rumba as intangible cultural heritage in 2021.