It was a human and sound tide that swept Tuesday evening on the Accor Arena in Paris. More than 11,000 spectators attended the Solidarité Congo concert, an exceptional event bringing together about thirty French-speaking artists around the same cry: the end of silence around the murderous conflict that ravages the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
An unprecedented mobilisation on the French-speaking music scene
Gims, Fally Ipupa, Soolking, Anzor Alem, Youssoupha, Moise Mbiye, Dadju… The list of participants could make us believe in a prestigious festival, but the objective was quite different. In an atmosphere as festive as it is solemn, the artists chained performances and speeches to denounce the indifference in the face of a major humanitarian crisis.
“It’s not just about singing, but about awakening consciences,” said Youssoupha, a few moments after his performance.
On stage, the artists performed voluntarily, without cachet, according to the organisers, who speak of “total, emotional and political involvement”. The evening was marked by vibrant tributes and impactful speeches, between two songs, like that of rapper Soolking: “Music can bring together, but it can also denounce. ”
An artistic response to a conflict passed over in silence
The conflict in eastern DRC, which has already caused thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced according to UN figures, remains little covered in the Western media. “It is an ignored humanitarian drama,” said Isaac Massiala, adviser to the Congolese Ministry of Sports, present in the arena.
A video projected in the heart of the concert, containing the testimonies of survivors, recalled the extent of the disaster. One of them, briefly on stage, said in a trembling voice: “We need peace and justice to never be alone again. ”
The concert also echoed a musical initiative launched two months earlier: the release of the song “Free Congo”, bringing together several French-speaking rap figures, including Damso, Gradur or Ninho. A rare collective position, in a musical landscape often cold to address political conflicts.
An evening under political and emotional tension
The concert was not without controversy. Originally scheduled for April 7, it had to be postponed after virulent criticism denouncing an unfortunate coincidence with Tutsi Genocide Commemoration Day. Under pressure from some associations and the Police Prefecture, the date was postponed.
This setback did not start the mobilisation. On the contrary. The postponement reinforced, according to some participants, “the urgency to act and speak”, as emphasised by Emmanuel Duciel, a young spectator who came especially from Lille.
A private initiative, funds redistributed
All proceeds must be donated to organisations working in the field in the DRC. The Give Back Charity association, co-founded by Dadju, oversees the redistribution. Initially involved, Unicef disengaged in the wake of the controversy related to the date of the concert.
The event leaves a strong mark. A collective momentum, certainly symbolic, but which marks a turning point. Because, as the Congolese singer Moise Mbiye hammered in front of an emotional audience: “True peace begins when the world stops looking away. ”
