On the Rumba River (2007)

Directed by: Jacques Sarasin | 82 minutes | music, biography, documentary

On July 28, 2008, time stood still in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On that day, Antoine Kolosoy passed away, at the age of 83. Under the name Papa Wendo he put his country on the map musically. Wendo showed his talents from an early age. As a 13-year-old boy, he was kicked out of an orphanage by deeply religious brothers because they strongly disapproved of his lyrics. Young Wendo ended up in the harbor, where he started working on the ferries. First as a sailor, but when his talent was discovered, he was allowed to entertain the passengers as a musician. He also earned a living as a boxer for a while, because he also stood his ground in the ring. Between 1941 and 1946 he traveled – now and then even as a professional boxer – around a large part of western Africa. In the mid-1940s he founded the rumba group Victoria Bakolo Miziki with other talented musicians and in 1948 Papa Wendo scored his first international hit with ‘Marie-Louise’, much to the dismay of the church and the colonial rulers who expelled him from Kinshasa. Thanks to various radio stations, his music still reaches the public. During the 1940s and 1950s, Wendo frequently performed in Africa, Europe and the United States.

However, the political unrest in his country has also gripped Papa Wendo. At the height of his fame, he befriends Patrice Lumumba, one of the most famous African freedom fighters. His opponents view Wendo with different eyes from that moment on. When Lumumba is assassinated in 1961 and dictator Mobutu takes power not much later, Papa Wendo withdraws from music. “”Because political men at the time wanted to use musicians like stepping stones. That’s to say, they wanted musicians to sing their favors. Me, I didn’t want to do that. That’s why I decided it was best for me, Wendo, to pull myself out of the music scene, and stay home.”” For decades, the man who had spread Congolese music around the world remained silent. Only when Laurent Kabila – and later his son Joseph – came to power in 1997, was Congo’s musical hero reinstated. The music documentary ‘On the Rumba River’ (2007) by the Swiss filmmaker Jacques Sarasin presents the extraordinary life story of Papa Wendo. As a starting point we see Wendo gathering as many of his old band members as possible, so that they can perform together again. Some of them have since passed away, but musicians such as Joseph Munange, Mukubuele Nzoku and Antoine Moundanda – who came especially from faraway Brazzaville – are delighted to play with Papa Wendo again.

Sarasin does not hide his love for world music. He previously made the documentary ‘Je chanterai pour toi’ (2001), about the Malian guitarist Boubakar Traoré, with which he won several prizes. A major advantage of the director’s involvement is that he lets the music do its work. The viewer is not unnecessarily bombarded with background information about the turbulent situation in which Congo still finds itself. Sarasin takes his viewer seriously and estimates that anyone who watches ‘On the Rumba River’ is somewhat aware of what is going on in the former Belgian colony. Instead, the director observes his protagonist in places that have played an important role in his life – such as the harbor and the boxing ring – and through interviews with, among others, his wife and various band members, he reveals more about this fascinating man. Remarkable is a fragment, partly staged at Wendo’s home, in which he is portrayed as an elderly musician whose wife is constantly stirring him up. “Find a job now,” she says. “How else can I cook food for us?” The listless Wendo tries to explain to her that it is difficult to record a record, since many of his band members have passed away. Fortunately, it eventually does.

Sarasin lets his images speak for themselves, because they are best expressed in the revival of Wendo’s band. The old Congolese musicians are a bit like the Buena Vista Social Club; they still swing like the best. The dancers have also aged a bit, but the music is still in their hearts. The music is a delightful mix of Afro-Cuban rumba, played on both African and Western instruments and supported by Wendo’s penetrating vocals. Beautiful are the close-ups of the weathered faces of the musicians, which radiate just as much passion as when they were young. Set that against the backdrop of the ruined harbor full of shipwrecks and the miles of unpaved roads – beautifully captured when Wendo searches for his former saxophonist Joseph Munange – and you know where the maker of this documentary is headed. When these people make music and dance, they forget for a moment their worries and unrest and this is portrayed very aptly by Sarasin and his cinematographer Remon Fromont. The film ends quite sombrely, with a strong political message from Papa Wendo. Remarkable, but effective.

‘On the Rumba River’ is a musical tribute to Papa Wendo. Jacques Sarasin hits the nail on the head with his documentary. Without going into too much detail about the social, political and cultural history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he shows the recent history of a people through the eyes of their musical hero Papa Wendo. He lets the penetrating images and the beautiful music speak for themselves. A very interesting film for lovers of world music, but also for anyone interested in the African continent and all its fascinating, colorful inhabitants.