Originally practiced by the Bemba people of Zambia, appropriated by the youth of the Katanga province (Congo) for over thirty years, kalindula music is recognized primarily by the presence of an original string instrument. Marginal as well as complementary to the Christian practices that are raging throughout the city of Lubumbashi, it is during the nights of mourning that this “traditional”/ “tradi-modern” music is often performed. Focused on kalindula musicians and the mourning they use to accompany, this chronicle evokes the complex dynamics and the vitality of what is still called “tradition” in the urban lives of contemporary Congo.
featured orchestras BANA LUPEMBA BANA SIMBA images, sound, editing DAVID N. BERNATCHEZ additional images ANASTASE DIBWE inquiries, production manager JACKY KABEDI sound editing MATHIEU CAMPAGNA executive producer BOGUMIL KOSS-JEWSIEWICKI with the support of CHAIRE DU CANADA EN HISTOIRE COMPARÉE DE LA MÉMOIRE CENTRE D’ÉTUDE SUR LES LETTRES, LES ARTS ET LES TRADITIONS (U. LAVAL)
