When it comes to music I like to describe myself as the voyager due to the diversity of the music I listen to. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) I was exposed to a variety of genres of music, starting with my very own traditional Congolese music, which consists of many elements, as well as being broken down into different genres to European music (mainly American music and French). I grew up listening, and still listen to this day, to people like The Jackson 5, to Michael Jackson, to  Trappes’ finest rapper La Fouine, to -of course- Congolese music, such as Makoma.

Makoma are an award-winning Christian, pop, R’n’B and dance musical group originating from Kinshasa and established in the Netherlands, consisting of 6 Makoma siblings (3 brothers and 3 sisters) and one non-family member, Patrick Badine. They sing primarily in Lingala and English, but also at times in French, Dutch and German. Lead singer Nathalie Makoma left the group in 2004 and now has a solo career after finishing as runner-up in Dutch ‘Idols’ in 2008.

There are countless African artists who bring music to my ears and open my mind, from the legends like Koffi Olomide and Papa Wemba, to Fally Ipupa and Ferre Gola. However, I feel as though African music isn’t getting the attention it deserves. After all, we are fed this concept of the continent, some of which is true, but so much remains for people outside of Africa to learn.

Artists like Michael Jackson and Beyoncé have both incorporated elements of African pieces into their music. In the case of Beyoncé’s ‘Grown Woman’, few people may know where it originated, yet many will give the credit to Timbaland as the ‘genius’ behind the masterpiece. In fact, this song includes Afrobeat, which is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, courtesy of Ismael “Bonfils” Kouyaté, of Guinea.

I feel that African music lacks a wider audience due to people being narrow-minded. I say narrow-minded because the mainstream market isn’t giving African music a platform. Yes, Afrobeat is now trending, but not without being in a dominate language (i.e. English). Only a few French and other native speakers are breaking out to spread African music.

All of that being said, I say music is a universal language, not only known by us, but just like food it connects and unites us all by touching the inner mind. Take Zouk for example: this is a fast tempo carnival style of music, originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, however, it was made popular by the French Antilles in the 80s. The very definition of Zouk means festival, as it is used at carnivals to unite people. Although a song may be in French, you can feel an artist’s emotion even when French isn’t your mother tongue. So, chers amis, music can unite us and retain its therapeutic quality until the record stops playing.