UNESCO honours Congolese rumba as cultural treasure

"The President of the Republic welcomes with joy and pride the addition of Congolese rumba to the list," the office of Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi tweeted

Congolese rumba, Congolese rumba UNESCO, Congolese rumba UNESCO heritage list

Trumpeters from Bana OK band play at La Septante club in the Kasa-Vubu quarter of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. (REUTERS/Hereward Holland/File Photo)

The heady beats of Congolese rumba were hailed by UNESCO on Tuesday as it added the central African music and dance to its list of global cultural treasures.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Republic had submitted a joint bid for their rumba to receive heritage status for its unique sound that melds the drumming of enslaved Africans with the melodies of Spanish colonisers.

🔴 BREAKING

The Congolese rumba has just been inscribed on the #IntangibleHeritage list.

Congratulations Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩 – Congo 🇨🇬 ! 👏

ℹ️ https://t.co/F3fEl1VeU0 #LivingHeritage pic.twitter.com/DqjRgJsEyF

— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳😷 (@UNESCO) December 14, 2021

“The rumba is used for celebration and mourning, in private, public and religious spaces,” UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural and scientific agency, said in its citation for the music’s addition to its list of assets of intangible cultural value to humanity.

Rumba is an essential and representative part of the identity of Congolese people and their diaspora, it said.

#RDC 14.12.2021|#CitéUA
Le Chef de l’État, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi a appris avec joie l’inscription de la Rumba Congolaise au Patrimoine Culturel immatériel de l’humanité.

— Présidence RDC 🇨🇩 (@Presidence_RDC) December 14, 2021

“The President of the Republic welcomes with joy and pride the addition of Congolese rumba to the list,” the office of Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi tweeted.

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The many customs enshrined on UNESCO’s list of cultural treasures include the hawker food of Singapore, sauna culture in Finland and traditional irrigation systems in the United Arab Emirates.

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