Kinshasa, Ex. Zaïre, 1987. The movie La Vie est Belle had just been released. It was the first time in history seeing a Congolese story told by Congolese artists. I was six years old at the time; a daughter of the post-colonialism generation. Even at such a young age, I knew it meant something. The hero of the movie, is a young musician, starring Papa Wemba at the debut of his career who advocates for artists, for the forsaken – as he had once been himself.

In the three decades since the release of La Vie est Belle, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been subjected to endless wars as international mining firms have continuously stolen mineral wealth. Their activities have ravaged the land, which has become seemingly doomed to a sad and devastating fate. But throughout the years and with a transcendent strength, the Congolese people have persisted. They are still standing, against all odds.