He would like us to only talk about his music which celebrates love and women, his collaborations with stars from Africa, America or Europe, such as Booba, Aya Nakamura, MHD or Wizkid. But Fally Ipupa is now a political subject and an object of controversy in the country that made him a star, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The singer had already sparked controversy in nearly twenty-five years of career but on February 27, it was a photo taken 6,000 kilometers from Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, which placed him in a turmoil far exceeding the context of his concerts. Fally Ipupa, 45, appears there in a salon of the Elysée alongside Emmanuel Macron, just before the French president’s tour of Central Africa from March 1 to 4.
The snap garners over 100,000 “likes” on her Facebook page. But the complicity displayed between the singer and the head of state also has its detractors at a time when the Congolese power is openly critical of French policy and its new proximity to Rwanda, accused of supporting the rebels of the Mouvement du 23 March (M23) who took up arms again in eastern DRC. The day after his reception at the Parisian presidential palace, the artist’s car and one of his houses in Kinshasa were set on fire. This does not discourage the one who calls himself the “Supreme Warrior”. On March 4, he posed again with the French president during a nocturnal wandering in the Kinshasa megalopolis, accompanied by Patrick Muyaya, the spokesperson for the Congolese government.
“No one has a monopoly on love”
“I prefer to leave politics to the politicians,” Fally Ipupa now replies, her gaze a little shifty. “No one has a monopoly on Congo love. So, if it is necessary to lend my image, my voice or give an idea to help the Congolese, I will not hesitate. If, by meeting decision-makers in this world, I can make things happen, I will do it,” he says. Fally Ipupa particularly welcomes the humanitarian airlift set up to assist Goma, the big city in eastern DRC, between the beginning of March and the end of April. “It is among other things thanks to my advocacy with Emmanuel Macron that around 80 million euros have been released [by France and the European Union] to help the populations affected by the fighting in the east”, he proudly asserts.
This display with the French president makes him one of the enemies of the “combatants”, these Congolese opposition activists who, in Europe, prevent in particular by violence the organization of concerts by artists accused of being in the pay. authorities in place. In February 2020, Fally Ipupa had suffered their anger near the Accor Arena, in Paris, stormed by activists determined to prevent his performance. Despite the incidents, the event had been maintained.
In the DRC, politics and music have been dancing to the same rhythm for a long time. Joseph Kabasele’s African Jazz group, known as “Grand Kallé”, was part of the Congolese delegation to the 1960 Round Table in Brussels during which politicians and customary chiefs negotiated the country’s independence with Belgian leaders. The songs Table Ronde and Indépendance cha cha that came out of it have become true hits of Congolese heritage.
During President Mobutu Sese Seko’s heyday (from 1965 to 1997), artists were mobilized to sing the dictator’s praises and promote his program for the nascent Zaire. At the end of the 1990s, Tshala Muana, a famous singer who died in December 2022, did not hesitate to display her closeness to President Laurent-Désiré Kabila and to engage in politics. After his death, the singer remained an unwavering supporter of her son and successor Joseph Kabila, even taking the lead of the Women’s League of his political party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Social Progress (PPRD). ). During the 2011 presidential campaign, Tshala Muana, Koffi Olomide and Werrason praised the achievements of the outgoing president, a candidate for his own succession, while Didier Mukeba Kalonji, known as “Bill Clinton”, sang the praises of the opposing Etienne Tshisekedi.
Fally Ipupa had himself declared his affection for Martin Fayulu, who still claims victory in the last presidential election and is a candidate for that of December 2023. “He is an old man who has supported me since I started my adventure in 2006. I am very proud of him, “said the singer on the TV5 Monde set in 2018. But today, there is no longer any question for him to openly show his support for a politician. “Fally met Martin Fayulu when he had not yet entered politics,” says Madina Djobounge, the artist’s manager. They are still on good terms. »
« Noble combat »
The notoriety acquired during his career – seven years in the Quartier Latin group of Koffi Olomide and seventeen years of solo career –, Fally Ipupa intends to put it at the service of the causes that are close to his heart. Appointed UNICEF Ambassador in 2021, he is committed to fighting the malnutrition that affects millions of children in the DRC. He has also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Mission in Congo (Monusco) since 2018 in the fight against the recruitment of children by armed groups.
“With my structure, Fally Ipupa Foundation, I visited orphans in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia. I offered a medical ambulance to the general hospital in Goma. I was twice in Doctor Mukwege’s hospital, in Panzi, before he became a Nobel Peace Prize, he insists. I have seen mothers who are victims of rape. After my concert at Bercy in 2020, I donated 20,000 euros in support of Denis Mukwege’s noble fight. In some hospitals in Kinshasa, he plays the good Samaritan, paying the bill for the sick. In June 2022, his structure made a donation to the soldiers fighting the M23: “It’s not about making tons of it, but about acting with the heart. I believe it is the duty of every influential person. »
If Fally Ipupa frequents Youssou Ndour, the famous Senegalese musician who was once President Macky Sall’s minister of culture and tourism, and has admiration for George Weah, the former footballer who became president of Liberia in 2018, he excludes any future in politics. The self-proclaimed “Eagle” is not done with music and is preparing to return to the stage on November 25 at La Défense Arena, in the Paris suburbs.
“Appointment is made!” “Launches in a reassured voice the crooner, who does not fear a new action of the” fighters “. “If they want to boycott the concert, they just have to put out a message and let people do what they want. True fighters do not attack others, either verbally or physically. Those who do it do not represent the cause,” says the one who will be the first Congolese artist to perform in the 40,000-seat stadium.
