Cultural headlines of the DRC

Status of women

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women in 2006 expressed concern that in the
post-war transition period, the promotion of women’s human rights and
gender equality is not seen as a priority.^[8]

A 2006 report by the African Association for the Defence of Human
Rights prepared for that committee provides a broad overview of issues
confronting women in the DRC in law and in daily life.^[9]

The war situation has made the life of women more precarious.
Violence against women seems to be perceived by large sectors of
society to be normal.^[10] In July 2007, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about the situation in eastern DRC.^[11]
A phenomenon of 'pendulum displacement' has developed, where people
hasten at night to safety. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on
Violence, Yakin Ertürk, who toured eastern Congo in July 2007, violence
against women in North and South Kivu included “unimaginable
brutality”. "Armed groups attack local communities, loot, rape, kidnap
women and children and make them work as sexual slaves," Ertürk said.^[12] A local initiative by women in Bukavu aims for recovery from violence based on women's own empowerment.^[13]

Religion

Christianity is the majority religion in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, followed by about 80% of the population, comprising Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%.^[14]
Kimbanguism was seen as a threat to the colonial regime and was banned
by the Belgians. Kimbanguism, officially "the church of Christ on Earth
by the prophet Simon Kimbangu," now has about three million members,^[14] primarily among the Bakongo of Bas-Congo and Kinshasa.

As well as being the largest religious organisation in the country with about 30 million members, the Roman Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
is one of the largest Christian Churches in Africa. The Congo has more
Catholics than any other African country, and one of the highest
proportions of Catholics.

62 of the Protestant denominations in the country are federated under the umbrella of the Church of Christ in Congo or CCC (in French, Église du Christ au Congo
or ECC). It is often simply referred to as 'The Protestant Church',
since it covers most of the 20% of the population who are Protestants.

Of the remaining 20% of the population, up to 10% are Muslim,^[15] and the rest follow traditional beliefs or syncretic sects. Islam was introduced, and mainly spread by Arabic merchants ^[16] involved in the ivory trade. Traditional religions embody such concepts as monotheism, animism, vitalism, spirit and ancestor worship, witchcraft,
and sorcery and vary widely among ethnic groups. The syncretic sects
often merge Christianity with traditional beliefs and rituals, and may
not be accepted by mainstream churches as part of Christianity.

Languages

Main article: Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

There is an estimated total of 242 languages spoken in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Out of these, only four have the
status of national languages: Kongo, Lingala, Tshiluba and Swahili.

Lingala was made the official language of the colonial army, the "Force Publique" under Belgian colonial rule. But since the recent rebellions, a good part of the army also uses Swahili in the East.

French
is the official language of the country. It is meant to be an
ethnically neutral language, to ease communication between all the
different ethnic groups of the Congo.

When the country was a Belgian colony, the four national languages
were already used in primary schools, making the country one of the few
to have had literacy in local languages during the occupation by
Europeans.

Culture

The culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reflects the diversity of its hundreds of ethnic groups and their differing ways of life throughout the country — from the mouth of the River Congo on the coast, upriver through the rainforest and savanna
in its centre, to the more densely populated mountains in the far east.
Since the late 19th century, traditional ways of life have undergone
changes brought about by colonialism, the struggle for independence, the stagnation of the Mobutu era, and most recently, the First and Second Congo Wars. Despite these pressures, the customs
and cultures of the Congo have retained much of their individuality.
The country's 60 million inhabitants are mainly rural. The 30 percent
who live in urban areas have been the most open to Western influences.

Another notable feature in Congo culture is its sui generis music. The DROC has blended its ethnic musical sources with Cuban rumba, and merengue to give birth to soukous. Influential figures of soukous and its offshoots (n'dombolo, rumba rock…) are Franco Luambo, Tabu Ley, Lutumba Simaro, Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Kanda Bongo, Ray Lema, Mpongo Love, Abeti Masikini, Reddy Amisi,[Pasnas] Pepe Kalle and Nyoka Longo. Africa produces music genres which are direct derivatives of Congolese soukous. Some of the African bands sing in Lingala,
the main language in the DRC. The same Congolese soukous, under the
guidance of "le sapeur", has set up the tone for a generation of young
guys always dressed up in expensive designer's clothes.

The Congo is also known for his art. Traditional art includes masks
and wooden statues. Notable contemporary artists and Fashion designer
are Chéri Samba and Odette Krempin.