Accompanying the exhibition Congo Art Works: Popular Painting, Garage is screening music videos made by two contemporary Congolese musicians.
Composer, singer and dancer Ferre Gola’s favorite genre is rumba, a very popular style in Africa. One of the most successful musicians of present-day Congo, at various times Gola has been nominated for "Best Francophone" in the MTV Africa Music Awards and the African Muzik Magazine Awards in the “Best Male Central Africa” category.
The rapper Baloji’s recordings are a mixture of styles, including traditional African music, soul, funk, jazz, and electronics. The word “baloji” initially meant “man of science” in Swahili. However, during the colonial period, it acquired an opposite meaning—“man of magic”. In his lyrics, Baloji turns to the past and present of the Democratic Republic of Congo, recalling the colonial history of the country and highlighting the social issues relevant today.