Bob W. White is an full professor of social anthropology at the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1] He is an expert in the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities program and the director and founder of the Laboratory for Research on Intercultural Relations (LABRRI) at the University of Montreal. [2] [3] His research interests include intercultural communication, dynamics, and cities; popular culture; French-speaking Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; immigration policy; ethnographic fieldwork; public policy; systems theory; and pluralism. [2] [4] [5] [1] [6] He is also coordinator of the Network of Municipalities in Immigration and Intercultural Relations of Quebec (RÉMIRI) and is part of a research network between the University of Montreal, the University of Geneva, and the Free University of Brussels. [1]
White received his BA in anthropology and international studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988; his MA from McGill University in 1993; and his PhD in anthropology from McGill in 1998. [1] [6] His PhD dissertation was titled: " Modernity's Spiral: Popular Culture, Mastery and the Politics of Dance Music in Congo-Kinshasa." [5] Following this, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at the Smithsonian Institution. On January 1, 2001, he became an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. [6] He has been a visiting professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal, the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in Germany, and Meiji University in Tokyo. [2] White was awarded the Society for Urban, National and Transnational Anthropology's Anthony Leeds Prize (2009) and the Canadian Association of African Studies' Joel Gregory Prize (2010) for his book Rumba Rules. The book was also a finalist for the African Studies Association's Herskovits Prize. [1]
Congolese music is one of the most influential music forms of the African continent. Since the 1930s, Congolese musicians have had a huge impact on the African musical scene and elsewhere. Many contemporary genres of music, such as Kenyan Benga and Colombian Champeta, have been heavily influenced by Congolese music. In 2021, Congolese rumba joined other living traditions such as Jamaican reggae music and Cuban rumba on UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list.
Soukous is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation, and gained popularity in the 1980s in France. Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo, song structures and longer dance sequences.
Le Grand Kallé et l'African Jazz, often simply referred to as African Jazz, was a popular and extremely influential Congolese rumba band from the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. Founded in 1953 in Léopoldville under Belgian colonial rule, the band was led by Joseph Kabasele Tshamala, popularly known by his stage name Le Grand Kallé. The group saw its heyday between 1958 and 1962, after which it was hit by defections by its members in 1963. It was briefly revived after 1966.

François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi was a Congolese singer, guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, and cultural revolutionary. He was a central figure in 20th-century Congolese and African music, principally as the bandleader for over 30 years of TPOK Jazz, the most popular and influential African band of its time and arguably of all time. He is referred to as Franco Luambo or simply Franco. Known for his mastery of African rumba, he was nicknamed by fans and critics "Sorcerer of the Guitar" and the "Grand Maître of Zairean Music", as well as Franco de Mi Amor by female fandom. AllMusic described him as perhaps the "big man in African music" and "an accomplished composer and vocalist". His extensive musical repertoire was a social commentary on love, interpersonal relationships, marriage, decorum, politics, rivalries, mysticism, and commercialism. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him at number 71 on its list of the 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
The culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely varied, reflecting the great diversity and different customs which exist in the country. Congolese culture combines the influence of tradition to the region, but also combines influences from abroad which arrived during the era of colonization and continue to have a strong influence, without destroying the individuality of many tribal customs.
Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka, known professionally as M'bilia Bel, is a Congolese singer and songwriter. Dubbed the "Queen of African Rumba" and "Queen Cleopatra", she is regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. Her music is a blend of traditional Congolese rumba, soukous, rap, and zouk, with lyrics that often delve into themes of love, politics, hedonism, militancy, jealousy, sentimentality, and education.
Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu, better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a leading African rumba singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was the leader of Orchestre Afrisa International, as well as one of Africa's most influential vocalists and prolific songwriters. Along with guitarist Dr Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley pioneered soukous and internationalised his music by fusing elements of Congolese folk music with Cuban, Caribbean and Latin American rumba. He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history." He was dubbed "the African Elvis" by the Los Angeles Times. After the fall of the Mobutu regime, Tabu Ley also pursued a political career. His musical career ran parallel to the other great Congolese rhumba bandleader and rival Franco Luambo Makiadi who ran the band TPOK Jazz throughout the 1960s, 1970s and '80s.
Ndombolo, also known as dombolo, is a genre of dance music originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Derived from soukous in the 1990s, with fast-paced hip-swaying dance rhythms, often accompanied by upbeat, percussion-driven music, the style became widespread in the mid-1990s and the subsequent decade, dominating dancefloors in central, eastern, and western Africa. It inspired West African popular music, coupé-décalé, Kuduro, and East African dance music.
Ricardo Lemvo is a Congolese singer of Angolan descent who lives in Los Angeles, California. His music is a blend of African soukous, kizomba, samba and Cuban salsa.
Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese rumba has gained global recognition and remains an integral part of African music heritage. In December 2021, it was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
Jean Baptiste Emeneya Mubiala Kwamambu was a Congolese singer.

Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, known as Papa Wendo, was a Congolese musician. He is considered the "doyen" of Congolese rumba, a musical style blending traditional Kongolese rhythm and son cubano.
Cavacha is a Congolese rumba style drum beat, created by Meridjo Belobi, long-time drummer of Zaïko Langa Langa.
Henri Bowane (1926–1992) was an influential figure in the development of Congolese rumba in the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He was the first professional boss and early mentor to the legendary guitarist Franco Luambo.
Pépé Felly Manuaku, also known as Pépé Fely is a Congolese rumba guitarist, songwriter, producer, arranger, bandleader and lyricist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He has been described as the foremost Congolese solo guitarist of his generation. He is a founding member of the iconic groups Zaïko Langa Langa, Les Ya Toupas and Grand Zaïko Wawa. His style of guitar is the last style officially credited as a "School" or Genre of guitar following the styles "Fiesta" created by "Le Docteur" Nico Kassanda and "Odemba" created by "Le Sorcier" Franco Luambo Makiadi. He is credited with establishing the guitar as the lead instrument in contemporary Congolese music introducing Synthesiser, Bouzouki, Advanced Guitar effect pedal techniques, new arrangement and recording techniques.
Didier Kalonji Mukeba, Known professionally by his stage name as Bill Clinton and Monseigneur or Macintosh is a Congolese singer-songwriter dancer and animator. he was a member of Wenge Musica Maison Mere orchestra by Werrason from 1997 to 2004. The name "Kalonji", as in Albert Kalonji, is a name traditionally associated with leaders of the Luba people.
Sebene, also known as seben, is an instrumental section commonly played in Congolese rumba. It is usually played towards the end of the song and is the dancing section where the lead and rhythm guitars take the lead in the dance. It is characterized by the repetition of a specific number of notes during the passage of second chords: one major chord and one-seventh chord, which gives rise to the Lingala derivation "sebene," derived from the English numeral "seven" or its ordinal rendition.
Jean-Marie Belobi Ng’ekerme, known professionally as Meridjo Belobi, was a Congolese drummer and songwriter. Known for being a long-time drummer for Zaïko Langa Langa, he is credited as the creator of the Cavacha drum pattern, which gained international recognition and is considered as a major contribution to African music.

Congo Funk! Sound Madness from the Shores of the Mighty Congo River is a compilation album of Congolese rumba, released by record label Analog Africa on 5 April 2024.
In the sebene instrumental section of a Congolese rumba song, the atalaku serves as the band's frontman, responsible for actively engaging the audience, building excitement, and augmenting the performance with spirited vocalizations and rhythmic chants. Atalaku often uses fast-paced speech, onomatopoeic sounds, and playful wordplay to captivate listeners and sustain their energy throughout the performance.