.Kinshasa, July 7th, 2025 (CPA), – The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been urged, in a song entitled ‘Ntula’, released on Monday, not to depend on others, but to rely on their own abilities, according to the song’s author, interviewed by CPA. ‘It’s a song in which we show the positive image of DRC. It should not rely on the efforts of others. We must fight alone. We must learn to rely on ourselves, on our own strengths, to solve our problems once and for all,’ has declared Julien Mbwangi, the author of the song ‘Ntula.’
According to him, the title and arrangement of this song are based on the country’s traditions. ‘Ntula is a proper name chosen to illustrate our lyrics. Our traditions strongly inspire our rhythm (instrumentation), but also the choreography. We adapt it easily, because traditional music is rich in musical colours,’ he has indicated. He has also pointed out that this track is part of the album entitled ‘Le Monde à l’envers’ (The World Upside Down).
« This album is a call for collective action. Through this project, we invite the population to regain their common sense and rethink their values. All our songs converge towards this message of awareness. In ‘Detresse,’ for example, we emphasise the need to change our attitude towards our neighbours and international institutions, » he has explained. According to him, it is time for the Congolese people to face up to reality and take control of their destiny. ‘We make music that carries a message, because people don’t just need good music, they also need content. That’s what we do,’ he has emphasised.
Describing his musical genre, he has said: « Our music has this particularity: in our way of playing rumba, we mix it with other styles, such as RnB. We shouldn’t just draw inspiration from foreigners. Jazz, for example, is also a source of enrichment. » Julien Mbwangi, in addition to being a singer, is a professor at the University of Kinshasa in the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences. CPA/