MOAPE KONGO

Synopsis

In 1957, Moapé had a double bass that was part of the colonial heritage brought by the colonists, which passed through Congo and ended up in Dabou, a town in southern Côte d'Ivoire, where the musicians of Moapé were trained and brought back to Moapé to form the Moapé Kongo orchestra. Moapé Kongo owes its fame to its Congolese sounds shaped by the songs of the Attié (a local ethnic group).

This double bass left no one indifferent and was considered the symbol of

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In 1957, Moapé had a double bass that was part of the colonial heritage brought by the colonists, which passed through Congo and ended up in Dabou, a town in southern Côte d'Ivoire, where the musicians of Moapé were trained and brought back to Moapé to form the Moapé Kongo orchestra. Moapé Kongo owes its fame to its Congolese sounds shaped by the songs of the Attié (a local ethnic group).

This double bass left no one indifferent and was considered the symbol of the entire orchestra. The orchestra had a special choreography around its symbol, the kongo. The Kongo was played and carried by a man, and not just any man. This man was the center of attention because he was a true virtuoso of dance, sape, and song, who masterfully played the double bass. The double bass and its bearer represented the spectacular aspect of the orchestra, like a play throughout the orchestra's performance.

The years passed, the men passed away, and the influence of modern music contributed to the demise of Moapé Kongo and most traditional orchestras. Moapé Kongo sank into oblivion, and only the double bass, the Kongo, survived all this turmoil.

A few years ago, a son of the village, aware of this long-dormant heritage, attempted to breathe new life into the orchestra. Tino Mario, son of one of the orchestra's founding members, took it upon himself to reorganize Moapé Kongo. The task was not easy for him, as the orchestra had no musical instruments. Tino therefore set out to seek financial support by visiting various village leaders.

However, a problem arose: the bearers had come and gone, all succumbing to the weight of age before bowing out without being able to pass the torch to younger members. The Kongo had no one to carry it forward and restore the orchestra's reputation. The double bass has been locked away for years in the last bearer's bedroom.

Tino's current challenge is to find a man capable of performing all the artistic feats required to get the orchestra back on its feet.

In his quest to reorganize Moapé Kongo, Tino will call on the memories of the elders. He travels around the village to visit the last surviving witnesses who knew and played in the orchestra. He takes the opportunity to tell them about his mission and ask for their blessing.

Tino, the village griot, walks the streets of the village to urge the young people and all the villagers to join him and his family in reviving Moapé Kongo. He launched an appeal to collect archive photos of the village and the orchestra to create an exhibition that would stir up nostalgia within the village and make them want to see their favorite instrument, the Kongo, and the whole orchestra back on stage.

Tino tried to rebuild the orchestra with a few musicians from the village and visited them regularly to get them back on board. He is assisted in his task by Assalé, a saxophonist, whom Tino has managed to inspire with his commitment. Together, they organize meetings and rehearsals in Tino's courtyard, revisiting the orchestra's songs.

The task is not easy for them because the orchestra has no musical instruments. Tino therefore embarks on a fundraising quest, sending letters requesting assistance to various village leaders. Deeply committed to his mission, Tino frequently travels back and forth to Abidjan to meet with village leaders who may be able to help. He visits their homes and offices to meet with them and deliver his letters requesting assistance. They participate in music programs on the radio station “La voix d'Adzopé” where they talk about Moapé Kongo and take the opportunity to invite people of good will to help them.

To keep people interested and attract potential new members, Tino and his band rent musical instruments for their rehearsals.

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Background

Being a native of the region and the son of Moapé on my mother's side, I began visiting the village during my early middle school years during school vacations. My grandfather lived there, and my parents' goal was to send my brothers and me to the village to learn to speak our mother tongue, Attié. This seemingly mundane excursion was a kind of initiation for me, allowing me to immerse myself in the cultural realities and speak my mother tongue at a very early age. In

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Being a native of the region and the son of Moapé on my mother's side, I began visiting the village during my early middle school years during school vacations. My grandfather lived there, and my parents' goal was to send my brothers and me to the village to learn to speak our mother tongue, Attié. This seemingly mundane excursion was a kind of initiation for me, allowing me to immerse myself in the cultural realities and speak my mother tongue at a very early age. In the evenings, my grandfather would take out his photo album and comment on each photo in it. That's how he told me about Moapé Kongo. These were moments of nostalgia that he shared with me through the photos. And the enthusiasm with which he commented on his photos really gave me a sense of the fervor of the time. The name Moapé Kongo given to the orchestra is no coincidence, but rather because Moapé is a very festive village with an orchestra and a double bass called the Kongo, which rivaled the Congolese musical groups of the time. Moapé was the “little Congo” of the Ivory Coast. Their musical style, heavily influenced by Soukous with a local twist, can be explained by the fact that the musicians of Moapé were trained by Congolese musicians. The Moapé Kongo orchestra quickly won the hearts of music lovers and became very popular in the region.

Now a filmmaker, the desire to tell this story has become increasingly urgent and clear since I met Tino, my main character, who has made it his mission to revive the orchestra. I see Tino as my grandfather, who continues to speak to me.

In Côte d'Ivoire, as in all parts of Africa, before contact with Europe, music was exclusively acoustic. The music scene was not confined within walls, but occupied the open spaces of various events that punctuated social life: sacred funeral rituals, the consecration of generations of young people entering and leaving their initiation cycle, the celebration of births and marriages, the accompaniment of farm work, harvest festivals—everything was and still is supported by music.

When it gained national sovereignty in 1960, the Ivorian government sought to develop music by providing the country's main departments with modern training programs equipped with electric instruments. These “departmental orchestras” performed at administrative events and popular festivals. Alongside these state orchestras, private musical groups such as Anoman Brouh Félix's Ivoiry Band and the Moapé Kongo orchestra began to appear in emerging towns and villages.

Several contemporary African musical genres were born from the encounter between European instruments introduced during the colonial era. A few notable examples illustrate this fact:

- Soukous (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Derived from Congolese rumba, itself influenced by Cuban music and Spanish guitars, soukous has established itself as a leading genre in Central Africa. The electric guitar reigns supreme, with fast, danceable solos.

- Highlife (Ghana, Nigeria)

This genre combines the brass instruments of British colonial marching bands with African guitars and percussion. It evolved into Afrobeat, popularized by Fela Kuti, who added jazz and funk influences.

- Mbalax (Senegal)

A fusion of traditional sabar percussion and modern instruments such as bass, guitar, and keyboards. Youssou N'Dour is one of its best-known ambassadors.

These genres show how African musicians have transformed instruments from other cultures into tools of expression deeply rooted in their cultural realities.

In this context, the double bass is sometimes incorporated into musical fusions, particularly in African jazz and contemporary orchestral music, adding depth and rhythm.

Africa's colonial heritage continues to shape the collective consciousness in profound and ambivalent ways. On the one hand, it has left lasting traces in institutions, languages, education systems, and economic structures.

On the other hand, it has sparked an awareness of identity and culture that today fuels movements to reclaim and promote local heritage.

The colonial legacy is not only a burden from the past, it is also a catalyst for reflection, protest, and cultural renaissance.

Admittedly, the double bass is not an African musical instrument, let alone an Ivorian one, but our local artists have shown resilience and intelligence in integrating it into their creations to make it a distinctive feature. This reappropriation in no way alters the very essence of local culture, but enriches it and bridges the gap with young people who are increasingly turning to Western music.

Moapé Kongo is a film that brings together all generations through their local cultural heritage, a film that confronts different eras, a film that questions today's music and encourages young people to accept traditional music, reinterpret it, question it, and transform it to better integrate it into our world.

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Style & Tone

The heart of the film will be the story of Tino's actions within the village, filmed in direct cinema style. The emotional thread of the narrative will be the nostalgic feelings of Tino and the village families.

At times, the film will focus on the words of the village elders, living witnesses to this golden age, which they share with Tino. Tino undertakes these steps in order to gain the approval and blessing of the elders, the patriarchs, to carry out his mission.

I

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The heart of the film will be the story of Tino's actions within the village, filmed in direct cinema style. The emotional thread of the narrative will be the nostalgic feelings of Tino and the village families.

At times, the film will focus on the words of the village elders, living witnesses to this golden age, which they share with Tino. Tino undertakes these steps in order to gain the approval and blessing of the elders, the patriarchs, to carry out his mission.

I have filmed and will continue to film with a lightweight camera, handheld for scenes in motion, and on a tripod for scenes with dialogue and contemplative images. I will work exclusively with a short focal length to ensure that the characters are well integrated into the setting. I will be behind the camera and will always be accompanied by a sound engineer. My presence behind the camera is essential, as I have forged a very strong bond with Tino, through whom I see my grandfather. I continue to learn with Tino as I did with my grandfather. I merge my gaze with Tino's to bring this emotion to the image.

My own learning process as a director is essentially through the gaze I gradually cast on all these people who are enthusiastic about sharing their experiences with Moapé Kongo.

Filming will take place over a long period of time and will require several trips to Moapé. Shots filmed with a tripod, both static and panoramic, will create a sense of belonging to the village. The power of the location is an integral part of the film. The space will be constructed in an aesthetic that incorporates camera movements within the village as Tino moves around.

The film will be told in part through music. The nostalgia evoked will be brought to life by music appropriate to the era depicted. The songs will be primarily in Attié, the ethnic language of the region. This choice will allow us to revisit the repertoire and highlight the different periods in the evolution of Attié music from independence to the present day.

The soundscape of direct cinema will fill a large part of the film, allowing us to contemplate and question. Then, the presence of songs and natural country sounds will be enough to feed a direct soundtrack that will already be very rich.

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Budget

This section includes information about this project.

Creative festival creative story cinema camera festival team narrative narrative award. Visual festival narrative team production festival story project impact impact cinema festival story independent visual.

Our Ask

I am very happy to share with you my documentary film project, Moapé Kongo, which questions the place of colonial heritage and local African cultural heritage in the collective consciousness.
Your opinions and suggestions will help me to develop my narrative.
As I am currently in the writing stage, I need a grant to help me research archives that will contribute to the film's narrative. I am looking for a potential co-producer who likes my project and can help me find the necessary funding to tell this story.

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MOAPE KONGO

Logline

Participants

Assi Tino

Kongo

Assalé

Team

Hangui Martial

NAHI Chimene

Budget

Stills

Our Ask