T-SHIRT LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

LA VIE EST BELLE (by Papa Wemba)

"One day I'll make electronic music too."

This is where it all begins: Kourou (Papa Wemba), a young musician and villager, arrives in the great musical city of Kinshasa. Soon after arriving, he catches the eye of the beautiful Kabibi (Bibi Krubwa), and it's love at first sight. Through a series of adventures, Kourou finds himself employed in the house of the great boss Nouandou (Kanku Kasongo)... who (but let's not reveal everything) will fall under Kabibi's spell too.

Furthermore, this cult film manages to address, unpretentiously and very naturally, a multitude of societal issues: love under economic and social pressure, the gap between urban and rural lifestyles, between traditional and electronic music, the place of witchcraft in a society in full upheaval, husband-and-wife relationships, female jealousies...

Released in 1987, La vie est belle is still one of the most popular films in Congo-Kinshasa.

​Directed by: Ngangura Dieudonné Mweze and Benoît Lamy
Main actors: Papa Wemba, Bibi Krubwa, Landu Nzunzimbu Nvouandou, Emoro and Pepe Kalle.

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