Spoken poetry finds fans in eastern Congo
Young people put their anger and hopes into slam
IN A SMALL, dimly lit room one recent Saturday morning, a group of Congolese slammers are chanting about politics and art, poverty and sex. They tower over the seated audience, gesticulating wildly. The listeners laugh, jeer and occasionally join in by repeating refrains or clapping. This is exactly how slam is meant to be. Marc Smith, an American former builder who hosted the world’s first slam event in Chicago in 1984, would be impressed.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Rhyme for your life”
From the April 10th 2021 edition
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