Announced for december 2002 , it came out on 7 March 2003. The album was a big succes and many songs are still played until this day. Although the press being pro-Maison Mere, Biblia managed to get bronze as best song of year behind Reddy’s Assistant Social (gold) and Jus d’Ete Mulopwe’s Examen (silver). The same ACMCO gave Quartier Latin silver as best group behind Maison Mere (gold) they were followed by Cultura Pays’Vie (bronze).



The group album was Koffi’s last project with his recordlabel Next Music (former Sono/Sonodisc). Quartier Latin’s first concert after the release of Affaire d’Etat was at Zénith de Paris (April 2003) with the album they did several African countries and toured in the US. Quartier Latin ended up by winning the trophee of best group at Kora Awards edition 2003.

Classic album, the sound quality and everything have aged well. It was a great follow up from Effrakata with them using the same team. I remember the first time I heard it, it was on a cassette in the car the album Droit de veto was playing then after Nyandja it went straight to Piwawa and I was like I don’t remember this being in droit de veto lol then I realised it was the new album. Also summer of 03 was hot because the DVD came out and everyone bought the dvd (this was when DVD’s were still new so everyone was going crazy to buy a copy of the dvd).
I have sentimental memories because it was the last album that Koffi released just before my mother passed which was that year and she was a diehard Koffi fan.

This is one of the best Quartier Latin albums of all time.

What song do you guys think was the best from the album?

For me, it is this song

This is one of the best Quartier Latin albums of all time.

What song do you guys think was the best from the album?

For me, it is this song

for me is juif noir easily what a banger and the sebene at the end perfect, its been my favorite song of that album since i was a kid i get goosebumps everytime that beat drop at 2:29 and the bass kicks in my godness

Maybe to have an even number on both discs. Having 9 songs on cd2 like cd1 and not 7 on the second disc or an onequal amount.

Koffi could easily add new songs in the places of the 3 tracks. Every band has the possibility to release 20 tracks if they want. Most bandmember have already 4 songs ready at home, others even 7 and them picking their favorite to bring it into the band. But its the bandleader that decides about which bandmember to put a song in the album, how many songs that there will be on the album, etc. Like for example, Nseka Kudififela who was a long serving-member could have easily put a song in Affaire d'Etat, but for whatever reason he wasn't allowed to do. Koffi could if he wanted, give Felly Tyson the opportunity to put another song as chef d'orchestre like Tosha Fulakanda in Nouvelle Ecriture or Ferre Gola in Maison Mere who had two songs in the group albums Somo Trop & A la Que Leu Leu, but he didn't.


About releasing double-cd albums, I remember some people complaining in the early 2000s, that it started to be come to much about having 18 tracks on an album.  Congolese people used to consume music differently than other people, them trying to memorize all songs of the album and with double-album it started to become more difficult but bands/solo-artists luckily still releasing good albums at that time and most of them also releasing videoclips for all songs. The high demand of getting songs on albums from people in Europe that started to get money, pushed bands/solo-artist to release double albums instead an album of 10/12 tracks. Also to avoid scandals/problems of artists dedicating a song to 2 people (in some cases even 3 people) which happened in Force de Frappe and Solola Bien. Sometimes donors being mad about not having received a song altough already having paid the money and bandleaders stressing a little bit because of having a debt. Altough releasing double albums, it was sometimes still happened like for example with Werrason, who sung Salister for late Guy Pablinto and Robert Basende at the same time and The song Yandi Mosi W.R. being dedicated to Julien Yandi Mosi and late Wabelo Rango. Wabelo Rango being seriously mad and apparently starting a fight when hearing that.

I agree it still irritates me to this day that in disc 2 there’s 3 repeated songs. I think it’s also because of Jordan Kusa not being there as he was left behind in kin whilst he had a song prepared, also Chamberton since he was in Effrakata he probably had a song as well but he stayed behind in Europe when the group returned to Kin and he rejoined the group for the affaire d’etat tour but it wouldn’t have made sense to give him a song because Koffi knew he once again wouldn’t return. He still could’ve given Passe Kosse, Cambodge, and Kerozene the opportunity to put songs as they worked hard in the previous album.