I remember seeing some extracts of it on Bjone's youtube channel

I’ve noticed most Koffi’s concerts in Kinshasa from 1991 to 2005 are quite rare to find. The Europe ones are a lot easier to find if you were to compare them.

Kinshasa concerts of Koffi from 1991 to 2000 are rare because Congolese people are not really strong in conserving archives. Most VHS being throw away when the DVD came in and many also throwing them away because of becoming a brother/sister in christ and wanting a new life. You'll notice that Kinshasa concerts of Wenge 4x4, Papa Wemba, JB Mpiana first 2 years with BCBG and those early Maison Mère concerts of that period also being rare. Not only concerts of Kinshasa are but also those of Europe itself. Concerts of period after let say 2000/2001 are not really rare, because producers were making reissue version of it for DVDs.

Koffi was often in Europe and touring abroad in Africa. But when being in Kinshasa he was performing often like other bands Wenge Maison Mère, Wenge BCBG, Nouvelle Ecriture, etc. and having every week public rehearshals at Bar 5 sur 5 Oshwe in Matongé. Back it started a rivalery between him and Papa Wemba. Fans and Wemba himself were not happy the way Koffi put his headquarter in Matonge next to Village Molokai. Koffi then often sending his guys to annoy Wemba fans in Molokai/Matonge which often resulted in fights or his guys being seriouly beaten. There also often confrontation between musicians of Quartier Latin and those of Nouvelle Ecriture when coming with their cars to the rehearshals and shegues watching by. Koffi was first more into vip-concerts and occassionaly public concerts. But when the polemic era started to become hot, he started to give alot of public concerts, especially after Effrakata. Koffi then going to areas like Mikonga, Masina, Malueka, Mpasa and Camp Luka. From 2005 to 2009 it became an obligation because he had a contract with Bracongo. When the beef against Werra started, Koffi's public concerts were often interrupted by gangs who would throw with stones like they were doing with concerts of Bill Clinton Kalonji.

All Congolese concerts of big bandleaders at took place at Elysee Montmartre from 2006 to the concert-ban are on youtube. From mid 2004 you had that war of those big dvd-producers about buying images of the biggest in events in Paris and Kinshasa. Them all being uploaded on youtube the last 10 years except Werra's concert at Bataclan in 2005 before returning to Kinshasa.



Koffi just performed twice at Elysee Montmarte in 2006 the following year he performed there on 27 december 2007 without Joss Diena & Gessac. Badive uploaded it on youtube but for whatever reason he closed his channel. Mudjona Dobbs saved the video and re-uploaded but made the mistake by writting that it was at Bataclan.

Here you can see all of the European concerts that he had in 2006: https://www.infoconcert.com/artiste/koffi-olomide-4996/concerts.html?menu=archives&artiste_id=4996&annee_archives=2006

Here you can see all of the European concerts that he had in 2006: https://www.infoconcert.com/artiste/koffi-olomide-4996/concerts.html?menu=archives&artiste_id=4996&annee_archives=2006

It's impressive how Koffi filled Bataclan while they already spend 5 months in Europe and him doing two weeks later the same at Elysée Montmartre. Such concerts are normally often flops unless they are goodbye-concerts. The success of DVD "Kisanola le peigne" that came out during the tour had a big contribution in the succes of it. But at the same time its sad how Congolese music went down at that time from performing at big halls like Bercy and Zenith to small halls like Elysee Montmartre. The African-diaspora press did everything to hype Coupé Décale and barely promoted Congolese music. Although having filled both halls the reviews of both concerts at that time were not good. Many fans complaining that they were missing the fire that used to be in concerts during the early 2000s.

I think that it was more  that Congolese bandleaders already achieved everything. They did Olympia, Palais des Sports, Zenith de Paris & Bercy. The hype/motivation would still be there if artists found a way to do a double Bercy, triple zenith or Parc des Princes. When Werrason announced that he would perform at Stade Charletty in the summer of 2004. It created some fire and people started to get ready about how to promote the event but not long after that the split with Les Marquis came.


I remember Congolese people complaining about despite having done these big halls, that our music was not becoming mainstream. Saying that the succes just within in the African-community (ghetto). Them wanting to see Koffi Olomidé, Werrason, JB Mpiana and co on these white tv-channels and radiochannels, like Magic System started to do. Them also questioning if those gold-records they got being real. Artists like Koffi and JB getting irritated when getting such questions about gold-records from journalists like Francis Kakonde and the comparation with Magic System.


It was the Congolese community that were pushing bandleaders to the top to achieve these challenges to perform at the mythic halls of Paris. The first zenith's, Olympia and Bercy's were promoted months before and the whole Congolese diaspora being mobilized, special t-shirts being made, reunions made in Brussels, London and Paris about how to give the artists a special welcome and how to lure more people to the concert. Influent people like Joel Photo Mbetenge, Shaguy Sharufa and co putting all their energy. Koffi's Bercy for example got promoted for 1 year. But when you compare it to the promotion of the concerts of Papa Wemba & Koffi Olomide did in 2003 at Zenith de Paris, you will see that there was not a big effort from the community to mobilize people and also not big promotion. Some of those who were putting big money in the game started to be dissapointed in bandleaders because of their behaviour and/or that of their musicians who used to live in their house for a time when coming for tours (paying hotels the whole tour is to expensive for Congolese bands) and doing them dirty by sleeping with their wives/daugthers and at some point making them pregnant. Many became combattans few years later. Others started to become brother or sister in christ when getting private problems or being jailed for dark business they were doing in Europe.

Then you had also the press of the African-diaspora who from late 2002/early 2003 starting to write articles about Ndombolo not being inovative, no evolution being and them often critizing the genre. It then coincided with coupe decale coming and the new genre getting big promotion. Ndombolo-music getting less playing in African nightclubs of Paris and when getting played just getting a few minutes. The funny thing is that no of the coupe decale-artist did Zenith, Olympia or Bercy at that time until this day.


Because of the flop of the last zeniths  many foreign concert-promoters were not interested anymore to produce Congolese bands at mythic halls. Also being annoyed for the way rivals would call them to cancel x event claiming that artist being "finished", seeing people trying to sabotate the removing posters and calling the police about danger there (just in create a bad sphere). Congolese artists re-starting to have concerts at small halls like LSC again. For someone like Werrason performing at halls like LSC, wasn't his level. The events he did there in december 2004 & march 2005 created a big mess because big crowds being there and the majority to being able to enter. The municipality of Saint Denis at some point forbidden Congolese artists to perform again at LSC. It kind the interest of foreign concertpromoters back to put money on Congolese artists for mythic halls, but they were not sure if they would get profit. It would last few years to see these concerts back at mytical halls. Those concerts came back in 2007 through Dario Kindongo who produced Fally at Olympia, Meganet who produced Koffi the same year at Zenith de Paris and following year Werrason at the same Zenith. With the succes of Werrason with Malewa,  that of Fally with his featerings he was doing with different artists and their succesfull tours in 2010, our music started slowly to get back on track and almost re-started dominating coupe decale. But in 2011 sadly the concert-ban came.

No it had nothing to do with the genre slowly started to get popular again. It was because of the political situation in Congo mixed with personal issues some people had with artists and seeing it as a gold occassion to punish them with it.

The ban came because many in the Congolese diaspora weren't happy the way artists were close to Joseph Kabila's regime while the situation was getting worser every year in Congo. They were also mad the way bandleaders themselves started to insult and betittle the Congolese diaspora in interviews , while it was the same diaspora who made them who they are today. The setting of Congolese artists living in Kinshasa of 1987 is totally different from that of 2008. Some bandleaders in the 1980s were still living at their familyhouse or renting a small house in normal quarters. It was for a big part due to the big financial support of people living in Europe that they were able to have a much better life. Another reason is that activists wanted to get rid of the label Congolese people had about being distracted only thinking about beer, music, sex and clothes.

The background of the concert-ban were when Congolese music in Europe was on its peak (1998-2003). The same period you had the Congo-war which led to more than 6 millions deaths (mostly in Eastern Congo). But the strange thing is that the majority of Congolese people living in Europe and Kinshasa didn't care about. Most were focused on Werra, JB, Wemba, Koffi, Emeneya, etc. performing at x or y place, releasing an album. Those who were christians only being focused on famous pastors, gospel artists and those VHS with testimonies. Many even didn't knew that there was still a war going on in Congo apart that short moment in 1998 when rebels almost got control over Kinshasa and there no electricity, water being there for a short moment.

When there would be petitions against UN, Belgium, France, UK and USA for making decisions against DR Congo's favour or marches against Rwanda & Uganda. Nobody would show up or sign the petitions. Just a small part of people. Although "peace" coming through the 1+4 governement with the presidential elections, the situation in Congo was still not going well. Combattans felt that it was time for a wake-up call to Congolese people. Seeing that marching and sharing posters to mobilize people wasn't working they made change their strategy by coming with the decision to block concerts and forbid pastors coming from Kinshasa to preach in Europe. Because they felt that artists and pastors were distracted the diaspora and the population living in Kinshasa. By stopping them they knew that there would be more attention to the situation in DR Congo and that many would open their eyes.

Already in 2006, combattans were  warning bandleaders that they would block concerts in Europe if Joseph Kabila would pass the elections. The ban then starting in London by UDPS-combattans threatening JB Mpiana and his bandmembers who were touring in UK. In Paris and Brussels it failed because many activits were still close to either Werra, Koffi or other artists. They succeed in blocking Werra's concerts in 2006 but they ending up by negotiating. With the years coming those who were dissapointed about bandleaders being ingrateful towards and/or doing them would join the cause (more out of anger). Every time when Werrason would come for a big event in Paris, they would try to come with a ban. During Zenith 2008, Werrason almost got kidnapped and many stuff happened behind the scene. At that time, the atmosphere was not good because many were not happy because of the war that just re-started in Eastern Congo in the same period because of Laurent Nkunda. In 2010, the combattans again failed to get Werra's event cancelled. In 2011 when Werrason came for a concert at Elysee Montmarte with Papa Wemba they finally succeed. The crowd that demonstrated the same day being bigger than those who came for the concert. Mostly because many didn't want to pay 100 euros for that event (concert-promoter wanted to make a vip-concert of it with the highest concertfee ever in Europe for Congolese concerts).

 The thing that made it easier for the combattans to succeed that day was because of many people being mad for the way Werrason insulted the Congolese diaspora in an interview about just doing small jobs (construction work, etc.) and that they are nothing. It was also the same period that alot of bad stuff happened. Armand Tungulu who used to live in Belgium got killed in Kinshasa by Joseph Kabila a few months before (JB Mpiana had to perform that week in Brussels, but he cancelled the show out of respect). You had at that time also the Arab spring (protest/revolution in Tunesia & Egypt) which motivated combattans even more.

Concerts could have returned if Werrason kept a low profile but instead of that he was making an interviews to challenge combattans and that nobody would stop him. This motivated alot of people to show up in Brussels to block his third concert after performing with alot of difficulties in Germany. The combattans felt themselves intouchable and saw it as a game. They then came with the statement that there would no concerts if Joseph Kabila would still be in power. After that they succeed in sabotating Fally's Zenith. Fally then performing in front of 50 people despite high security from the police. It totally marked the end of concerts in the Schengen-area. After that they started also to attack politicians and starting making big protest-marches in Brussels and Paris. Also coming with actions in Apple stores to make people aware about children dying in mines.