Fally Ipupa, musician: Speak out on DRC suffering

The Interview

Jewel Kiriungi interviews Congolese music star Fally Ipupa about his two-decade career and his humanitarian efforts. The conversation explor

Key takeaways

• Fally Ipupa was honored as a Knight of the National Order of the Leopard by President Felix Tshisekedi.
• He established a foundation in 2013 to provide humanitarian aid, including ambulances and support for schools in conflict zones.

Main topics

• Musical career and evolution
• Humanitarian work in DRC

Notable quotes

We need everybody to denounce it. Speak louder, talk more loudly about the situation.

Conclusion

The interview demonstrates how global celebrity can be utilized as a p

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Speaker 1 (0:06) It's late 2007, and while attending a Christmas party, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg meets a woman who would change the course of his company forever. Speaker 4 (0:14) She joined Facebook as chief of operations in 2008 and has been credited for making the company profitable. And Speaker 1 (0:21) herself enormously rich. Speaker 4 (0:22) On Good Bad Billionaire, we're exploring the life and fortune of billionaire tech leader Sheryl Sandberg. Speaker 1 (0:27) Listen now, search for Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Speaker 5 (0:39) Welcome to the haunted library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, join me, Colin Morgan, with new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 3 (1:08) Hello, I'm Jewel Kiyungi, and this is The Interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC. People shaping our world from all over the world. Speaker 5 (1:23) I want to get freedom. I like that freedom. A Speaker 1 (1:26) gender equal world would be a better world for men too. We need this as fire. We need healing. Speaker 3 (1:32) We need trust. These companies don't really, they don't care what governments do. This Speaker 4 (1:37) is a war. The first thing that we want is the war to end. Speaker 3 (1:43) For this episode, I speak to Fali Ipupa, one of Africa's biggest music stars. His music has brought Congolese rumba to audiences around the world, earning him the Democratic Republic of Congo's highest honor, an attitude in the national order of the Leopard. Fali recognizes that his global success gives him a platform to speak about what is happening at home, where conflict in the east of the country has fuelled one of the world's worst displacement crises. For Fali, representing the DR Congo goes beyond music. He tells me how he has tried to turn his success into practical help for people caught up in the conflict. Speaker 2 (2:27) Sad, you know, if I can say sad. That's why I created my foundation, you know. I have foundation for this situation since 2013, for talking about this thing, this deal. I do the songs, I go to the coma to give ambulance, you know. I think one of the ambulance they have in the hospital come from me. I go to visit Dr. Mukwege to show the woman, wife, woman. I do many things in this corner. And the last thing I do, it was like maybe one year ago. We bought school for the refugees. But unfortunately, maybe I think the... Of course, there's a conflict. The Speaker 3 (3:19) school in the conflict. Speaker 2 (3:20) Yeah, in the conflict. Speaker 3 (3:21) So Speaker 2 (3:22) it's very sad. We're supposed to see not just in Congo. We're supposed to have peace everywhere in the world, everywhere in Africa. Every kid needs to go to the school, have health in the hospital. Food, security, I think for me it's very important. We don't speak... Now everybody knows the situation of Congo, Speaker 1 (3:48) but Speaker 2 (3:48) we have many, many people in the world who have war, you know, crazy thing. I think to be human, I think we need... Peace. We need peace harmonised everywhere in the world and everywhere in Africa. Welcome Speaker 3 (4:18) to the interview from the BBC World Service with Fali'i Pupa. Speaker 3 (4:25) Well, thank you very much, Fali, for making time to come and speak to us. We'll get right started. Now, you've played two consecutive sold-out concerts at the Stade de France in front of tens of thousands of people. After 20 years on stages like that, what do you think keeps making people come back to watch you? Speaker 2 (4:48) Nice question. I think because I have... Speaker 2 (4:53) Even today, something to give. I have, I reset the new songs. Maybe because they like every time they see me on stage, I'm not just come to play with people, but I give 100 % to my energy. They like our performance, my performance. They like... my music, and maybe because I'm great. Okay. Speaker 3 (5:25) I like that. I say Speaker 2 (5:26) maybe. Speaker 3 (5:27) Maybe? Speaker 2 (5:28) Yes. Speaker 3 (5:28) Okay. Well, if the crowd is anything to go by, then it means that you are doing something right. So I want us to talk about the boy that grew up in the musical streets of Bandal in the capital Kinshasa. And now you have been honored by the state as a Knight of the National Order of the Leopard. That was by President Felix Tshisekedi. When you received that honor, did you think about that boy who grew up in Bandal? Speaker 2 (5:56) Yes, even when I do... Speaker 2 (6:01) I think about this kid of Bandal. Even when I received this decoration, I think for this kid from Bandal, because I say, wow, I work too much. Thanks to this kid Speaker 3 (6:21) to Speaker 2 (6:22) give this all energy. to this big man, Speaker 3 (6:28) for Speaker 2 (6:29) this big man. Speaker 3 (6:31) And I imagine that there's a lot of work, as you've said, that you put in to be where you are. I want us to talk about your childhood growing up. You had this dream to be a global pop Speaker 2 (6:43) star, musician, Speaker 3 (6:44) which you have. Maybe you could paint to us a picture. How was life like then when you had only a dream and you could sing and dance? How did you start?