INTRO: Detroit is considered by some to be the bedrock of soul and gospel. It’s Motown after all. But Congolese music has its own get up and go. And this month it’s being performed here. A group of immigrants is using it for evangelizing. They believe they’re in Michigan to bring everyone to God. Black/white/urban and suburban. They also believe in having fun. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus reports.
They came to Light House Community Church of God.. It’s on 6 mile near Beach Daly.
Pastor Albert Ilonga Iwondo has been in Michigan for 7 years. He grew up in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He’s been listening to Denis Ngonde’s cassettes since he was 8. So he wanted to share the music with his congregation in Redford. Denis Ngonde is Congo’s biggest Christian music star. He sings and plays guitar.
But the household names from Congo are Zaiko, Franco, Tabu Ley, Wenge, Mbilia Bel and tons more. They are the biggest stars on the whole continent. And they’re secular not Christian. They cast a long shadow over guys like Denis Ngonde.
He tried to distance himself from the secular musicians. They’re known for erotic dancing, promiscuity and praising politicians who’ll pay them money.
“Those musicians focus on dancing a lot more,” Ngonde says. “ They sing about feelings coming out of their bodies. But we sing about worshiping God. When we play the music we feel God entering our bodies. Then we feel humbled.”
Ghanaians have a regular service in this church and Nigerians too have several Detroit area churches. They far outnumber the Congolese. But when it’s party time, secular or religious, most people want to hear Congolese music. It’s OK to move your hips. So why isn’t it popular here? Why doesn’t it sell? The answer would be to just have faith in the holy spirit.
Denis Ngonde says, “I once took my family to a church in Raleigh N. Carolina. Everyone else was white. At the end of the service, 80% of the people in the audience came up to me and said they understood the song, even though I was singing in Lingala.”
Pasteur Mitogo Opira lives in Grand Rapids. He works with protestant missionary churches there. In January, Calvin College held a 4 day workshop for spreading the gospel worldwide. Opira helped Denis Ngonde get an American visa so he could come.
“You know the joy we have in Africa or mostly in Congo, is not because we had much or we have less. It’s because we know God..”
Opira is proud of what Christian Congolese music can do. He says, first of all, God gets you overflowing with joy.
“And then when your joy is so overflow why don’t you dance? Why don’t you jump? Why don’t you move? That’s how we do.”
Former President Mobutu Sese Seko was a cold war ally of the United States. His regime burned through billions. Today the Congolese rival Haitians in both poverty and joie de vivre. Mobutu once said, “happy are the people who sing and dance.” Denis Ngonde showed a video of his music studio back home that was destroyed by fire. The audience was sympathetic. They dropped envelopes of money at his feet. Then the singing and dancing went on for another hour.
Denis Ngonde is on tour in Champaign and Cincinnati. On Sunday February 21, he’ll perform at Pasteur Mitogo Opira’s Church of the Servants. One most other days, it’s a ranch house in a subdivision where Opira lives with his wife and kids.
Beautiful report from Chris McCarus. I realy thank him for his time spent with us in that memorable concert in Redford Township.
To tell the truth, this is the time for africans in Michigan to organise more and more cultural activities, kind of what we had with Ev. Danis Ngonde last Sunday.
Singing and dancing in our language help us not only to remember where we came from, but also to help our kinds who’re born here to know something about their parents roots. And the second good part of Ev. Ngonde concert was that we were praising the Almighty God…oh what a blessing…I’m in short of words to thank the man of God for such a beautiful concert…I also inform those who missed Detroit Concert to come to Grand Rapids, on February 21, because Ev. Ngonde will have his last parformance before he return to Kinshasa…COME AND RECEIVE YOUR MIRACLE TO THAT CONCERT. The time and the venue will be announced shortly.
May the Almighty God bless you
Thank you so much brother Chris McCarus for you time and the report which brought back the memory for what happened last Sunday.
We all were blessed by the music of Denis Ngonde and we received a good feedback.
Keep up a good work brother Chris McCarus. See you on Sunday 21th at Grand Rapid
God bless you.
Collins Mbesi
(Congolese Association)
Good Job brother Chris McCarus
Congratulation Mr. Chris for this articles. this is great and it is time for us African to be together.
That’s was great
Let all glory be to God. God chose servants from all corner of the world to spread his words and to edify His people. The people of Congo Democratic are well of their music and dance. God uses it to spread the message to nations. I do believe that it is time for Congolese who live abroad to re-organize and unite for missions.
This year, we have the blesiing to receive our brother Denis Ngonde, who attended the Worship Symposium at Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. for two months he will perform to different city and states in United States before he goes back home in our native Congo Democratic.
On 7 February 2010 he was at Detroit, 14 February he performed in Champaign Illinois, on 21 February 2010 he will held an opening concert at Church of the Servants CRC in Grand Rapids,Michigan.
there are more concerts schedule for 28 February at Ohio, Charlotte NC on 7th March 2010 and on 14 March 2010 he will be at Dallas Texas.
This is only the beginning of the prophecy for the evangelists and apostles and pastors from Democratic Republic of Congo to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
Please join this Sunday from 4.00 pm at the Church of the Servants