La Compagnie Kangou / Espace Kangou

Audrey Kangou and Emanuela Castelnuovo founded La Compagnie Kangou in 2023 in Brazzaville (Congo). La Compagnie Kangou is recognized as one of the most innovative groups in Congo. We perform shows at our Espace, located in Brazzaville (Congo). We have regular shows and concerts at the Espace, or we can perform "Na Vumbuka" upon request. La Compagnie Kangou performs at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Na Vumbuka starts with ngoma, nsakala, ngongi, miquiti, and evolves through unconventional instruments: pestles transformed into small tambours, metal buckets resonating like drums, bottles and wires humming, plastic bags beating out rhythms. In the end, even the human body becomes a percussive instrument, reduced to breath and pure voice. Na Vumbuka blends tradition, dance, ancestral songs with everyday conversation, child voices, behind-the-scenes dialogue, couper decalé music, dedication segments, just like in Congolese rumba; including quotes from the avant-garde piece "Quartet for Paper Bags" by Larry Spivak, which uses shopping bags and tin can tambourines. The result is not an imitation but a hybrid art form where Africa's rich rhythmical legacy serves as raw material for cutting edge artistic expression. To international audiences, this performance challenges preconceived notions about African drumming being merely 'folklore'. To local audiences, it demonstrates how traditions are living entities - flexible, adaptable, able to evolve while remaining true to their roots. Na Vumbuka proves that vanguardism does not belong exclusively to the West nor operate within any single framework. It represents courage