Title: La Vie est Belle
Director: Mwezé Ngangura and Benoît Lamy
Year of Release: 1987
Language: French, Lingala
Run time: 83 minutes.
“Enjoy your youth! Time lost, is lost forever!”
By the 1980s, Africa had developed a reputation for producing auteur films that added a unique voice to discussions about the global power of cinema. Unfortunately, many of these films retained an exotic quality since they were made for the approval of a global audience. With training and funding coming from the west, this desire to please the western audience was understandable. However, this attitude meant that many African filmmakers regarded the African audience only as secondary, and it was this problem that Mwezé Ngangura set out to address with his debut feature film, La Vie est Belle.
Ngangura was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1950, and like most filmmakers at the time, he obtained his training abroad. He began making documentaries when he returned to Africa, and it was while one of his films was screening at the 1983 FESPACO that he realised the disconnect between many of the films at the festival and the wider African audience. Something needed to be done about it, and Ngangura got to work. However, unlike the neighboring Republic of Congo which already had notable films like La Chapelle (1980), DRC (or Zaire, as it was called when the film was made) had not yet produced a feature film. Thus, Ngangura required the help of people with significant expertise for his venture to be successful, and he teamed up with the Belgian director, Benoît Lamy, to make La Vie est Belle.
The film follows the exploits of a poor musician named Kourou as he pursues his dreams of becoming a national sensation. After he travels from his little village to Kinshasa, he finds that the road to stardom is filled with bumps. Unable to find suitable work, he ends up as a maid for Mamou and Nvouandou, a wealthy couple who own one of the major clubs in town. Shortly after gaining employment with the couple, Kourou falls for Kabibi, a beautiful young woman who has just graduated from school and is in search of a job. Unfortunately for Kourou, Nvouandou also falls for Kabibi, and he uses his wealth and influence to secure Kabibi’s hand as his second wife.
Kabibi’s marriage does not deter Kourou, and the two begin an affair, with Kabibi even using her newfound wealth to support his dreams of stardom. Meanwhile, Nvouandou decides to televise a live performance in his club, and the band chooses to sing a song composed by Kourou. However, Kourou is not allowed to perform with the band. When the lead singer collapses on stage, Kourou is presented with an opportunity to finally achieve his dreams.
While contemporary African cinema is littered with enough light-hearted romantic comedies to satisfy audiences, such films were almost non-existent at the time La Vie est Belle was made. The African public had to rely on television programs for such stories, with film being reserved for serious dramas, satirical commentaries or, in rare cases, experimental endeavours. The tone of La Vie est Belle was a breath of fresh air in African cinema, showing that film was not just an appropriate medium for comedy in the African context, but an effective one. There are no colonial or foreign elements in the film, and the story centres around African characters interacting with local situations to comical effect.
Ngangura must have realised the risk that came with making a film that catered primarily to the African audience i.e. little chance of international festival interest and a high probability of commercial underperformance. To combat these risks, he drafted a formidable cast.
With the legendary Congolese artiste, Papa Wemba, in the role of Kourou, Ngangura could be rest assured of the film’s popularity with the local audience. Already one of the biggest names in the African music industry at the time, Papa Wemba’s screen debut was eagerly anticipated by his massive fanbase. Papa Wemba must have had little trouble transforming to Kourou on screen, seeing as he knew one or two things about the journey to stardom as an aspiring singer in Kinshasa. Ngangura did not pass up the opportunity to display Papa Wemba’s musical talents throughout the film, and the numerous musical numbers remain an unforgettable part of the La Vie est Belle experience.
The film also features other prominent members of the Congolese music scene, most notably the towering Pépé Kallé and the little dancing sensation, Tumba Ayila (popularly known as Emoro). Apart from DRC’s music stars, the film is littered with unforgettable performances delivered by an ensemble, including Mazaza Mukoko as Kabibi’s mother and Landu Matshia as Mamou. Kanko Kasongo’s performance as Nvouandou is easily one of the highlights of the film, and his shameless promiscuous escapades inspire the films loudest laughs. His raging performance is rivalled only by the calm and stunning Bibi Krubwa, who plays Kabibi with a grace that steals the audience hearts from her first appearance on screen.
Ngangura and Benoit’s vision, along with the cast’s remarkable execution, combine to deliver a foundational piece of African comedy. With the economic, political, and security challenges that were plaguing the continent at the time, the film’s feel-good character could not have been timelier, and even the most dispirited of viewers would have been unable to resist the temptation to dance along with the cast during the final scene. Ngangura aimed to connect with the African audience, and with La Vie est Belle, he exceeded expectations.
Thanks to Lamy’s involvement, the film was able to garner a bit of international interest as well. The films score was awarded the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music at the Ghent Film Festival in Lamy’s home country, and the film enjoyed premiers in various territories, including Canada and Italy. It screened at the 1987 Taormina Film Festival where the female cast won the Bronze Mask for acting, but the greatest accolade remains its enduring popularity among its local audience.
Ngangura made a few short documentaries after La Vie est Belle, and he made his only other feature, Identity Pieces, in 1998 to significant acclaim. He hasn’t made any feature since then, but his catalogue of documentaries and films remain invaluable pieces of African cinema.
La Vie est Belle was widely seen at the time of its release, and the French Institute’s Africa Cinematheque restored the film around 2021/2022. It was screened at the 2023 FESPACO as part of the “Fespaco Classics” section, and various screenings have been held around the world since then. The film is available on Prime video in some territories, and copies may be purchased from the French Institute’s website. If you have not seen it yet, we urge you to!
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