Menes La Plume on Al Jazeera
31 July 2015
Menes La Plume with musicians. Photograph courtesy of Al Jazeera.
Rei Foundation project partner Tresor Nzengu (who performs as Menes La Plume) is the subject of an Al Jazeera documentary.
“A Congolese hip-hop artist exiled in a Malawian refugee camp is determined to fight xenophobia with his music. Trésor Nzengu was an up-and-coming musician and slam poet in the Democratic Republic of Congo when his lyrics, which were critical of the state, caught the attention of officials. He fled for his life in 2008 and ended up spiralling into depression in Malawi's Dzaleka Refugee Camp."
“A Congolese hip-hop artist exiled in a Malawian refugee camp is determined to fight xenophobia with his music. Trésor Nzengu was an up-and-coming musician and slam poet in the Democratic Republic of Congo when his lyrics, which were critical of the state, caught the attention of officials. He fled for his life in 2008 and ended up spiralling into depression in Malawi's Dzaleka Refugee Camp."
"He has subsequently rebuilt his music career in Malawi, playing regularly at gigs around the country. Not content to rest on his laurels, Tresor is collaborating with musicians within the refugee camp to produce an album using online crowdfunding to finance it. By law, these 20,000 refugees are not allowed to work, and even leaving the camp requires permission. But Trésor is determined that the skills within Dzaleka Camp are not wasted.”
- Al Jazeera
- Al Jazeera
Return to Journal