“Lighting the Eiffel Tower in the colours of Congo is not enough”: SDM calls on France to provide greater support to the DRC

SDM does not hesitate to use his influence to denounce a cause that is close to his heart. In concert at the Accor Arena in Paris on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February, the rapper spoke about France's lack of involvement in the conflict between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23), supported by Rwandan soldiers.

In an interview with Le Parisien , the 29-year-old artist said: "I feel like we don't talk about it enough, even though millions have died over the years, " he told us backstage before his concert . "I expect more support from France, like it does with Ukraine. Lighting the Eiffel Tower in the colors of Congo is not enough," said SDM alongside rappers Gradur and RSKO, who were on stage at Bercy to sing Ti Ti Ti , and another song celebrating their Congo.

Read the file Crisis in the DRC: our file to understand everything

Leonard Manzambi, his real name, knows that fame is fleeting and that is why he wants, here and now, to be the spokesperson for the Congolese cause: "I want to make the most of it right now, " he concluded , "because I know that all this is not eternal."

SDM is not the first rapper to take part in this conflict. Artists Ninho, Damso, Youssoupha, Josman and Kalash Criminel have all lent their voices to the song FREE CONGO , available since February 21. "Millions of dead in North Kivu, no one talks about it," begins Gradur, who dreams of a better world "without Kagame, without M23."

For the record, since 1998, conflicts in the country have caused more than 6 million deaths according to the NGO Amnesty International.