1998 Birmingham - Number 13 - Les Mas - "Ils Sont Là"
This is complicated.
Before diving into the context of this song - let's just enjoy the song for itself, because it really is worth it. Les Mas are brothers Pierre Mmùnga Mwenebùlongo Mulengwa Mas and Charles Asùkùlù 'Yùnu Mukalay Mulengwa Mas. Ils Sont Là is a slow song in Congolese Rumba style, incorporating what sound like a number of click consonants and other mouth-sounds as beatboxing to amuse the children the lyrics are about. It's an almost impossibly happy song about having those close to you all around.
It's not that Eurovision has never had songs from cultures outside Europe, but they are rare. The various Belgian national finals are one of the few places where African influenced songs appear in many years. This year there was something extra. Les Mas finished second, just missing out in what became a two-horse race with the eventual winner. Les Mas very nearly travelled to Birmingham to present something very different to Europe.
There is a lot more going on here though. The brothers Mas were born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that until 1997 and the first Congolese war that overthrew dictator Joseph Mabuto had been known as Zaire. A second, more complex civil war began later in 1998 involving several other African countries, warlords and ethnic divisions. There were also civil wars in neighbouring countries Rwanda and The Republic of Congo. It was a highly unstable time in that part of Africa.
Then there is the colonial connection. Belgium has a long, dark history with the DRC and Rwanda. This isn't quite the same as the interval act in Birmingham 1998 itself though. With the tragedy that took place in these countries, there's a sense that Belgium as a whole felt responsible. Maybe a patriarchal responsibility, but a guilt nonetheless. This happy song about fishing and family is a manifestation of that historical responsibility for a very contemporary real world disaster. Acceptably lightweight, but at the same time a national acceptance of a burden.
The brothers Mas released two albums after this, Inamona and Visa for Life, but nothing else. I hope they both went on to successes in other fields, because this song makes my heart smile every time I hear it.