Kwassa kwassa

Kwassa kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) is a dance rhythm from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that started in the 1970s where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popular in Africa in the late 1980s. The words kwassa kwassa may have come from the French quoi ça? ("what is it?"). The dance was created by Pepe Kalle and popularized by his soukous music videos, as well as the videos of Kanda Bongo Man, Viva La Musica, and other Congolese musicians.

Later, in other parts of Africa, the dance became a synonym for soukous music, which is still often referred to as kwassa kwassa. A slower version of this genre has been created and popularized by Koffi Olomide and his band Quartier Latin. Their songs have enjoyed massive airplay throughout Africa in countries like Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Senegal and others. Metavo is also very popular in South Africa.

This kind of beat is referenced in the 2008 song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend.^[1]

References