Global Unity Women prize ceremony in Pointe-Noire
The vibrant voice of Congolese slam, Mariusca Moukengue, has just been named winner of the Artistic Excellence and Social Engagement through Slam category at the Global Unity Women International awards, scheduled from 12 to 14 December in Pointe-Noire, according to the organisers.
- Global Unity Women prize ceremony in Pointe-Noire
- National merit medal adds weight
- A pen sharpening youth awareness
- Brazzaville roots, Paris spotlight
- Influences forging a distinctive voice
- Training the next wave of slammers
- Cultural economy potential
- What next for the slam torchbearer?
- A message of optimism
- Pointe-Noire prepares a festive welcome
This continental platform celebrates women who move society forward through creativity and action. For Moukengue, the plaque recognises eight years of turning rhythm and rhyme into civic mobilisation and echoes a generation convinced it can engineer local change with cultural tools.
National merit medal adds weight
The fresh accolade lands only months after President Denis Sassou Nguesso elevated the slammer to Chevalier of the National Order of Merit during the Congo’s 65th Independence celebrations in August, praising her ability to channel patriotism into constructive, non-violent expression.
That state honour already amplified her domestic profile; the Global Unity Women mention now projects it abroad, aligning her with laureates from Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco, and positioning Congo-Brazzaville as a breeding ground for socially minded arts on the continent.
A pen sharpening youth awareness
Listeners gravitate to Moukengue because she articulates everyday frustrations—unemployment, rising costs, gender inequality—without despair, clasping hope to punchlines. Her verses call peers “slamilly,” a family of voices refusing to bow to discouragement, and invite them to occupy civic space with dignity.
On tracks mixing slam, afro-rap and spoken-word choirs, she squares up to the “atomisation” of youth finances and the lure of easy money fuelling petty crime. Instead of scolding, she offers lines like mirrors, reflecting possibilities for self-reliance and community solidarity.
Brazzaville roots, Paris spotlight
While the Global Unity trophy will be handed over in Pointe-Noire, Moukengue is already rehearsing for her first solo show in Paris on 29 November at 260 Music Factory, a former warehouse turned cultural hub near Porte d’Aubervilliers.
In a teaser posted to her official page, she promises to become “a living poem” where every breath is green, inviting Congolese expatriates and francophone audiences alike to “let beauty, truth and raw emotion run through you” for one night only.
Influences forging a distinctive voice
The artist credits former US First Lady Michelle Obama and seventeenth-century Kongo prophetess Kimpa Vita as twin beacons. From Obama she borrows the mantra of rising above circumstance; from Kimpa Vita the courage to speak when silence feels safer.
This blend of modern empowerment and ancestral memory seeps into her stagecraft. Performing barefoot, draped in bright wax prints, she alternates whisper-soft cadences with rally-like crescendos, illustrating what she calls “soft flames”—verses that burn yet leave no visible wound.
Training the next wave of slammers
Beyond microphones, Moukengue leads workshops in Brazzaville high schools and neighbourhood centres, teaching rhyme structure, breath control and public-speaking confidence. Education officials say these sessions complement civics classes by channelling teenage restlessness into disciplined creative exercise.
Former participant Christ Junior Bacongo recalls entering shy and leaving “ready to debate any minister if needed”. For him, the Global Unity award proves that artistic careers are not fantasies but viable routes to influence when backed by perseverance and community rooting.
Cultural economy potential
The Ministry of Arts and Tourism estimates creative industries already contribute around two percent to national GDP and could triple by 2030 with targeted support. Voices like Moukengue’s help showcase that potential to investors looking beyond hydrocarbons.
Pointe-Noire’s December ceremony will include panels on funding strategies for cultural start-ups. Organisers confirm that Moukengue has accepted to hold a masterclass on monetising spoken-word content through streaming, merchandising and educational partnerships, an area she says remains “largely untapped” in Central Africa.
What next for the slam torchbearer?
After Paris, the poet plans a regional tour touching Kinshasa, Libreville and Abidjan early next year, subject to sponsor confirmation. Each stop will pair a showcase with community visits, reinforcing her belief that “a mic should always travel with a listening ear.”
For now, she is focussing on finishing a bilingual EP titled “Slam de poche” that blends Lingala, Kituba and French, scheduled for digital release the night the Global Unity gala closes. The timing, she smiles, is “perfect alignment of stars and syllables.”
A message of optimism
Congolese youth unemployment hovers near twenty percent, yet Moukengue insists creativity can convert obstacles into raw material. “Even in shadow, slam lights my world,” she tells followers, urging them to invest energy where they have control—their words, ideas and mutual support.
The December award night will be another spotlight on that philosophy. Applause will fade, she concedes, but recorded verses will keep working, nudging minds long after the lights cut. That, she says, is the true trophy, and it never gathers dust.
Pointe-Noire prepares a festive welcome
Local authorities in Pointe-Noire say the ceremony will pair with the year-end arts fair. Hotels expect an influx, and artisans craft commemorative fabrics mixing the Global Unity logo and the national flag.
Tourism board spokesperson Clarisse Koumba calls the show “a postcard of peace”, with performers and choirs set to greet laureates along the seafront.
