Through poetic portraits of the vibrant people, songs, films, and music videos in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Necessary Noise presents a study of human creativity in the face of one of the world’s most volatile conflicts. This book is at once an interdisciplinary study of the meaning local communities ascribe to art making in postcolonial conflict zones and a call for a paradigm shift in applications of charitable and humanitarian aid. The book introduces a host of artists, activists, and ordinary people from North Kivu, whose artistic and cultural interventions are routi ... More

Through poetic portraits of the vibrant people, songs, films, and music videos in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Necessary Noise presents a study of human creativity in the face of one of the world’s most volatile conflicts. This book is at once an interdisciplinary study of the meaning local communities ascribe to art making in postcolonial conflict zones and a call for a paradigm shift in applications of charitable and humanitarian aid. The book introduces a host of artists, activists, and ordinary people from North Kivu, whose artistic and cultural interventions are routinely excluded from global analyses that prioritize economics, politics, and development as the basis of policy decisions about Congo. At its heart is an ethnographic study ofYole!Africa, the oldest independent cultural center in the east of Congo. Established in the aftermath of volcano Nyiragongo’s eruption in 2002 and sustained through many armed conflicts, Yole!Africa has shaped a generation of Congolese youth into socially and politically engaged citizens. By juxtaposing intimate ethnographic, aesthetic, and theoretical analyses of this thriving local initiative with case studies that expose the underbelly of charitable action, Necessary Noise introduces into debates on aid and sustainable development a compelling case for the necessity of arts and culture in negotiating sustainable peace. With vivid descriptions of a community of young people transforming their lives through art, the book humanizes a dire humanitarian disaster and, in so doing, invites readers to reflect on the urgent choices we must navigate as globally responsible citizens.