Poverty, wars, lack of opportunities and a youth unemployment rate of around 53 % have driven dozens of young people in the region to seek employment. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to make a living by embarking on their own professional adventure. Music has become one of the most sought-after outlets in a country of 102 million inhabitants, where 59 % of the population is under 24 years of age. Yal Le Kochbar - reflective and elegant - is the stage name of Bekeyambor Utempiooh Aliou, but for a long time he also called himself "Aliou Yal". He is one of the many young Congolese who today are trying to break through as an emerging artist in the midst of a bleak landscape. "There is no industry here, so politics and show business and entertainment have become the current industries."he says.
He was born in Goma, in the east of the DRC, on June 10, 1997, when the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo (AFDL) entered the country in the middle of the war. The AFDL was a coalition of Congolese dissidents and various ethnic organizations opposed to Mobutu Sese Seko's dictatorship and was the mainstay of his overthrow.
"I lived through the war with my mother and my siblings. Finally, we returned to Kinshasa in 1999."he recalls. Since 1996, Congo's wars have left a trail of six million dead.
Yal is the head of a family of six siblings: two boys and three girls. "My family's history is marked by the trauma of war, whose invisible wounds are still felt today. War is a terrible thing, it destroys not only lives but also innocence, and what my mother, brothers and sisters went through has marked me forever."he says.
Years ago he decided to take a professional turn to enter the world of music and start composing and singing songs. We started the conversation talking about this hobby...
Where does your love for music come from? Why rap?
-My love for music began when I was 14 years old out of a need to vent my pain. At first I wrote unpretentious lyrics to soothe a heavy heart. In my early days I didn't know how to sing or rap. Music was my escape from a harsh, unfair and often incomprehensible world.
When I was a child, I often lacked the necessities at home, despite having a father who intervened, especially for basic needs (school, health, food...), but without real love or affectionate presence. Our mother, a simple housewife, struggled alone to make sure we had everything we needed.
I used to listen to a lot of rap music, especially the lyrics that denounced social and family misery. It really stuck with me. At the age of 17 I wrote my first song. At 19 I published a song that was a hit in my neighborhood, although, deep down, I didn't like popularity; I just wanted to tell the truth, to let out what was inside me.
What do you want to convey through the lyrics of your songs?
Through my music I want to transmit light, self-awareness, the truth about life, the need for unity and universal love.
My message is simple: All is one. We are all connected to the same divine source, and it is vital to act with love, respect and truth.
My songs carry both the wounds of my past and the hope for a world where everyone can find their place in harmony.
Do you have any successful Congolese musical references?
-There are many, but at the top of the list and as an inspiration for other musicians is Fally Ipupa.
You told me that you are now a Catholic, what made you take this step?
-My conversion to Catholicism is recent. It is the fruit of a long spiritual search. After suffering a serious illness (kidney stones) in 2022, I asked God, and Jesus in particular, to manifest himself if he really existed.
He answered me. It was the beginning of a new relationship for me: no longer based on asking for miracles, but on an authentic relationship of love, service and unity.
My journey of reflection has led me to understand that the Catholic Church embodies these great truths: unity (the Church is one), universality (the Church is catholic) and the mission to serve others (the Church is apostolic).
Today I am proud to have found faith, works and love reconciled in me.
How does your Christian life influence your daily work?
-My Christian life has become my inner drive. It drives me to serve with love, to work hard, because I know that laziness is a sin, and that we are called to be the light of the world.
In my daily work, I always try to respect human dignity, to bring light wherever I go, to sow hope through my works, big or small.
Do you want to dedicate yourself professionally to music or do you have other activities to support yourself financially?
-Music is a passion and a vocation that I take very seriously.
I took a one-year singing course at the National Institute of the Arts (INA) to perfect my rap/singing flow. But I realized early on that making a living from art requires a solid foundation, so I have always trained in parallel.
In 2016, I entered the Catholic University of Congo (UCC) in Social Communication. My vision was clear: to acquire a solid training to be able to produce my own music and not sink in anti-values due to lack of means.
At the end of the course, I did a one-month internship at the Service National de Vulgarisation Agricole, as part of the project "Développement des capacités du Centre National de Vulgarisation Agricole", in collaboration with KOICA (a South Korean government agency).
I completed a training of trainers (TOT) course, which promised exciting career prospects. However, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 killed everything: the project was suspended, the administration was paralyzed and so were all career opportunities.
Worse still, due to lack of financial resources, I was unable to pay the fees for my final year work on time. This led me to interrupt my studies without obtaining my university degree.
It was a real blow and once again my heart was broken. After this ordeal, I sank into depression, wandering the streets aimlessly, until a friend, who has since become a brother, Allegria Mpengani, reached out to me.
He invited me to participate in his ambitious project: the first Kongo-Central Kongo Book Salon (Salik). I left for Matadi in 2020, finding an inner rebirth in the organization of the Salik.
I served for three years, from 2020 to 2023, first as logistics manager and then, for the last edition, as vice president, managing all the programming in the absence of Allegria, who had other commitments in Kinshasa.
In Matadi, I coordinated a great team, closing the show with a popular concert that brought together many urban artists. The experience gave me a new artistic impulse.
A year after my return to Kinshasa, I released my first official single entitled "Les Achetés", available on all platforms.
At the same time, true to my principle of self-sufficiency and service, I followed professional training at the Institut Supérieur en Sciences Infirmières (ISSI) of the Monkole Hospital to become a nursing assistant, the cost of which is subsidized by the Government of Navarra (Spain).
Today, in 2025, I am building my life between the music of light, carrier of the message "One" (unity, truth, divine love), and my commitment to the service of human beings, in health care and support. Later on, I will take a course in logistics to support the professional experience I have acquired in Salik during the last 3 years and, finally, to finish my degree in Social Communication.
Have you considered leaving Congo and looking for opportunities abroad?
-Yes, I have thought about it. Not to escape, but to develop myself fully and let the light within me shine. I dream of continuing to train, create and improve myself in environments where art is supported, where dreams are not systematically stifled by poverty or indifference.
What do you think of the Congolese talent drain to other countries?
-I understand the pain that pushes talents to leave. We all dream of a country that believes in its children, that invests in their bright future.
Unfortunately, as long as indifference, corruption and lack of collective vision prevail, many will continue to look elsewhere for what they do not have here.
Is there a solution to the war raging in eastern Congo? It seems that a peace agreement is closer...
-War is a tragedy. It destroys more than lives; it destroys entire generations, the soul of a people. I was born during the war in Goma and I still feel the invisible scars in my family today.
I hope with all my heart that peace will finally be real, not just signed, and that it will heal the wounds of the East and of the whole Congo.
Who are the people who have most influenced your life?
-My most important influence is my mother, a strong and loving woman who carried on her shoulders the weight of our survival and dignity, my older brother Stéphane and my sisters.
And, of course, my friends, who became like brothers to me by taking me to work at the Kongo Central Book Fair. Allegria also changed my life; it saved me from a spiral of depression and brought me back to the light, as I said.
There is also Christian Lokwa, thanks to whom I returned to the Church, was confirmed and received my First Communion at the Easter Vigil of April 19, 2025 in the cathedral of Notre Dame du Congo.
Alliance Mawana, who lives in Georgia, has been key for his moral and financial support. He was the one who trained me in the world of music, in rap and to this day he is still with me and believes in me, the same with Diego Madilu, Jokshan Kanyindq and Jude David Mulumba.
I would also like to mention Joshua Margot, without him the Christian faith would be a bad memory and I would have had no desire to seek God. He was at the beginning of my inner search.
And, above all, to God, whose unconditional love has lifted me up every time I have fallen.
If you were Minister of Culture of the D.R.C., would you encourage greater support for young talents like yourself?
-Of course I would. I would create accessible training centers, real aid for artistic production and spaces where young people could create, learn and grow without having to beg or go into exile.
Culture is an immense asset for a country; it must be supported, promoted and protected.
Do you think corruption is endemic in Africa and the D.R.C.? Is it possible to change things?
-Yes, corruption corrodes our societies, but I believe in change. It starts in the hearts of individuals.
Until we understand that we are all one - united by the same divine light - we will continue to betray our own people for ephemeral gains.
Change is possible, but it requires education, exemplary leadership and a true love of country.
How are you making a name for yourself inside and outside the D.R.C.?
-I am making myself known little by little thanks to my music, which is available on all platforms.
I am also developing my social media presence, and I trust my work to reach hearts, no matter the distance.
My project Music of Light is designed to cross borders: it is based on the universal.
What message would you give to young compatriots who no longer want to dream of a better future?
-I would say to them: never give up the light within you. Even if the world seems to be falling apart, even if loneliness and injustice strike you, remember that your existence has a deep meaning.
We are made to love, to build, to unite. We have to fight with faith, hard work and perseverance.
Kinshasa
