Yambi City is an annual festival that takes place every year-end in Kinshasa, driven by the Afrika Diva collective and spearheaded by activist rapper Orakle Ngoy.

Since its creation, the event has sought to promote and empower women artists in the Democratic Republic of Congo by giving them a platform for expression, visibility, and networking. In an artistic landscape where women’s voices are often marginalized, Yambi City has become a space for affirmation, creativity, and freedom.

The festival has grown steadily over the years. In 2021, its fourth edition, hosted at the Institut Français de Kinshasa, celebrated female pioneers of Congolese music and hip-hop through concerts, exhibitions, and live performances. The following year, the fifth edition further strengthened the feminist identity of the event, continuing to spotlight both emerging and established women artists.

In December 2023, the sixth edition took place under the theme “Art Through the Lens of Gender Inequality.” From December 11 to 16, fourteen artists performed across three major venues: the Institut Français in Gombe, Espace Masolo in N’sele, and the Plateforme Contemporaine. The program combined concerts, workshops, exhibitions, and debates, while also launching “Rencontre plurielle,” a collaborative project that brought together Swiss and Congolese women artists, underscoring the festival’s commitment to intercultural exchange.

The seventh edition in December 2024 confirmed Yambi City’s growing importance on the cultural scene of Central Africa. Opening on December 3 and closing on December 14 at the Comète grounds opposite Maison Schengen, it welcomed both Congolese and diaspora artists, including Jupsy la Tigresse from Congo-Brazzaville and the outspoken French rapper MC Clitoris. Workshops, performances, and interactive discussions fostered genuine exchanges of experience, supported by both local and international partners, among them the Embassy of Switzerland in the DRC.

Today, Yambi City stands out as one of Kinshasa’s most significant cultural events. More than a festival, it is a movement—an artistic and social adventure where creativity meets activism. By placing women artists at the center, tackling gender inequalities, and fostering cross-border collaborations, Yambi City is helping to shape a more inclusive and dynamic cultural scene in the DRC and beyond.

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