On the rooftop of La Creche, a bar in Kinshasa, Mbalane Seli-Ja sings the rumba. Even in the muggy evening heat, he looks sharp in his shiny shoes and crisp white shirt. His bassist sports a trilby; his backup singer, a tight black dress. The crowd look dapper, too, for in Kinshasa sartorial elegance is almost a religion. The bar, by contrast, looks shabby. Beers are served from a rust-flecked ice box; the dance floor is lit only by a string of fairy lights. On the lower floors, seedy-looking rooms are rented by the hour.
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