Article 15 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Article 15 or article quinze is a humorous French idiom common in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which serves to justify actions taken on an individual's initiative. Originating during the Congo Crisis and popularised under the Zairean regime, it references a fictional provision of the 14-article constitution of the secessionist state of South Kasai which was said to read Débrouillez-vous. The phrase is applied to mean that the state will not help people and is sometimes used to justify unlawful conduct, such as corruption by public officials. In a 1976 speech, Mobutu Sese Seko encouraged the civil servants to "steal a little cleverly". After the fall of Mobutu, the article is invoked to explain corruption and petty theft in the country.
Article 15 plays a prominent role in Congolese popular culture, such as the Congolese rumba song "Article 15, oyebi yango" or "Article 15 Beta Libanga".
