The Bills were a youth subculture that thrived in Léopoldville (modern-day Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the late 1950s, basing much of their image and outlook on the cowboys of American Western movies.

Background

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From 1957 to 1959, half a dozen movie theatres opened in the "African" neighbourhoods in Léopoldville (the city was segregated into African and European areas). The majority of Léopoldville's population was under 20, and most of these youths were educated to only Primary level, since the colonial government reserved most of the Secondary school places for Europeans. Poor education resulted in large scale unemployment, and, with little else to do, the youths began to make the theatres their meeting points. They were particularly drawn to Western movies, and "Billism" began to incorporate many of the motifs into their lives. The portrayal of Buffalo Bill in the movies was especially appealing partly because of the similarity to hunter heroes of Congolese culture. The character of Buffalo Bill had already appeared in over 20 films by that time, but the most influential movie is thought to be 'Pony Express', where Charlton Heston played Bill.

Way of life

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The Bills dressed in cowboy outfits (kerchiefs, jeans and shirts) sold in Kinshasa. The names of the 'territories' for each gang echoed those of the Western United States (Texas, Sante Fe), and the gangs themselves were usually named after their territories (such as the "Texas Bills"), but occasionally strayed outside the Western United States pantheon (such as "Godzilla"). Some commentators have suggested they provided a street-level counterpart to the more refined and overtly political anti-colonial struggle that was then being fought by some of the évolués (the middle class educated elite).

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@briannamikail lol make that moneyy hunnay we got bills ahaha no car hunting 2day?
B00YUWHORE (Jasmine Owens) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:45:42 -0000
@briannamikail lol make that moneyy hunnay we got bills ahaha no car hunting 2day?
Job Hunting... This Music Thing Doesn't Pay The Bills... Yet... lol
mikekool (Michael Johnson) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:03:18 -0000
Job Hunting... This Music Thing Doesn't Pay The Bills... Yet... lol
RT @hookandhunttv http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
BrianJeromeKing (Brian King) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:41:22 -0000
RT @hookandhunttv http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
RT @hookandhunttv: http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
gothunts (Cory Glauner) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:10:22 -0000
RT @hookandhunttv: http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
hookandhunttv (Jim Crowley) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:09:39 -0000
http://twitpic.com/td1b1 - Great day hunting Blue Bills on Lake Michigan!
Went christmas light hunting last night.Some great displays, I wouldn't want their electricity bills.
Dreegle (Chris) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:50:31 -0000
Went christmas light hunting last night.Some great displays, I wouldn't want their electricity bills.

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