"Whether you're young or old, we all face the same reality: the difficult lifeThe daily nightmare.What to do?
Article 15 (article quinze, French pronunciation: [aʁ.ti.klə.kɛ̃z]) is a humorous French idiom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which refers to an imaginary legal provision permitting individuals to take any measures, whether legal or illegal, necessitated by adverse personal circumstances such as economic hardship, crime, or oppression by the state.
Originating during the Congo Crisis and popularised under the Zairean regime in the 1970s, Article 15 references a fictional provision of the 14-article constitution of the secessionist state of South Kasai which was said to read "débrouillez-vous!"
A popular idiom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Article 15 refers to an individual's inability to expect help from the state and thus justifies actions taken at their own initiative to muddle through.
It is sometimes used to justify or explain unlawful conduct especially corruption and petty crime in the country.