Member area
My account
Log out
Log in
Forgot your password ?
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
iPhone
Android
Menu
×
Close
×
KOBWAKA LIBANGA
THE PAST IS THE PRESENT
THE BAOBAB THAT HAS SURVIVED MANY STORMS
MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL
THE SOULFUL RESILIENCE OF AFRICAN MUSIC
MEKANISI MODERO DIES IN THE USA
A NEWS ANCHOR WHO ALSO SANG HIS HEART OUT
SUKUMA BIN ONGARO
THE IVORIAN REGGAE SENSATION STILL GOING STRONG
GEORGE FOMBE AKA YAHOOS
RUMBA IT IS; NOT LINGALA
M'BILIA BEL - BEYANGA LYRICS
THE GIFTED SINGER WITH STRIKING CHARM
THE DEATH OF THE MASTERPIECE
MUKABI PAINTED HIS WAY TO GLOBAL RECOGNITION
SHOW ME THE WAY BY PAPA WEMBA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION
FROM STAGE TO PRISON TO STAGE: THE STORY OF NGUZA VIKING
THE LES MANGELEPA FAMILY IN MOURNING
KOFFI OMOMIDE MADE HONORARY CITIZEN OF THE COMMUNE COCODY
SHILINGI YAUA LYRICS BY SIMBA WANYIKA
KOBWAKA LIBANGA
THE PAST IS THE PRESENT
THE BAOBAB THAT HAS SURVIVED MANY STORMS
MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL
THE SOULFUL RESILIENCE OF AFRICAN MUSIC
MEKANISI MODERO DIES IN THE USA
A NEWS ANCHOR WHO ALSO SANG HIS HEART OUT
SUKUMA BIN ONGARO
THE IVORIAN REGGAE SENSATION STILL GOING STRONG
GEORGE FOMBE AKA YAHOOS
Jabulani Radio Live
Jabulani Radio Live 1
Back to the radio
Tweet this track
I'm listening to [$1] on [$2] !
I'm listening to the [$1] podcast !
I'm listening to the [$1] sample !
11:08 PM
Ya Jean
Madilu System
11:06 PM
Le temps passe
Lutumba Ndomanueno Simaro Masiya
11:02 PM
Africa
Salif Keita
10:56 PM
LOI
Koffi Olomide et QL
10:48 PM
Cadence Mudanda
Mbilia Bel
Home
Live
About us
Partner with us
Terms & Disclaimers
Radio
News
Shows
Team
Events
Photo Galleries
Chat
Music
Artists
Contact
Log in
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
iPhone
Android
Loading...
Home
Jabulani Library
RSS
Jabulani Library
KOBWAKA LIBANGA
July 28, 2026 - 02:41 PM
Name Mentioning In Congolese Rumba Kobwaka Libanga literally translates as "throwing a stone." Nonetheless, in Congolese rumba, the phrase denotes the mention of a name in a song. It is a tradition that predates the genre itself, having been adopted from the folk music of the numerous Congolese cultures. It is also commonplace in other genres, Kenya's benga being one of them. Many aspects of this traditional music that found their way into the evolving genre did not last long, but some found a permanent home, kobwaka libanga being among them. "Maina," a song by first-generation musician Henr...
THE PAST IS THE PRESENT
July 23, 2026 - 11:14 PM
For decades, calling a song "retro" was just a polite way of writing it off as outdated. It immediately brought up memories of dusty cassette tapes in a glovebox, late-night radio shows, or sitting around with family over nyama choma and a cold drink. It felt like music strictly meant for older folks clinging to their younger days. Honestly, that label was always way off the mark. Great music doesn't carry an expiration date. You can take a track recorded in a cramped studio back in 1970 and drop it in 2026, and it will stop you in your tracks just as hard as the day it hit vinyl. These songs never died because the music got bad. They vanished because distribution broke down, piracy gutted......
THE BAOBAB THAT HAS SURVIVED MANY STORMS
July 08, 2026 - 06:46 PM
Lokuta eyaka na ascenseur, kasi vérité eyei na escalier mpe ekomi. (A lie prefers to take the lift and travels very fast, while the truth takes the stairs. It comes slowly, but eventually arrives.) These words came to my mind when Prof. Larry Gumbe listed Koffi Olomide among the three musicians he ranks highest in terms of weaving poetic lyrics. He also listed Simaro Lutumba and Franklin Boukaka as the other two, in a conversation that also involved veteran music producer and writer Tabu Osusa, who gave his own list as Tabu Ley Rochereau, Franklin Boukaka, and Simaro Lutumba. That Koffi Olomide is also increasingly being recognized as one of the musicians whose work......
MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL
June 30, 2026 - 12:33 PM
On Sunday, the 21st of June 2026, in Washington, D.C., Mekanisi Modero breathed his last in the hospital. His death brought to an end a music career that lasted over 60 years. His passing marked yet another sad moment for Congolese rumba, with the superstars of the 1960s and 1970s leaving the stage one by one. His death also rekindled fond memories of Tabu Ley's band, Afrisa International, an outfit that occupied a pivotal role in Congolese music for several decades. As much as Franco's band, OK Jazz, may have overshadowed Tabu Ley's outfit in terms of popularity and volume of music, there are other factors that favored Afrisa, such as its longevity, making it one of the most formidable......
THE SOULFUL RESILIENCE OF AFRICAN MUSIC
June 26, 2026 - 12:03 PM
The truth is, technology is moving at a breakneck pace and a massive storm is coming for our music industry. If we stick to old, slow ways of thinking, our musical heritage will be left behind. We have to change how we adapt. If you look back to the old days of African music, you can almost smell the warm plastic of a cassette tape turning in a portable player. Growing up, sound was all about the crackle of shortwave radio, the patience of using a pencil to wind up loose tape, and the human touch of musicians sitting in the same room to make a groove happen. You could feel the studio dust and the tiny slip of a guitar pick. It was the true soul of an era. Today, a......
MEKANISI MODERO DIES IN THE USA
June 23, 2026 - 10:07 AM
Congolese musician Mekanisi Modero is dead. His death was announced by his former bandmate at Afrisa International, guitarist Dino Vangu, on his social media page. Although he did not divulge details of the death, Mekanisi Modero, one of the longest-serving members of Afrisa International, had been living in the USA for several decades, where he died. “I just learned from the USA of the death yesterday, 21 June 2026, of our colleague, friend, and brother, artist, musician, saxophonist, and show presenter Mekanisi Zemba Gabwisa Modero. May his soul rest in peace.” Dino Vangu’s message read in part. Mekanisi Modero, who joined Tabu Ley’s......
A NEWS ANCHOR WHO ALSO SANG HIS HEART OUT
June 16, 2026 - 05:00 AM
A Story of Jacob William Maunda If you are yet to set foot in any far-flung town and would wish to visit, you will really appreciate the input of someone well-versed in the geography of the place to introduce you to the neighborhood as your tour guide. If the new place you envisage visiting is Mombasa, then you would really appreciate Jacob William Maunda's song, "Nahangaika Mombasa." Apparently, the composer set out on a journey to trace his lover, Mary Mueni, who had quit her home in Ukambani, Kenya, and left for Mombasa. The places listed as visited by the composer of the song are Changamwe, Chaani, Magongo, Miritini, Jomvu, Shimanzi, Makande, Makupa, Tononoka, Tudor, Kingorani,......
SUKUMA BIN ONGARO
June 10, 2026 - 11:04 AM
In 2024, Kenya's President, William Ruto, reorganized his cabinet to accommodate elements of the opposition in a bid to nip in the bud a looming insurgency by a youthful generation, amid fears that their rebellion would morph into a revolution. One of the opposition members elected to serve in the cabinet was Wycliffe Oparanya from Western Kenya. As it happens with politicians, such achievements are feted with a goat-eating party back at home. In this case, Oparanya hosted a party at his rural home, and the most celebrated musician from the region was invited to grace the event. Wilson Onzere Ongaro, also known by the moniker Sukuma Bin Ongaro, was the man invited to grace the event as......
THE IVORIAN REGGAE SENSATION STILL GOING STRONG
June 04, 2026 - 11:58 AM
In the 1980s, music was sold on audio cassettes. These cassettes, most of them pirated, were hawked on the streets and even in markets in rural areas. I remember visiting one cassette vendor and, upon checking his display, noticing that one musician dominated the board: Alpha Blondy, an Ivorian reggae sensation of the era. The music was also playing on a horn speaker in a stand hoisted by the vendor to market his music. Maybe it is for these reasons that Blondy's songs were on everyone's lips. His songs, "Masada" and "Brigadier Sabari," among many others, were household names at the time. Reggae was particularly attractive to the country's young population because of its predominant......
GEORGE FOMBE AKA YAHOOS
May 24, 2026 - 04:00 PM
George Fombe, aka "Yahoos," was a big name in audio production in the entire East African region in the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond. This name featured prominently in what Congolese refer to as "kobwaka libanga," a term that means mentioning a name in a song. The name was also mentioned at the commencement of almost all VOK programs in those days. It went beyond that; despite not always getting a direct mention, George Fombe was the sound technician behind several audio commercials aired by the state broadcaster in those days. When you hear "Sportsman ni sawa hasa," a very popular advertisement for a British American Tobacco cigarette brand, it was recorded by George Fombe. George Fombe,......
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
News
Jabulani Library (272)
Jabulani Swahili (9)
Rumba Chronicles (30)
More
Programs
JABULANI TOP 7 AT 7
WEEKEND RHUMBA OVERDOSE REPLAY
TOP 10 AT 10
WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY
BENGA BLAST
RHUMBA REVIVAL
See more
More
Latest podcasts
Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi
See more
Find us on
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
iPhone
Android
Send a dedication
Username is required
(Username is required)
Message is required
(Message is required)
Forgot your password? No problem.
Type your e-mail address here :
×
LIVESTREAM