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February 06, 2025 - 07:47 AM Sporadic sounds of gunfire pierced through the tranquil night of Brazzaville on 22nd February 1972, with noise gaining crescendo with every passing minute as dawn approached. When morning finally came reluctantly, the information had already spread that there had been an attempted coup d’etat against the government of Marien Ngouabi, who had been Republic of Congo president since 1968.However, forces loyal to the incumbent thwarted the attempt, with the military capturing the dissidents. Among those listed as arrested was Franklin Boukaka, a musician who had made a name for himself both in Brazzaville and Kinshasa and was one of the musical superstars of the time. In a strange twist......

BIOGRAPHY OF QUATRE ETOILES (FOUR STARS).

January 29, 2025 - 05:46 PM The Quatre Etoiles is a Congolese rumba band, formed in 1982. It was composed of the following members;Bopol Mansiamina (born Kinshasa, June 27, 1949; bass, guitar), Syran M'Benza (born Kinshasa, May 31, 1950; guitar), Nyboma Mwan Dido (born Nyoki, Congo-Kinshasa, Dec. 24, 1952; vocal), Wuta Mayi (born Kinshasa, Aug. 3, 1949; vocal).The Quatre Etoiles came together in Paris in 1982 under the auspices of producer Ouattara Moumouni. Bopol and Syran had been working on and off in Paris ever since the African All-Stars split up in 1979. At their urging, former Bella Bella singer Nyboma left Togo, where he had been working with other remnants of the All Stars, and moved to Paris at the beginning......

Dr. NICO THE GUITAR SUPREMO OF AFRICAN MUSIC

January 18, 2025 - 08:27 AM 'In the earlier days of my career, I really strived to play like Dr. Nico' Pierre Mandjeku Lengo, also known as Dizzy Mandjeku, is an ace soloist who played with Conga 68, Orchestra Veve, Orchestra Bella Bella, Orchestra Kossa Kossa, Afrisa International, African All Stars, and OK Jazz among other bands. 'I emulated Dr Nico's style and that of Guvano, in the nascent days of my career, before eventually developing my own style.' Dizzy narrated to Jabulani. Also known as 'Dieu De La Guitare' or 'the god of the guitar', Nico played a monumental role in pushing the electric guitar to occupy the central position in rumba Congolaise, essentially creating a drift from the Cuban rumba,......

PEPE: THE LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE GIANT OF AFRICAN MUSIC

January 14, 2025 - 04:45 PM PEPE: THE LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE GIANT OF AFRICAN MUSIC. The year is 1991, and Pepe Kalle is visiting Tanzania. He has a scheduled show in Arusha, and the team is traveling around Arusha in a taxi, marveling at the picturesque aura of the town situated at the foot of an inactive volcanic Mt. Meru, a town known for its vibrant nightlife. An enchanted passenger is engaged in a hearty banter about the town, a conversation that happens in Lingala. The driver is female, in itself a rare occurrence, but that's not all. There is something more about her. Ordinarily, Tanzanians don't speak Lingala, although the reverse is true: most Congolese speak Swahili, especially those from Eastern Congo, as......

NDAYA BY MPONGO LOVE LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

January 09, 2025 - 05:00 AM NDAYA BY MPONGO LOVE Nayebaki iiih,(I just knew that,)Suka se kotingama eeh,(At last, my marriage will hold,)Ya ngai na mobali na ngai iih,(My marriage with my husband,)Pantalo mokaba mama aaah,(We will stick together like a belt on a trouser,my dear rival,)Tobalana kosukisa bilobela ango ya bato ooh,(We got married to end the peoples' idle talk/gossips,)Likwela ya ngai na cherry suka lilita ma aah.(This is my marriage with my sweetheart, only death will do us part, my dear rival.)Nayebaki iiih,(I just knew that,)Suka se kotingama eeh,(At last, my marriage will hold,)Ya ngai na mobali na ngai iih,(My marriage with my husband,)pantalo mokaba mama aaah,(We will stick together like a belt on......

REMMY ONGALA "SURA MBAYA"

December 13, 2024 - 10:35 AM He had a face that, despite not being as ugly as he himself depicted in his 'sura mbaya' sobriquet, could neither be described as handsome because it was far from that reality. To complete the conspicuous look, he wore dreadlocks on his head, with a few strands beaded. That was Dr Remi, the Congolese import into Tanzania, one whose music came to define Tanzania's music. "His first wife was his music, and these other factors played a secondary role," his Belgian wife told reporters in the company of Remi's musical colleague Cosmas Tobis Chidumule, who had made a name as an astute composer and singer with the iconic DDC Mlimani Park. It has been 14 years since Remi died in Dar es Salaam.......

DIBLO DIBALA BIOGRAPHY

December 09, 2024 - 03:00 PM Diblo Dibala, often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a talent competition which led to him playing guitar in Franco's TPOK band. Dibala remained with the group for only a short period, going on to play with Vox Africa, Orchestra Bella Mambo, and Bella Bella, in which band he first played with Kanda Bongo Man. Diblo earned his musical reputation in Paris, but he began his career in Congo-Kinshasa, playing in relative obscurity with Bella Mambo, an offshoot of the popular band Bella Bella. Together with singer Kanda Bongo Man,......

BIOGRAPHY OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL

November 30, 2024 - 09:00 AM BIOGRAPHY OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL This was a renowned Congolese rumba band, formed (as African Fiesta 66) in 1966; and disbanded in 1996. Notable early members: Henriette "Miss Bora" Borauzima (born Kisangani, Congo-Kinshasa, Sept. 21, 1945; vocal), Roger Izeidi (born Kinshasa, Nov. 20, 1935; died Kinshasa, Jan. 2001; maracas, vocal), Rene "Karé" Kassanda (born Bakwa-Sumbu, Congo-Kinshasa, Sept. 10, 1945; vocal), Dominique "Willy" Kuntima (born Kinshasa, July 31, 1931; died Kinshasa, Jan. 25, 1972; trumpet), Sam Mangwana(born Kinshasa, Feb. 21, 1945; vocal), Joseph Mwena (born Congo-Kinshasa, 1932; bass), Armand Samou (born Kinshasa, Jan. 5, 1935; died Kinshasa, 1984?; saxophone),......

THE SOUKOUS GIANT

November 27, 2024 - 03:27 PM 'Eza bolingo, eloko mosusu te', Mfumu Kimbangu, a rumba music aficionado and a radio presenter with Kenya's state broadcaster sang this line to this writer with a heavy baritone, mimicking the voice of Djouna Mumbafu of Empire Bakuba, in response to the question on the position of the band, in Congolese music. Mfumu went ahead and explained how Pepe Kalle who died on November 29th, 1998, revolutionized Congolese rumba, and gave it a whole new direction, resulting in a high-tempo soukous sub-genre, that came to define the fifth generation of Congolese music. In fact, according to him, this was the very first deployment of an atalaku in Congolese music, an aspect that came to define......

BIOGRAPHY OF EMPIRE BAKUBA

November 24, 2024 - 01:20 PM BIOGRAPHY OF EMPIRE BAKUBA Empire Bakuba is a celebrated Congolese band, formed in 1973; and disbanded in 1998. Core members: "Boeing 737" Kinanga Nanzao (born Congo-Kinshasa, July 6, 1953; guitar), Dilu Dilumona (born Kinshasa, Feb. 15, 1948; vocal), "Doris" Ebuya Lange (born Congo-Kinshasa; guitar), Pepe Kalle(born Kinshasa, Dec. 30, 1951; died Kinshasa, Nov. 29, 1998; vocal), "Papy Tex" Matolu Dode (born Kinshasa, June 28, 1952; vocal). Empire Bakuba was the direct descendant of African Choc, a neighborhood band built around the nucleus of singers Kalle, Dilu, and Papy Tex. Afrisadrummer Seskain Molenga, on the lookout for musicians to help him make surreptitious recordings, introduced......