Jabulani Library

Prof. NGUGI WA THIONG'O, KENYA'S LITERARY SUPREMO HAS RESTED

May 29, 2025 - 12:30 PM Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s pen has dried up and will write no more. The literary icon died on Wednesday in the USA, where he lived and worked for five decades. His death was announced by his daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, in a Facebook post. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our father Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o,” the post read in part. According to the post, the renowned author, described by others as the Chinua Achebe of East Africa, died on the morning of Wednesday, the 28th. Immediately, social media platforms were awash with messages of condolence pouring in from every corner of the country, in a pattern that left no doubt Ngũgĩ was revered in......

NDOMBE OPETUM: AN INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN

May 28, 2025 - 08:34 PM "Mokolo nakokufa, nayebi ndenge bakolela ngai" When Madilu System died, Ndombe Opetum gathered a few musicians present at the funeral to sing this line over his coffin moments before it was lowered into the grave. The line, which translates to "when I die, I know how they will mourn me," originates from a song titled "Nayebi Ndenge Bakolela" by Opetum himself and OKJ of Franco. That was in August 2007, and five years later, it was time to experience how the world would mourn Ndombe Opetum himself. He died on May 24, 2012. It has been 12 years since this star musician from the DRC, the country of musical gods, died in a Kinshasa hospital. Opetum, also called Pepe Ndombe, is easily one of......

STELLA WANGU BY FRESHLY MWAMBURI LYRICS

May 17, 2025 - 04:16 PM Nilikua na mchumba wanguTulipendana kama nyama chomaAlibahatika kwenda ngamboChuo kikuu kwenda kusomaMiaka mitatu kule JapaniKusomea udakitari, Stella wangu eeehNilikua na mchumba wanguTulipendana kama chama chomaAlibahatika kwenda ngamboChuo kikuu kwenda kusomaMiaka mitatu kule JapaniKusomea udakitari, Stella wangu eeehNilivyo mpenda Stella jamaniKajitolea kwa roho mojaNikauza shamba languSababu yake yeyeNikauza gari langu, sababu yake yeyeNikauza Ng'ombe na mbuzi sababu yake yeyeIli apate nauli yakeNa pesa nyngine za matumizi kule JapaniIlikua tarehe kumi na saba mwezi wa tanoIlikua tarehe kumi na saba mwezi wa tanoNdiyo ilokua tarehe kamili ya Stella kurudi KenyaNilikwenda uwanja wa......

ELVIS LOLA BROUGHT A FAMILY TRADITION TO NAIROBI

May 13, 2025 - 04:56 PM A dozen men and women on a raised podium, all clothed in dazzling white suits, with the stage lights complementing the spectacle by giving it a charming finish, create an immediate impression of what to expect from the band. If elegance were the sole parameter to gauge a band's greatness, no band in Nairobi would match Afro Sounds Band, headed by Elvis Lola. On a typical Saturday evening at Club Paradiso, along Jogoo Road, Elvis and his team converge to give their fans a taste of Congolese rumba. It is only when the solo guitarist strums the first chord that one's attention shifts from the sapeur-like elegance to their core business, music. Just like many typical Congolese bands, among the......

A RISE TO THE TOP AGAINST ALL ODDS

May 12, 2025 - 02:49 PM The Story of Malian music star, Salif Keita In a recent interview with Jabulani Radio, one physically disabled musician recounted every detail of his musical journey, explaining how he had a difficult childhood. However, he later requested that nothing about his disability be included in his story. This is clear evidence that, despite living in a more enlightened society, disability is still viewed through the same lens as it was in the past, when communities hid such children under the assumption that they were bad omens or brought shame to the family. These are the kinds of challenges that Salif Keita faced. Social ostracism, health complications due to albinism, and being born into a......

FROM LUBUMBASHI TO NAIROBI WITH MUSIC

May 09, 2025 - 02:35 AM The Story of Darzee & His Band Bilenge Du Congo, Nairobi’s Current Biggest Band "Bilenge" is a Lingala word for youth. The name was given to us by Mr. Dr. Maloba, who managed the band," Darzee Kalend says in response to the origin of the name. "At that time, we couldn't agree on the name to baptize our new band, with some members insisting that it be named Kivu, Lubumbashi, while others wanted Bukavu, based on their hometowns." That was in the mid-1990s. Darzee had been in Nairobi for a few years, having traveled from his home country, the DRC, in 1993. He was brought into Kenya by Evany Kabila Kabanze, the Les Mangelepa supremo, with the intention of reviving the band whose......

CARRYING A TOT & TAGGING A JAPANESE HUSBAND

May 05, 2025 - 01:00 AM STELLA IS COMING AGAIN On May 17th, poor Freshley Mwamburi will once again be at the airport, awaiting the touchdown of a Japanese flight from Tokyo because, apparently, one of the passengers on board is his lover, Stella. This is a story that the country relives every May, mainly for the drama so vividly captured by the composer.Apart from the viral Kasongo, originally sung by the Congolese expatriate band in Nairobi, Super Mazembe, another song that has achieved iconic status in Kenya is Stella by Freshley Mwamburi. This evergreen song has become an internet sensation, perhaps because it resonates deeply with a common narrative: the tale of women accused of taking advantage of men, often......

SAMMY KASULE : ONE OF THE FEW RUMBA STARS FROM KAMPALA

April 28, 2025 - 11:00 AM It is exactly four years ago today that this writer received a forwarded message on WhatsApp from a Ugandan friend, journalist Jacobs Odongo Seaman, about Sammy Kasule's death. The message came in a few minutes after the death of veteran journalist Philip Ochieng was made public by his family, making that day a black Tuesday.The message read that Ugandan musician Sammy Kasule had died in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sammy Kasule had fallen sick and was traveling abroad to Sweden to seek treatment, but when the plane stopped in Amsterdam, it was assessed that his condition had deteriorated, necessitating immediate medical attention in the Netherlands. He died a few days later. Kasule Sammy, a......

SAAK SAKOUL OF THE MERCURIAL TRIO MADJESI

April 26, 2025 - 04:15 PM Congolese singer Bonghat Tshekebu, popularly known as Saak Saakul or Sinatra, formerly of Orchestre Sosoliso, died three years ago today.The musician passed away on the morning of Sunday, March 19, in a hospital in Paris, where he had been admitted. The then 80-year-old had been ailing for some time. Saak Saakul was a singer and composer with Orchestre Veve, led by the late Verckys Kiamuangana, a band he joined in 1969. He was the first of the three vocalists of the band, known collectively as Trio Madjesi—comprising Mario Matadidi, aka Mabele, originally from Angola, and Loko Masengo, aka Djeskain, originally from the Republic of Congo—to join the group.Alongside Bebe, the duo......

ACE SOLO GUITARIST LAMBERT BERESI DIES IN PARIS

April 24, 2025 - 06:17 PM Congolese ace solo guitarist Lambert Beresi has passed away. His death was announced on social media by Morden Miziki Congolese, a site dedicated to rumba music. According to the source, Beresi, popularly known as Bers, died in a hospital in Paris, where he had been admitted. He had been battling ill health since the COVID era in 2019.Beresi played with several bands both in the DRC and in Paris, but his most notable musical engagement, arguably the peak of his career, was as a soloist with Afrisa International in the mid-1980s. With this band, he contributed to at least three albums, earning him a place in the Congolese music hall of fame. He played in iconic songs such as Boya Ye, La......

Jabulani Library

Prof. NGUGI WA THIONG'O, KENYA'S LITERARY SUPREMO HAS RESTED

NDOMBE OPETUM: AN INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN

STELLA WANGU BY FRESHLY MWAMBURI LYRICS

ELVIS LOLA BROUGHT A FAMILY TRADITION TO NAIROBI

A RISE TO THE TOP AGAINST ALL ODDS

FROM LUBUMBASHI TO NAIROBI WITH MUSIC

CARRYING A TOT & TAGGING A JAPANESE HUSBAND

SAMMY KASULE : ONE OF THE FEW RUMBA STARS FROM KAMPALA

SAAK SAKOUL OF THE MERCURIAL TRIO MADJESI

ACE SOLO GUITARIST LAMBERT BERESI DIES IN PARIS

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Jabulani Library

Prof. NGUGI WA THIONG'O, KENYA'S LITERARY SUPREMO HAS RESTED

NDOMBE OPETUM: AN INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN

STELLA WANGU BY FRESHLY MWAMBURI LYRICS

ELVIS LOLA BROUGHT A FAMILY TRADITION TO NAIROBI

A RISE TO THE TOP AGAINST ALL ODDS

FROM LUBUMBASHI TO NAIROBI WITH MUSIC

CARRYING A TOT & TAGGING A JAPANESE HUSBAND

SAMMY KASULE : ONE OF THE FEW RUMBA STARS FROM KAMPALA

SAAK SAKOUL OF THE MERCURIAL TRIO MADJESI

ACE SOLO GUITARIST LAMBERT BERESI DIES IN PARIS

News

Jabulani Library (261)

Artist Spotlight (24)

Editor's Choice (27)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (46)

Jabulani News Archive (34)

Music Lyrics (58)

Playlists (3)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (20)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

Programs

JABULANI TOP 7 AT 7

WEEKEND RHUMBA OVERDOSE REPLAY

TOP 10 AT 10

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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