Jabulani Library

ELIAKIM ROGO: A NEW VOICE IN LUO RUMBA

March 26, 2026 - 11:40 PM Gem, in Nyanza, is a natural home of music talent. This is the very epicentre of the Benga earthquake that shook the entire country in the 1960s and 1970s. A galaxy of superstars, who made it big playing for various bands, came from the region that is in the current Siaya County, formerly Siaya District. As much as the emergence and dominance of the neighbouring Alego in matters academic is attributed to the strictness of a colonial chief by the name Odera Kang'o, who cracked a whip on locals to take their children to school, it is difficult to pinpoint one factor that can be considered signi...

KARUBANDIKA LYRICS - ORCHESTRE MAQUIS ORIGINAL

March 18, 2026 - 04:00 PM Kama wewe ungenipenda, kwanini kunidanganya bwana wee[If you had loved me truly, why would you lie to me] Kujibandika madaraka sio yako bwana wewe[You hang other people's titles on yourself] Kama wewe ungenipenda, kwanini kunidanganya bwana wee[If you had loved me truly, why would you lie to me] Kujibandika madaraka sio yako bwana wewe[You hang on other people's titles] Nimesikia tetesi kuwa huna lolote hata kazi huna wee[I heard talk that you have nothing, not even a job] Unazurura mchana kutwa ehh, ukita kurandaranda mitaani eeh[You wander around the whole day, up and down the streets]Nimesikia tetesi kuwa huna lolote hata kazi huna wee Unazurura mchana kutwa ehh, ukita kurandaranda......

LIGHTS OFF FOR MARIE HELENE MBONGA MAKIESE

March 16, 2026 - 08:00 AM Mama Marie Hélène Mbonga Makiese will be buried on March 21, 2026, at Gombe Cemetery in Kinshasa. Marie Mbonga, who was the eldest daughter of Congolese musical superstar Franco Luambo Makiadi, died on March 8 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Kinshasa, according to her son, musician Rudy Luambo Makiadi. Born in 1957 and named after her paternal grandmother, Marie Hélène was the eldest of Franco’s sixteen children, one boy, Yves Luambo Emongo, and fifteen girls. The late Marie Hélène was married to musician Youlou Mabiala, who sang with Franco for many years. Her father, Franco, one of the most influential African musicians, died in......

WHY FAME FAVOURS THE SOLO GUITARIST

March 02, 2026 - 03:01 PM In Rumba circles, a band is said to be as good as its solo guitarist. The departure of a band's soloist is often more noticeable than that of any other member. The deserter’s replacement also becomes news across town, and his style and mastery define the trajectory the band’s music will take. “Dino Vangu changed the style of Afrisa International when he took over from Dizzy Mandjeku,” Faugus Izeidi once opined. Faugus, a younger brother of Roger Izeidi, was himself a star mi-solo guitarist with the same band but quit years earlier to create his own band, Fiesta Populaire. What makes a solo guitarist such a star member that some bands only pay solo guitarists, while......

PEPE BOUGIER LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

February 27, 2026 - 03:00 PM Nakondi nzoto motema motondi na makanisi(My body has become thin, my heart is full of thoughts)Pepe eh! Nga nabebi motema(Pepe eh! My heart is destroyed)Mama eloko babengi bolingoKuruze oyo tomema, zuwa se pembeni(the cross we carry, is accompanied by jealousy beside it)Oooooh! Pepe yo! yo! Pepe eh!(Oooooh! Pepe yo! yo! Pepe eh!)Yokelanga ata mawa(please have mercy on me) Okangi motema kaka mbala moko(you have closed your heart for my love at once)Obendi nzoto, po omonaki ye(you disengaged yourself from our love just because you saw him)Connaissance ya pamba oyo yo Pepe(this is free knowledge to you Pepe)Nga namemi nde ngambo lelo(I am in trouble today) Motema na ngai napesa na yo(I gave......

VETERAN PRODUCER, BABU, TAKES A BOW

February 24, 2026 - 09:03 PM Veteran music producer Allan Kanyottu, aka Babu, is dead. The proprietor of Studio Sawa, situated at Munyu road, died on 19th February in a Nairobi hospital, according to a post by his son Lee Kanyottu. Babu, who was born in 1945, studied sound production at VOK in 1966 and recorded a galaxy of stars in his studios. Among the notable names are Les Wanyika, Kakai Kilonzo, Joseph Kamaru, and Ochieng Kabasele, among many others. "He was the pillar of our family and a true legend of the Kenyan music industry. From founding Studio Sawa Sound, a pioneer record label that was a platform to many iconic voices, to mentoring generations of broadcasters and sound engineers at KIMC and......

FADHILI WILLIAMS BEYOND MALAIKA

February 23, 2026 - 08:31 PM He stands tall because of the hit song “Malaika,” but even if the song were expunged from his discography due to the long-standing dispute over its authorship, Fadhili Williams would still remain a towering figure in Kenyan music for a cocktail of other reasons. “Malaika” is easily the most popular Kiswahili song. Not only that, it is also East Africa’s most successful song in terms of the number of cover versions recorded, and by far the most recognizable composition from the region. Yet even without it, Fadhili would still soar high in the skies of popularity, buoyed by the successes of other classics such as “Taxi Driver.” That alone would not......

ADIA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

February 17, 2026 - 05:00 PM ADIA BY OLIVER N'GOMA ChérieVumissio wa murim'aguNi skia muneOh AdiaMurim'ami n'agu u liOh n'agu buandi(Oh-oh-oh-oh) DarlingI miss you so muchI can hear youOh AdiaYou’re all I haveOh my love(Oh-oh-oh-oh) Nge ni va tsoleNdzile ineNdzile i guluA ngeyuMognu'amiBébé, ehTu es à moiJe suis à toiPour la vieFlorence When you come aroundI feel aliveI feel so highOh my loveMy darlingBaby, heyYou're mineAnd I'm yoursFor eternityFlorence Ngambo bi biva u siMurime ndzunguOh chérieNgambo yetu kue tu liMo murim'agu(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)Murime ufitseSuze otima Our love is unbreakableYou make me feel goodOh darlingOur love is meant to beWith you, my......

KANINDO: THE GODFATHER OF BENGA

February 10, 2026 - 06:00 PM During the peak of the popularity of Benga music in the 1970s and 1980s, the genre came to be known as Kanindo in Zimbabwe and Malawi, and the name has stuck to this date. The success of this high-paced music, characterized by captivating stories narrated in melodic tunes that follow patterns struck by the solo guitar, saw a genre that originated on the shores of Lake Victoria spread fast across the country. It dominated the local music scene to the point of becoming the country’s unofficial genre. It became the center of gravity around which Kenya’s entertainment revolved. As its popularity spread rapidly across the country, the influx of Congolese expatriate musicians into......

THE INDISPENDABLE VOICE

January 28, 2026 - 09:22 PM Just how important was the role Josky Kiambukuta played in the band that he became indispensable? When he made himself unavailable at the band’s headquarters at Un Deux Trois for a few days, Franco launched a manhunt for him. A physical search was conducted in town to establish his whereabouts until he was finally found. Each time the band was traveling abroad for performances, he was the very first to be cleared. He literally participated in all concerts that the band held abroad during the period he was with the band. Could it be for the reason that he was a versatile vocalist, gifted with a wide vocal range on the musical scale, which made him fit anywhere as a lead or backup......

Jabulani Library