MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL

June 30, 2026 - 12:33 PM

On Sunday, the 21st, 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 musical outfits ever to come out of Africa. Tabu Ley Rochereau was the face behind the band, just as Franco was for OK Jazz and Verckys was for Orchestra Veve. Tabu Ley was born in Bagata, DRC, on 13 November 1940 and died on 30 November 2013. The genealogy of Afrisa stretches back to a rebellion that took place in 1963 at African Jazz, when Joseph Kabasele, alias Grand Kallé, failed to pay his band members after a performance, resulting in a revolt.

Several top musicians left the outfit, among them Tabu Ley, who had served alongside Grand Kallé as one of the band's vocalists. The others were trumpeter Willy Kuntima, maracas player Roger Izeidi, double bassist Joseph Mwena, and the guitar duo of Nico Kasanda and his elder brother Charles Mwamba Dechaud.

African Jazz had been Ley's first major band, but the young crooner had previously had stints with Jazz Africaine (not African Jazz) and Rock-A-Mambo, a studio ensemble at Esengo Studios.

The team that left African Jazz formed a new ensemble known as African Fiesta, which excelled in the same school of rumba as African Jazz. However, the band that had seemed destined to dethrone African Jazz at the pinnacle of the country's music scene did not last long. Within three years, it had split, giving rise to new bands. The new bands were African Fiesta Sukisa and African Fiesta National, headed by Nico and Tabu Ley, respectively. This marked a new beginning for Tabu Ley, as it was his band that went on to define Congolese entertainment for decades.

African Fiesta National became the first African band to perform at the famed Olympia in Paris in 1970, and that was not all. The band, which rebranded as Afrisa International after the Olympia concert, became a pacesetter on many fronts. Having chosen to pursue the African Jazz school of rumba, Afrisa became the leading exponent of the style as African Jazz gradually faded into oblivion. Other bands that excelled in this school of rumba included Jeannot Bombenga's Vox Africa, Nico's African Fiesta Sukisa, and Festival des Maquisards.

Whereas Dr. Nico's band faded relatively early, neither Vox Africa nor Maquisards could match Afrisa's longevity and influence. It was the most successful protégé of African Jazz. Afrisa became a home of talent and innovation. It was in this band that the showmanship pioneered by Sosoliso gained a firm footing, and it was also here that the drum kit became fully integrated into Congolese music. Afrisa was innovative, as opposed to OK Jazz, which appeared more conservative and sticklers for odemba.

From the mid 1960s through to the 2000s, Tabu Ley's band enjoyed the services of a galaxy of superstars. On guitar alone, some of the finest fingers in the trade played for African Fiesta National and later Afrisa. From Jean-Paul Vangu, alias Guvano, to Pierre Attel Mbumba, Michelino, alias Mavatiku Visi, and Maître Dizzy Mandjeku, the band boasted some of the greatest guitarists ever to grace Congolese music.

Others included Dino Vangu, Faugus Izeidi, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Bopol Mansiamina, Maika Munan, Shaba Kahamba, Dr. Nico, Dave Makondelé, Damaseau Kambité, and many others. This is what drew the attention of every music lover to Afrisa. Drumming superstars Seskain Molenga and Ringo Moya also plied their trade with Afrisa, as did horn players such as the late Mekanisi Modero, Kebart Kabasele, Willy Mbembe, Empopo Loway, Akazol Kalula, and others.

Some of the finest crooners in Congolese rumba were also part and parcel of this band at different times. From the days of René Kasanda, Ndombe Opetum, Sam Mangwana, Dodo Munoko, Mimi Ley, Diesel Diambu, Mbilia Bel, and Madilu System, the band was never short of vocal talent. Tabu Ley himself is considered by many to be the finest singer Congolese music has ever produced. Some of these musicians went on to achieve even greater success in their careers years later.

The band also ensured that it featured consistently in music charts. From the days of "Savon Omo" to "Mokolo Nakokufa," "Hortense," "Mose Konzo," "Kaful Mayayi," "Kiyedi," "Maze," "Nakeyi Nairobi," "Monsieur Malonga," and "Muzina," among many others, the band always had something new for its fans, and that new offering was usually a major hit. These are just a few of the nearly 1,000 songs the band recorded during its years of existence. Afrisa toured the continent and the world extensively. The band graced stages in numerous cities across Africa, Europe, and America before later establishing a base in the United States. Through these tours, the band cultivated a loyal fan base.

In Kenya, for example, George Omondi is a dedicated researcher on matters relating to African Fiesta and Afrisa. Over the years, he has built an impressive library of music, photographs, videos, and other literature associated with the band. During the peak of Congolese music, from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s, all major bands had devoted fan bases, akin to the rivalry between supporters of English Premier League clubs today. A defection from one band to another was never taken lightly. When Sam Mangwana defected from Afrisa to OK Jazz, for example, there were street demonstrations in Kinshasa. The rivalry between the two bands is thought by many pundits to have encouraged competition, thereby elevating Congolese rumba, much like the later rivalry between the two Wenge factions.

However, the rivalry between Franco and Tabu Ley was apparently never personal. In 1983, Fataki Lusangu, alias Tshika Tshika, a prominent businessman, brought the two together for a series of projects dubbed "Lisanga Ya Banganga." The venture also featured Michelino, an important bridge between the two schools of rumba, and resulted in several successful songs.

The death of Mekanisi Modero therefore does not merely rob Congolese rumba fans of a talented composer, saxophonist, and manager; it also reawakens memories of Afrisa International, a band that defined Congolese music for decades.

SCRIPTED BY JEROME OGOLA

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MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL