MPONGO LOVE BIOGRAPHY

M’Pongo Love, whose real name Alfride M’Pongo Landu is a Congolese musician. She is well known for her soft soprano voice but even more importantly she succeeded in becoming a successful musician despite being disabled. Along with Mbilia Bel, Tshala Mwana, and Abeti Masikini, she is considered one of the greatest female Congolese musicians.

She was born August 27, 1956, in Boma, a city on the Congo River near the western African coast Her father was an army officer in charge of a military base. Her mother was the director of a social center for the education of girls. In 1960, she received a penicillin shot. She had an allergic reaction to the shot and was paralyzed. Ironically the shot was a vaccination against Polio. The following year her father passed away. After two years of therapy, she regained some use of her legs. However, her legs were deformed by the paralysis. The name Mpongo Love was given to her by her mother during childhood.

Mpongo Love started showing signs of her musical talents when she attended Notre Dame de Boma (Our Lady of Boma) primary school. There she sang in the school choir. However, it was not until she completed secondary school that her musical career took off. She left Boma for Kinshasa after secondary school. Upon arrival in Kinshasa, she enrolled in a typing course and started to work as a secretary while pursuing music contacts after work.

By a stroke of good luck, she had a friend who knew Deyess Empopo Loway, a legendary saxophonist who played with both Afrisa International and TPOK Jazz, the two biggest bands in Congolese music during the 1970s and 1980. He took Mpongo under his wing as his mentor.

She made her musical debut at age 19. It was during a period when the odds were heavily stacked against women musicians. Abeti Masikini had been the first successful female musician but aside from Abeti, no other female musician had made it in Zaire.

When Mpongo Love started, she worked with several bands who provided backup vocals and instrumentation. These include Les Diables Noirs, Tcheke Tcheke Love, and Minzoto Wella Wella.

Her first song was Pas Possible Maty (Not Possible Maty). The song was about a secretary who pursues a love interest instead of focusing on her job. She ends up losing her job and her love interest. The song was a huge success and catapulted her to instant fame. The public was captivated by this new singer with a ravishing voice and striking beauty despite her disability. Her first concert was directed by Empopo Loway. It occurred at the Cine Palladium. Her backup

singers were members of Tout Choc Zaiko Langa Langa which

Bimi Ombale, Muaka Bapius and Likinga

at the time included Nyoka Longo,

Redo among others. The concert was produced by

Mateta Kanda of Radio-TV-Advertising (RTP).

The audience was immediately taken by her angelic voice which is slightly nasal yet evokes a certain vulnerability betraying a person whose life has been difficult. From that point on, there was a special relationship between Mpongo and her fans.

She would eventually form her own group which was called Tcheke Tcheke Love which she said was Swahili for laughter and happiness. Among the musicians whose career started at Tcheke Tcheke Love was Tshala Muana who was a dancer.

Mpongo Love with Les Ya Tupas and Mayaula Mayoni

In 1977, Mpongo joined a group of Nzonzing musicians, i.e. a motley crew of musicians who were moonlighting from their regular bands. The members included Ray Lema, Alfred Nzimbi, Pepe Manuaku Waku, Bopol Mansiamina, Bony Mbikayi, Kapela, and Bastia Nama. All were great musicians in their own right with excellent musical credits to their name.

She also sang songs composed by musical greats like Freddy Mayaula Mayoni, Lutumba Simaro, and Souzy Kaseya. All of them took the young Mpongo under their arms, helped mold her, and propelled her to greatness.

Perhaps the one song that Mpongo Love is best known for is the song: Ndaya composed by

Mayaula Mayoni. It is a song that criticizes polygamy and emphasizes that men should be faithful.

With her good experiences, she began composing her own musical works including "Kapwepwe", Motayo", "International Marketing", "Koba", "Monama" and "Mudizo". The album L'Afrique danse avec Mpongo Love included these songs

Mpongo was able to parlay her increasing popularity to get gigs in foreign countries. Her first one was in Uganda followed by the Central African Republic. But the most famous one came in 1977 when she performed at the Festac 77 in Lagos Nigeria. It was a grand celebration that attracted several bands from across Africa. Congo DR, then known as Zaire was represented by two bands each called the National Orchestra of Zaire (ONAZA), each comprising of Afrisa International and TPOK Jazz members including Franco and Tabu Ley. Mpongo Love sang with Franco's group and was introduced to the crowd by Franco she performed on stage along with Franco, and other

OK Jazz members such as Josky Kiambukuta, Makabi Flavien, Lutumba Simaro, Decca, Boyibanda, Ndombe Opetum and Lola Checain.

Rivalry with Abeti Masikini

Since the early 1970s, Abeti Masikini has been the undisputed queen of Congolese music. She was then referred to as the Tigress. No other female musician came close. However, the emergence of Mpongo Love suddenly gave Abeti a challenge in her reign. Many immediately pronounced Mpongo as the heir apparent to Abeti's throne. At first, Mpongo respectfully referred to Abeti as her big sister.

But in the tradition of Congolese music where rival musicians are always feuding, a bitter rivalry emerged between the two. Abeti fired the first salvo when she released the song, song "Bilanda landa" (the following), which left some wondering whether Abeti was suggesting that Mpongo was trying too hard to be like her. Mpongo Love denied it. 

Then M'Pongo Love released the song "Koba" in which she spoke about the malice and rancor that inhabits some people. Many saw it as an answer to Abeti. The two of them later appeared on a TV show together to announce that there was no bitter rivalry between them.

Mpongo Love Leaves Empopo Loway and goes to Paris

In 1980, She traveled to Paris. Here she signed with a recording studio called Safari Ambiance. She released a seven-song album called La Voix du Zaire. The album had moderate success in Zaire. She would return to Zaire to play several concerts on the strength of this album.

That same year Mpongo separated from her mentor Empopo Loway in order to pursue her own projects. She created her own music label called "Love's Music and produced music for various singers. During this period, she traveled to Cote d Ivoire where among other concerts, she performed at the Centre poliomyélitique de Bonoua, a Polio treatment centre.

In 1981 she returned to Paris to resume work with Safari Ambiance. She took voice lessons from an opera singer. The result was a much improved vocal performance in her next album: Femme Commercante. She then released another album within Souzy Kaseya's label called Vivre avec to

Working at Safari Ambiance, she released a number of albums: There was the album "Masikini about divorce, Trahison", which discusses the theme of bad company, Femme Commercante which praises the bravery of the woman and Fétiche Mpongo, dedicated to her mother who bravely raised her alone after the passing of her father. The album Femme Commercante in particular was a huge success.

In 1985, American musicians released an album to raise funds for Ethiopia which was at the time suffering from a prolonged drought. The album was titled "We are the World and was spearheaded by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. In response, African musicians led by Manu Dibango released a benefit album called Tam-Tam pour Ethiopie (drum for Ethiopia). Mpongo Love contributed to the album by recording her part while she was touring Gabon.

Mpongo leaves Safari Ambiance, goes to Gabon, and then returns back home.

Following the tremendous success of the Femme Commercante album, Mpongo followed up with an album called Basogeur (gossipers). After falling out with Colette Lacoste and Maniatakis who were the proprietors of Safari Ambiance, Mpongo Love attempted to break her contract because of a dispute over money. The issue was settled in French courts. Mpongo Love was forbidden from recording in France for a period.

As a result, she moved to Gabon to continue pursuing her musical career. She was invited by Gabonese Minister Alexander Sambat. But without the support and arrangements of Safari Ambiance and Empopo Loway, her new offerings lacked quality. She then decided to focus on touring West Africa where she held numerous concerts in the late 1980s.

In July 1989, Mpongo left Gabon and returned to Kinshasa. She had recently given birth to her third child. She was determined to rejuvenate her flagging career. She then up with Bopol Mansiamina to release the album Partager which was produced by Ibrahima Syalla.. By this time she had changed her style to a rumba with romantic accents, synthesizer, and percussion. She released several songs including Bakake working with Oscar Diyabanza.

While in Gabon, Mpongo contracted cerebral meningitis. She was hospitalized at the Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa in late 1989. While in the hospital there were still rumors that she would soon reunite with Empopo Loway for a new album. However, her condition continued to deteriorate. After several weeks of hospitalization, she passed away on 15 January 1990 Six days later on January 21, her mentor Empopo Loway also passed away.

Aside from her melodious voice and excellent music, Mpongo Love will be remembered as a courageous woman who overcame her disability to become one of the best musicians of the 20th century. Cases of a person with such a disability becoming a famous musician are unheard of She was an inspiration to women and disabled people all over the continent.

Mpongo left behind three children. Of these, the eldest Sandra Mpongo is the only one attempting to follow in her mother's musical footsteps. Aside from her musical career, she founded the Mpongo Love Foundation whose goal is to honor the memory of the artist and also to assist children and women with disabilities.