"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 the biggest names in second-generation Congolese music, a generation that also produced Grand Kalle of African Jazz and Franco of OK Jazz. Ndombe Opetum sang with two of Congo's greatest musical outfits: OKJ and Afrisa International. He carved a niche for himself while appearing for African Fiesta National in 1968. The Tabu Ley-led band ran into loggerheads with the Mobutu administration over its failure to appear for an end-of-year concert, prompting its ban from performing for a short period. This led to a mass exodus of musicians, among them singer Mangwana, guitarist Guvano, Bokassa, and others, who went on to create Festival Des Maquisards.
When the ban was lifted, Ley had to recruit new musicians, among them singers Ndombe Opetum and Rene Kasanda, and guitarists Attel Mbumba, Michelino, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and others. Opetum stamped his authority in the band with his own compositions: "Hortense," "Longo," among other love ballads, which he sang sentimentally with the guitar backup of the stylish Attel Mbumba, Faugus Izeidi, and Lokassa Ya Mbongo. He also did "Basi Basalaka," "Alici," "Aime," "Mutambula," etc. He also sang in many more songs composed by others. He performed with the band in the 1970 Olympia concert, which saw the band rebrand to Afrisa upon returning from Paris.
Later, still in early 1972, he teamed up with two guitar wizards, Dino Vangu on solo and Vata Mombasa on rhythm, to create Afrizam. With this band, he composed "Kenga," "Antale Mokitani ya Hortense," "Mbimba Bika," and participated in many more, some not necessarily his own compositions. Still in the early '70s, Afrizam rebranded to Makina Loka, with a new lineup of personnel. With this new band, he did "Zongisa Bolingo," etc.
Ndombe's fate seemed to be intertwined with that of Mangwana. After Maquisards, Mangwana joined OKJ, and upon his departure, Opetum joined the band in the mid-'70s. He sang in numerous albums, among them his own composition, "Voyage na Bandundu." This particular song remains very memorable; it was his magnum opus. It is a solo performance, which he sings all alone. The song features a great guitar formation of his former Afrisa colleague, killer soloist Michelino, with Gege Mangaya on rhythm, and the sax team led by Loway and Pedro gave their best.
The song, narrating a literal boat journey in the waters of the great River Congo, locally known as "Ebale Ya Zaire," from Kinshasa to Bandundu, through the timber town of Nioki (Mboka Mabaya), is actually a figurative journey from Afrisa to OK Jazz, as he sums it up by mentioning Vicky and Brazzos, who had adopted a similar path before. He also composed "Bena," "Heritier," and featured in the band's premier lineup, which also included Josky Kiambukuta, Wuta Mayi, Boyibanda, Youlou Mabiala, and others. He would use his low baritone to create harmony with the high tenors of Boyibanda, Youlou, Josky, and others, and this made him a big asset to OKJ, which was hitherto a home of high tenors.
In the early '80s, he left OKJ to team up with Loway, whom he had played with in Afrisa and later OKJ, Mangwana, and others to create a band called Tiers Monde, which didn't last long. He made a grand comeback to OKJ after Franco's death and excelled in his own compositions "Angela" and "Tawaba," both featuring Dizzy Mandjeku on solo. He stayed with Bana OK after OKJ disbanded in 1993 and made a remarkable contribution to the band's discography in the late '90s.
Opetum, who would be 80 years old this year, was born in Bandundu in the DRC. As one writer observed, despite the enormous deposits of minerals hidden in the ground, Congo's leading export is music. It is worth noting that Ndombe Opetum was one of the talents that made the country's music what it was.By Jerome Ogola
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