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March 18, 2025 - 06:20 PM One evening in October 1992, LUNNA Kidi was invited to perform at the funeral of Zackayo Adero in Ramba. Zackayo Adero was a prominent businessman and a great friend of Kabaselle. At that time, the manager of the band was Ogola Oyier, a physics teacher at Otieno Oyoo Secondary School. A few minutes into the performance, one of the major amplifiers blew out. It was already too late to travel to Kisumu, more than 50 kilometers away, to buy a replacement. Even in Bondo, the shops had already closed. What were the options? Someone suggested sending an emissary to borrow an amplifier from any of the bands performing in Bondo. It was estimated that, given Kale’s status, any of the......

BOUKAKA, THE MUSICIAN WHO ALSO WORE AN ACTIVISM CAP

February 06, 2025 - 08:47 AM Sporadic sounds of gunfire pierced through the tranquil night of Brazzaville on 22nd February 1972, with noise gaining crescendo with every passing minute as dawn approached. When morning finally came reluctantly, the information had already spread that there had been an attempted coup d’etat against the government of Marien Ngouabi, who had been Republic of Congo president since 1968.However, forces loyal to the incumbent thwarted the attempt, with the military capturing the dissidents. Among those listed as arrested was Franklin Boukaka, a musician who had made a name for himself both in Brazzaville and Kinshasa and was one of the musical superstars of the time. In a strange twist......

Dr. NICO THE GUITAR SUPREMO OF AFRICAN MUSIC

January 18, 2025 - 09:27 AM 'In the earlier days of my career, I really strived to play like Dr. Nico' Pierre Mandjeku Lengo, also known as Dizzy Mandjeku, is an ace soloist who played with Conga 68, Orchestra Veve, Orchestra Bella Bella, Orchestra Kossa Kossa, Afrisa International, African All Stars, and OK Jazz among other bands. 'I emulated Dr Nico's style and that of Guvano, in the nascent days of my career, before eventually developing my own style.' Dizzy narrated to Jabulani. Also known as 'Dieu De La Guitare' or 'the god of the guitar', Nico played a monumental role in pushing the electric guitar to occupy the central position in rumba Congolaise, essentially creating a drift from the Cuban rumba,......

PEPE: THE LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE GIANT OF AFRICAN MUSIC

January 14, 2025 - 05:45 PM PEPE: THE LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE GIANT OF AFRICAN MUSIC. The year is 1991, and Pepe Kalle is visiting Tanzania. He has a scheduled show in Arusha, and the team is traveling around Arusha in a taxi, marveling at the picturesque aura of the town situated at the foot of an inactive volcanic Mt. Meru, a town known for its vibrant nightlife. An enchanted passenger is engaged in a hearty banter about the town, a conversation that happens in Lingala. The driver is female, in itself a rare occurrence, but that's not all. There is something more about her. Ordinarily, Tanzanians don't speak Lingala, although the reverse is true: most Congolese speak Swahili, especially those from Eastern Congo, as......

NDAYA BY MPONGO LOVE LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

January 09, 2025 - 06:00 AM NDAYA BY MPONGO LOVE Nayebaki iiih,(I just knew that,)Suka se kotingama eeh,(At last, my marriage will hold,)Ya ngai na mobali na ngai iih,(My marriage with my husband,)Pantalo mokaba mama aaah,(We will stick together like a belt on a trouser,my dear rival,)Tobalana kosukisa bilobela ango ya bato ooh,(We got married to end the peoples' idle talk/gossips,)Likwela ya ngai na cherry suka lilita ma aah.(This is my marriage with my sweetheart, only death will do us part, my dear rival.)Nayebaki iiih,(I just knew that,)Suka se kotingama eeh,(At last, my marriage will hold,)Ya ngai na mobali na ngai iih,(My marriage with my husband,)pantalo mokaba mama aaah,(We will stick together like a belt on......

OK JAZZ GREATEST COMPOSER OF ALL TIMES

January 08, 2025 - 12:15 PM 'Babotoli ya malili', the air conditioner has been confiscated. This is a line from Franco's hit "Mokolo Tonga," known as "Taileur." The other line is: "Okomi komona pasi ya bangungi, okomibeta mbata na nzoto." The second line, translated, means you will be slapping yourself like everyone else to chase marauding mosquitoes from your face. The song was composed while Franco was incarcerated at Makala prison for composing and recording songs that were considered explicit. He was chiding Kengo Wa Dondo, who had been the country’s attorney but had since been fired from the job. The song is just a tip of the iceberg in a bid to illustrate who was the master composer at OK Jazz.......

DIBLO DIBALA BIOGRAPHY

December 09, 2024 - 04:00 PM Diblo Dibala, often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a talent competition which led to him playing guitar in Franco's TPOK band. Dibala remained with the group for only a short period, going on to play with Vox Africa, Orchestra Bella Mambo, and Bella Bella, in which band he first played with Kanda Bongo Man. Diblo earned his musical reputation in Paris, but he began his career in Congo-Kinshasa, playing in relative obscurity with Bella Mambo, an offshoot of the popular band Bella Bella. Together with singer Kanda Bongo Man,......

BIOGRAPHY OF EMPIRE BAKUBA

November 24, 2024 - 02:20 PM BIOGRAPHY OF EMPIRE BAKUBA Empire Bakuba is a celebrated Congolese band, formed in 1973; and disbanded in 1998. Core members: "Boeing 737" Kinanga Nanzao (born Congo-Kinshasa, July 6, 1953; guitar), Dilu Dilumona (born Kinshasa, Feb. 15, 1948; vocal), "Doris" Ebuya Lange (born Congo-Kinshasa; guitar), Pepe Kalle(born Kinshasa, Dec. 30, 1951; died Kinshasa, Nov. 29, 1998; vocal), "Papy Tex" Matolu Dode (born Kinshasa, June 28, 1952; vocal). Empire Bakuba was the direct descendant of African Choc, a neighborhood band built around the nucleus of singers Kalle, Dilu, and Papy Tex. Afrisadrummer Seskain Molenga, on the lookout for musicians to help him make surreptitious recordings, introduced......

FERRE'S MUSICAL JOURNEY

October 17, 2024 - 05:37 PM FERRE'S MUSICAL JOURNEY "This is the day. It is finally with us” an ecstatic fan shouts to the media crew, as he runs bare-chested, towards the entrance of the Stade De Martyrs stadium, in Lingwala on the Northern outskirts of Kinshasa. His hands holding a placard with the name Ferre Gola emblazoned on it, he runs forth and back, shouting his voice hoarse. The day was June 24th, the day of the much-anticipated Ferre Gola concert. The excitement was palpable as the carnival mood engulfed the neighborhood. Crowds thronged the facility some in groups, some in isolation, some chanting, and some shouting. The day for the much-awaited Ferre Gola concert had come and fans had......

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

October 09, 2024 - 04:05 AM BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE Franco Luambo Makiadi, the Congolese legendary musician, continues to hold a special place in the hearts of millions of music lovers across the globe, 35 years into his death. His music sells in shops across the continent and beyond, in Latin America, the USA, and Europe. Online applications created long after his death are also dominated by his music. His fan base has continued to swell with younger fans, probably born after his death, getting hooked, more than three decades into his death, with fans and musicians marveling at how magical he was to head a band that stayed intact for 37 years, churning out chart-topping records, estimated to be slightly more......