Growing Up with Rhumba-Soukous: My Life My Story

Ulioanga mau mame ehh

Kimpa kiasangameni mama kuna zule eeh

Kindoki kisangameni mama kuna zule eeh

These lyrics are probably my first conscious encounter with Rhumba music. They are from François Luambo Makiadialias Franco. It is the opening verse of his famous song: Kimpa Kisangameni (mystical event). It made a mark in my memory because I used to hear it many times when it was played at a nearby home-based local pub. The pub was close to my grandparents’ residence where I spent most of my early childhood.

This was in the mid-1980s, and Rhumba dominated airwaves at least in our little town. Many other songs were played at the pub, but Franco and his Kimpa Kisangameni stuck with me. Reflecting on this almost four decades later, it occurs to me that it was Franco’s greatness as a musician that made the song stand out from the rest.

There are several things I would credit him for. Franco was a great singer and a very eloquent storyteller, if you may, as he did that a lot in his songs. I think his great ability to write and sing about his society and what defined it made him so popular as well. He was an unapologetic individual and could sing about controversial topics. If you ask me why Franco’s music has stood the test of time, I will tell you this.

Apart from forming and successfully building one of the greatest music bands that ever existed on the African music landscape, he had an amazing ability to spot, nurture, and retain talent. Franco and his Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinois de Jazz (TP OK Jazz) band nurtured several great Rhumba artists from the 1970s to the late 1990s. I will mention a few here: Madilu System, Josky Kiambukuta, Simaro Massiya Lutumba, Sam Mangwana, Jolie Detta (one of the only two female band members), and Mayaula Mayoni. A quick glance at Wikipedia indicates 86 band members to have passed through the band throughout its 37-year lifespan.

I can’t speak of Rhumba and the 1980s without mentioning “Forever”, Franco’s last album with his lifetime friend and protégé Sam Mangwana. Two songs from the album are my favorites: Toujours (forever/always in English) and Chérie BB. ‘Toujours’ is probably the best Rhumba song of 1989/90 in Tanzania alongside Mario and Mamou. I think it became a hit because it included Swahili verses, so people related easily to it. One of the Swahili verses in the song is quite telling:

Wewe na mimi kisa gani yaya (sema),

Ndugu nimekosea nini angalia makambo,

Kama kuna mambo unieleze taratibu eeh,

Mukorofisho mbele ya watu sitaki,

Sikiya eeh (aah)

The two last lines in Swahili in the chorus are even amazing:

Ba lobaki eh biloba loba to lembi eh

Mobuki lokuta ye na ndoki se moto moko

Kusema sema waliselam tumechoka

Muongo na mulozi ni watu wa kuchoma

Besides, Franco and Sam Mangwana sang about a topic that is very common to many Tanzanians even to date: gossip-mongering and superstition (witchcraft).  In the song, they talk of people spreading rumors about you when you become famous and can even bewitch you. All because of jealousy.

My late Father was never a music person. I remember one of the very few times that I heard him commenting on music was on this very song. One December in 1989 while on a road trip from Mwanza town to Moshi in Kilimanjaro via the Serengeti, ‘Forever’ was one of the cassettes we had in the car and my father would play it forever. After repeating the song so many times, he remarked while nodding his head in acknowledgment: “Hapa Franco aliimba bana” (something like, “Franco indeed did justice with this song”).

Years later I came to learn that it wasn’t only Franco and his TP OK Jazz Band that dominated the Rhumba world in the 1980s and before. There were several others: the likes of Tabu Ley Rochereau (who is also considered the father of modern soukous) and his Afrisa Band, Nyoka Longo, and the mighty Zaiko Langa Langa—another great Congolese band and a breeding ground for many great Rhumba artists. Alongside Dr. Nico Kasanda, Koffi Olomide, and Wenge Musica BCBG—short for Bon Chic Bon Genre (French for ‘good style, good class’)—to name just a few, they are believed to be the pioneers of the third wave of Congolese “Soukous” that began in the 1970s after the first and second ones in the 1940s and 1960s respectively.

Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a rare female voice dominating music airwaves in the whole of Eastern and Central Africa. It was a beautiful and melodic voice of M’bilia Bel and Nadina was the hit song, from her 1987 album, Beyanga. There were two versions of the song, a Lingala (one of the biggest dialects spoken in DR Congo) and a Swahili one.

The Swahili version got so popular in Tanzania. It was no different in the small town where I lived. I remember my mother and her friends loved the song a lot and used to sing it so often. Occasionally, during birthday parties or other special days, my mother would bring out our single speaker ‘National’ radio cassette player and play M’bilia’s tape, among others.

From June to July 1990 Africa was writing history in the world of football. Cameroon’s football team qualified for the quarterfinals in the World Cup led by their then 42-year-old striker, Roger Milla. As the top scorer in the squad, he went on to win the Addidas Bronze Shoe in the tournament. But that was just at FIFA, something else was in store for him back home. In early February 1992, “Kabasele Yampanya” popularly known as Pépé Kallé released Gérant, one of his greatest albums. The first song of the album, “Milla”, was a special treat for the Cameroonian star.

Pépé Kallé came to fame in the early 1980s by pioneering the Kwasakwasa dance style. It entails moving the hips left and right while the hands move to follow the rhythm. But in Tanzania, the name became famous mainly in the 1990s following the release of the Gérant and Devise par Deux albums.  One of his most famous songs in Tanzania to date is ‘Shikamo Seye’ in which he tells the story of his lost sweetheart called Hidaya.

Pépé Kallé was so admired in Tanzania. If you would ask me why I would tell you because of his use of Swahili (Tanzania’s national language) in some of his songs including Shikamo Seye. As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to compose a song for one of the biggest premier league football clubs in Tanzania-the Young Africans (commonly known as Yanga).

One can’t talk of Soukous in Tanzania in the 1990s without also mentioning Kanda Bongoman. Famous for his custom-made colorful suits and the round gray hat with a black ribbon, he was a household name in that decade.  Isambe and Monie were the artist’s most-loved songs in the country. Monie was so famous that toddlers learned the title as part of their very first words. My baby sister was one of them. When in a joyful mood she would just smile widely as she sang “indee indee, indee indee”.

By that time, I was so much immersed in the Soukous. Thanks to the influx of analog TVs and Video Cassette Recorders/players (VCRs) following liberalization policies in Tanzania that saw President Ali Hassan Mwinyi’s government open the country’s doors to the (global) market economy. As a young boy of 10, I internalized the songs and moves from the many music videos I watched. Though we were just kids having fun we perfected the dancing and moves so well that we become local entertainers (dancers if you may) during wedding receptions.

As family members and friends and neighbors were about to wed, I and a bunch of other kids would embark on month-long rehearsals perfecting our dance moves. On the day of the occasion, I would put on my specially tailored costume normally made of shiny fabrics ready to rock the party. Apart from the little money given to us by the reception guests as gifts, we were not paid anything. We were kids who had been swept by the Soukous wind having lots of fun and making everybody around us equally so.

Not only did Soukous influence Tanzanians musically, but also fashion and style. It became part of our culture I would say. In the1990s, a dressing style commonly known as Mayenu was at the helm. Men’s pants were usually worn higher above the waist with tucked-in shirts. The pants and shirts were mostly made of soft shiny fabrics hence the names “Uji Uji” and mchele mchele”. People likened the soft shirt fabrics to maize porridge (Uji in Kiswahili) which is a common meal in Tanzania and the shiny, dotted pants to rice (mchele in Kiswahili) which is a staple in Tanzania.

If there was a Soukous band that I watched so many times at the time that would be Loketo. This wouldn’t have happened had it not been for my grandfather’s neighbor who had ‘the Loketo video cassette’. He would often come over to watch it with us since my grandfather had a TV set and a VCR. It did not matter how many times, if they thought they wanted to watch something, Loketo was on the list.

As I came to learn, later, the band Loketo was brought together by Diblo Dibala, one of the greatest solo guitarists in Africa, and Aurlus Mabélé (RIP). It was a group of extremely talented Soukous musicians including the two founding members and others like Jean Baron (RIP), Lucien Bikolo, Awilo Longomba, Mack Macaire, and Mav Cacharel. Upon Loketo’s breakup, most of its former artists started solo careers while others joined other bands. Lucien Bokilo, for instance, joined another successful band at the time: ‘Soukous Stars’.

Brought together in 1990 by rhythm guitarist Lokassa Ya Mbongo, vocalists Shimita el Diego, and Balou Canta, the Soukous Stars band became very influential across the continent and abroad. In Tanzania and especially during my growing-up days, the album Morenita made a name for itself. Their solo guitarist Saladin Ferreira did some amazing guitar and production work on the album.

Shimita and Yondo Sister even sang in Swahili. There was no way such an album would not become famous in a then Soukous-dominated Tanzania. But one can’t stay in the spotlight for long in the world of Soukous. Someone else would always crop up and steal the spot.

It was Wenge Musica BCBG’s turn now, one of my favorite Soukous bands of all time. Apart from the music which I came to appreciate more in later years, it was Wenge’s elegance (as depicted in the band’s name) that got my attention in the early days. In their videos they always dressed to kill, driving Porsche cars like Mercedes Benz in a classy neighborhood in some city in Europe or an affluent area in Kinshasa. In Kinshasa and the rest of the African continent, Wenge Musica made a huge impact just for that.

But these young, handsome Bakongo men were more than that. They were well-schooled, a rarity among many Rhumba-Soukous bands and artists, save for Dr. Nico Kassanda and Koffi Olomide who are said to be some of the highly educated. The whole band was constituted of college graduates who, unlike many young Africans, pursued a career in music upon graduation, something least expected of a college graduate at the time.

Gradually, I started paying more attention to the music side of Wenge. When I about to finish my primary education, Wenge dropped Pentagone. The official music video was just amazing. It was inspired by the ‘US military mightiness’ as depicted in the video. As a young boy, I admired the military attire that band members had put on and fused that with a waist winding Ndombolo dance move, something none would imagine. We were used to seeing only reggae artists wearing like this.  Besides, we were accustomed to seeing people in uniform doing what is deemed their business, wars. This was very common in the ‘cold war era Hollywood propaganda movies’ which we enjoyed as young kids.

Another thing that stood up in the album is the lineup of songs. I think every prominent member of the band had composed a song for the album, all of them hit songs. Pick any song from the album and it’s a bomb!

I was in standard seven at the time and vividly remember all the local record kiosks in our town playing the album. These were makeshift kiosks full of cassettes that had been sourced from nearby major urban centers. What was happening in these shops was duplicating, as much as customers wanted, the few cassettes they had sourced. I am not sure copyright laws were enforced during those days otherwise most people running these record kiosks could have landed in jail or issued hefty fines or both.

Every member of Wenge BCBG was extremely talented. Looking back now, I think this was both a blessing and a curse for Wenge. It wouldn’t be long after the release of Pentagone when the curse manifested itself.

I remember the year 1997 for many things, but notably starting my secondary education and the release of Feux de L’amour (JB Mpiana/Ndombolo). This turned out to be the last album by Wenge Musica BCBG as most had known it. It was such a huge success and made a permanent mark for Wenge as the Kings of Ndombolo—a Soukous variant that rivaled its predecessor Kwasakwasa as popularized by Pepe Kalle and Kanda Bongoman back in the 1980s.

In terms of instrumentation and sound, Feux de L’amour is the best for me. It is in this album where JB Mpiana demonstrated his prowess as one of the best vocalists of all time in the Rhumba-Soukous genre in my opinion. It featured Alain Makaba as a lead guitarist and Didier Masela on bass guitar. The two most prominent animation vocalists (rappers), Roberto Ekotota and Tutu Caludji, shared a platform in the album. Although most people credit Caludji for Wenge’s animation vocals, my vote always goes to Ekotota. He played a very critical role in making Wenge what it was. Caludji came onboard when everything was in place and about to collapse.

There were several guest artists too on the album. My favorite was Papa Wemba (RIP). He did the song Cavalier Solitaire with JB Mpiana. In my opinion, that is one of his best songs as a featured artist.

I don’t think the 1980s and 1990s witnessed as successful and vibrant Soukous bands as Wenge Musica alongside Viva La Musica and Quarter Latin under Papa Wemba and Koffi Olomide, respectively. So, with Wenge’s disintegration, Soukous had entered yet another cycle dominated by a new breed of musicians like JB Mpiana, Werrason Ngiama, Roga Roga (from Extra Musica band whose story was very similar to that of Wenge), Fally Ipupa, Ferre Gora, and many more. This was the fourth generation of Rhumba-Soukous. Such dynamic was typical of 1970s breakups of big bands like Zaiko Langa Langa that saw a new breed of great Rhumba artists and groups like Viva la Musica under Papa Wemba, Pepe Kalle and his Empire Bakuba band, and the Anti Choc led by Bozi Boziana.

Growing up listening to and watching Soukous music one thing has always stood up the guitar. Solo, bass, and rhythm guitars are key instruments in the Soukous genre. These take me to Soukous masters whom I like to call “the 5 mercenaries”: Diblo Dibala, Dally Kimoko, Nene Tchacou, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and Ngouma Lokito. Most people would probably know Diblo and Dally as they are probably Soukous artists who have worked with many bands and artists than any other.

In terms of style, Diblo and Dally are almost at par, but the former possesses some unique skills (style) that are unrivaled across the genre. Diblo has a remarkable ability to play the guitar so fast and at multiple tempos. This is what earned him his nickname “machine gun”.

One day, my friends and I were chatting about Soukous and one of them remarked that back in the 1990s they (with other kids) had problems telling whether this startling guitarist was male or female. He had curly hair, an ‘oriental complexion’, and good looks. If you ever watched those Kanda Bongoman videos and see that skilled solo guitarist, you will know whom I am talking about: Néné Tchacou (RIP). His real name was Nene Mbendi Mandosa but was nicknamed Tchacou (“the Parrot”) due to his guitar skills.

To me, Néné had a unique gift that made him stand out from all other solo guitarists of his generation. He could make the guitar sing or speak, so to say. This is the reaction I always get when listening to him play. Though many people may know him for his work with Kanda Bongoman, especially after the 1990 famous concert in Nairobi-Kenya, Nene worked with many other Soukous artists and bands. I still admire the guitar skills he put in those “Soukous Masters” EPs produced with Alain Kounkou (another Soukous freak) and Luciana Demingongo, the Nouvelle Génération star.

As young kids, we used to mimic the animation vocals praising Néné Tchacou in these EPs. These were done in Lingala but since we didn’t know the language, we replaced them with our Swahili derivative: “Chakuu chakuu chakuu mamaa, chakuu mamaa, ooh ooh”. The word Chaku came easy to us likely due to a famous newspaper cartoon in Tanzania in the 80s and 90s called Chakubanga. Nene Tchacou sadly passed away in February 2022 in the US following a long illness. For about a month or so after I had learned of the sad news, I was in the habit of watching Maclo, a song that he did with other Soukous legends: Ngouma Lokito and Shimita el Diego.

Speaking of Shimita el Diego takes me back to Soukous Stars where the other two Kings of guitars, Ngouma Lokito and Lokassa Ya Mbongo, made their names. As we danced to Soukous songs there was this moment when the music slows down a bit as if to give singers and dancers time to breathe, then you’d hear a rhythm guitar playing in the background with the animation vocalist praising the guitarist: Lokassa Ya Mbongo. I don’t recall any name that has been mentioned as many times like this in the whole Soukous genre when it comes to the rhythm guitar. Watching Lokassa on video with his Afro hairstyle, demeanor and character one would agree with me that he perfectly matches the type of guitar he plays.

In many Soukous songs, there is a unique bass sound in the background that mixes very well with the fast-paced solo guitar. If you don’t pay attention most likely you will not hear it but will always notice when it is missing. That is a bass guitar, and the master bassist is Shungu Omba also known as Ngouma Lokito (power of the bass). Given his mastery, he was later given the nickname Le Professeur.

Sitting here now, reminiscing about the 1980s through to the early 2000s when growing up was the main part of my life, I can never imagine what life would have been without Soukous. It is a genre that we were born into and grew up with. A music so rich with rare sounds and unique culture that it made into the UNESCO heritage list in 2021.