Emmanuel N'Djoké "Manu" Dibango, born in Douala, Cameroon, on December 12, 1933, was a globally influential musician and songwriter who masterfully fused jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian rhythms like Makossa. Sent to France for his education at age 15, he eventually dedicated himself to music, learning to play the piano and later finding his true voice on the saxophone. After stints in French jazz clubs, he moved to Brussels, where he worked with the Congolese music legend Joseph Kabasele and his band African Jazz, a period that cemented his connection to African popular music forms. His career reached international stardom with the 1972 release of "Soul Makossa," which not only popularized the Makossa genre but also became one of the most sampled African songs in history, influencing the emerging disco and pop scenes. Over a career spanning six decades, Dibango collaborated with a vast array of international artists, composed for film, and remained a devoted ambassador for African music and humanitarian causes, earning the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2004. He passed away on March 24, 2020, in France, at the age of 86, due to COVID-19.