José Adelino Barceló de Carvalho, known by his stage name Bonga, is an iconic Angolan singer, composer, and independence activist born in 1942, who first achieved fame as a champion track and field athlete, becoming a Portuguese record holder in the 400 meters. However, his parallel career as a protest singer, using the alias Bonga Kuenda to criticize Portuguese colonial rule, led him to be exposed by the political police and forced into exile in Rotterdam in 1972, where he recorded his politically charged debut album, Angola 72. Over a career spanning more than 30 albums, his powerful, husky voice and music, which blends Angolan rhythms like semba and kizomba with Portuguese folk and Latin elements, established him as a major figure in Lusophone African music, where he continues to advocate for peace and social justice, remaining a fierce critic of corruption in his post-colonial homeland.