Jabulani Library

THE BAOBAB THAT HAS SURVIVED MANY STORMS

July 08, 2026 - 06:46 PM Lokuta eyaka na ascenseur, kasi vérité eyei na escalier mpe ekomi. (A lie prefers to take the lift and travels very fast, while the truth takes the stairs. It comes slowly, but eventually arrives.) These words came to my mind when Prof. Larry Gumbe listed Koffi Olomide among the three musicians he ranks highest in terms of weaving poetic lyrics. He also listed Simaro Lutumba and Franklin Boukaka as the other two, in a conversation that also involved veteran music producer and writer Tabu Osusa, who gave his own list as Tabu Ley Rochereau, Franklin Boukaka, and Simaro Lutumba. That Koffi Ol...

MEKANISI MODERO'S DEATH REKINDLES MEMORIES OF AFRISA INTERNATIONAL

June 30, 2026 - 12:33 PM On Sunday, the 21st of June 2026, in Washington, D.C., Mekanisi Modero breathed his last in the hospital. His death brought to an end a music career that lasted over 60 years. His passing marked yet another sad moment for Congolese rumba, with the superstars of the 1960s and 1970s leaving the stage one by one. His death also rekindled fond memories of Tabu Ley's band, Afrisa International, an outfit that occupied a pivotal role in Congolese music for several decades. As much as Franco's band, OK Jazz, may have overshadowed Tabu Ley's outfit in terms of popularity and volume of music, there are other factors that favored Afrisa, such as its longevity, making it one of the most formidable......

THE SOULFUL RESILIENCE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

June 26, 2026 - 12:03 PM The truth is, technology is moving at a breakneck pace and a massive storm is coming for our music industry. If we stick to old, slow ways of thinking, our musical heritage will be left behind. We have to change how we adapt. If you look back to the old days of African music, you can almost smell the warm plastic of a cassette tape turning in a portable player. Growing up, sound was all about the crackle of shortwave radio, the patience of using a pencil to wind up loose tape, and the human touch of musicians sitting in the same room to make a groove happen. You could feel the studio dust and the tiny slip of a guitar pick. It was the true soul of an era. Today, a......

MEKANISI MODERO DIES IN THE USA

June 23, 2026 - 10:07 AM Congolese musician Mekanisi Modero is dead. His death was announced by his former bandmate at Afrisa International, guitarist Dino Vangu, on his social media page. Although he did not divulge details of the death, Mekanisi Modero, one of the longest-serving members of Afrisa International, had been living in the USA for several decades, where he died. “I just learned from the USA of the death yesterday, 21 June 2026, of our colleague, friend, and brother, artist, musician, saxophonist, and show presenter Mekanisi Zemba Gabwisa Modero. May his soul rest in peace.” Dino Vangu’s message read in part. Mekanisi Modero, who joined Tabu Ley’s......

A NEWS ANCHOR WHO ALSO SANG HIS HEART OUT

June 16, 2026 - 05:00 AM A Story of Jacob William Maunda If you are yet to set foot in any far-flung town and would wish to visit, you will really appreciate the input of someone well-versed in the geography of the place to introduce you to the neighborhood as your tour guide. If the new place you envisage visiting is Mombasa, then you would really appreciate Jacob William Maunda's song, "Nahangaika Mombasa." Apparently, the composer set out on a journey to trace his lover, Mary Mueni, who had quit her home in Ukambani, Kenya, and left for Mombasa. The places listed as visited by the composer of the song are Changamwe, Chaani, Magongo, Miritini, Jomvu, Shimanzi, Makande, Makupa, Tononoka, Tudor, Kingorani,......

SUKUMA BIN ONGARO

June 10, 2026 - 11:04 AM In 2024, Kenya's President, William Ruto, reorganized his cabinet to accommodate elements of the opposition in a bid to nip in the bud a looming insurgency by a youthful generation, amid fears that their rebellion would morph into a revolution. One of the opposition members elected to serve in the cabinet was Wycliffe Oparanya from Western Kenya. As it happens with politicians, such achievements are feted with a goat-eating party back at home. In this case, Oparanya hosted a party at his rural home, and the most celebrated musician from the region was invited to grace the event. Wilson Onzere Ongaro, also known by the moniker Sukuma Bin Ongaro, was the man invited to grace the event as......

THE IVORIAN REGGAE SENSATION STILL GOING STRONG

June 04, 2026 - 11:58 AM In the 1980s, music was sold on audio cassettes. These cassettes, most of them pirated, were hawked on the streets and even in markets in rural areas. I remember visiting one cassette vendor and, upon checking his display, noticing that one musician dominated the board: Alpha Blondy, an Ivorian reggae sensation of the era. The music was also playing on a horn speaker in a stand hoisted by the vendor to market his music. Maybe it is for these reasons that Blondy's songs were on everyone's lips. His songs, "Masada" and "Brigadier Sabari," among many others, were household names at the time. Reggae was particularly attractive to the country's young population because of its predominant......

GEORGE FOMBE AKA YAHOOS

May 24, 2026 - 04:00 PM George Fombe, aka "Yahoos," was a big name in audio production in the entire East African region in the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond. This name featured prominently in what Congolese refer to as "kobwaka libanga," a term that means mentioning a name in a song. The name was also mentioned at the commencement of almost all VOK programs in those days. It went beyond that; despite not always getting a direct mention, George Fombe was the sound technician behind several audio commercials aired by the state broadcaster in those days. When you hear "Sportsman ni sawa hasa," a very popular advertisement for a British American Tobacco cigarette brand, it was recorded by George Fombe. George Fombe,......

RUMBA IT IS; NOT LINGALA

May 18, 2026 - 09:35 PM The distinction between rumba and Lingala is among the most frequently debated topics in online music forums and conversations about African music. There seems to be persistent confusion over the meaning of the two terms a confusion that may endure for a long time. In a recent post by one of our fans on our Facebook page, the question came up: “What is the difference between rhumba and Lingala?” the fan asked. Perhaps no explanation can ever settle the matter completely, but the difference between the two is actually broad and quite clear. We begin with the word “rhumba.” According to several dictionaries, rhumba is a collective noun for rattlesnakes. Strictly......

M'BILIA BEL - BEYANGA LYRICS

May 11, 2026 - 02:44 PM Na Silika nakozua eloko nini e(What will I get if I get angry at you?)Na tomboka nakozua reponse nini o(What will I achieve if I become mad at you?)Moto soko akoli na ezaleli banda na bomwana naye(if someone is used to doing something since their childhood)Akoki kosilisa na mokolo moke te tika a sala(He can never stop doing it in his adulthood/he can't change)Nakoswana swana se pamba, ezali motindo na ye(It is useless to quarrel with other women over him because it's his habit)Na ndimaka te nalingi ye, ebongi na vanda na ngai(I don't believe I love him, I deserve to live alone)Libala oyo ba mbanda bipayi binso(to stay away from this marriage of co-wives everywhere)Nakotisi moto na singa,......

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