Jabulani Library

KALENGA NZAZI: TWO YEARS ON, NAIROBI CAN'T FORGET THIS MANGELEPA SUPERSTAR

August 20, 2025 - 05:44 PM On Saturday, August 9, 2023, Nairobi quietly marked two years since the death of Kalenga Nzazi, also known as Vivi. He was an ace soloist with Les Mangelepa, a Congolese band that has kept Nairobi dancing for almost five decades. As much as one would have expected the anniversary of such an icon to be marked with numerous musical activities, there were no widely publicized events to commemorate him. However, the silence doesn't erase his significant contribution to Nairobi's music industry over the decades. Kalenga Nzazi was one of the three major pillars that Les Mangelepa, christened "the last band standing," stood on in the recent past. The others are fellow singers Lutulu Kaniki, also......

TESTAMENT YA BOWULE - SIMARO LUTUMBA, 1986 ENGLISH LYRICS TRANSLATION

August 19, 2025 - 08:31 PM SYNOPSIS "Testament Ya Bowule" is a heartfelt elegy written in 1986 by Simaro Massiya Lutumba and performed by Franco and Le T.P.O.K. Jazz, featuring vocals by Malage de Lugendo (and sometimes Carlyto Lassa). Composed in Lingala, it laments the death of Bowule, a friend of Simaro, through the testimony of her bereaved sister. Simaro then digests this, conveying deep grief, questions about mortality, and the powerlessness of money against death. A cornerstone of Congolese rumba, its evocative lyrics and moving performance have solidified its status as a timeless classic, widely revered for its emotional resonance and cultural importance within the T.P.O.K. Jazz catalog. In the song, Simaro......

THE VOICE THAT BRIDGED ODEMBA AND SOUKOUS

August 11, 2025 - 10:33 AM It is truly strange how rumba fans shy away from admitting that Madilu Systeme's 1993 album, Sans Commentaire, is one of the greatest musical albums to ever grace the world of music. It's really weird. The composition, the arrangement, the instrumentation, the singing—everything is so on point. The transition from the 1980s TPOK's Madilu into the 1990s soukous Madilu is one of the most remarkable transitions in music. Just listen to “Autoroute” from start to end. Back in my days in Chad, a guy we lived with in the camp said that nobody transitioned to the climax better than Madilu. Madilu is the only artist whose music speaks to your body, mind, and soul. These are the......

LIGHTS OFF FOR CHARLES OMUGA KABISAE

August 11, 2025 - 10:00 AM Veteran Kenyan broadcast journalist Charles Omuga Kabisae has died after a long illness. His passing was announced by KBC Radio, where he served for many years. Omuga Kabisae was an icon of broadcast journalism from the era when the state broadcaster was the sole source of news and entertainment in Kenya. He began his career as a vernacular presenter with KBC Kisumu, broadcasting in Dholuo. In 1990, he transitioned to the National Service and became widely known for his dignified delivery of the radio obituary segment, Matangazo ya Vifo. In those days, when telecommunication technology was still in its infancy and platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media did not exist,......

DO MUSICIANS DIE YOUNG? NOT JEANNOT BOMBENGA

August 05, 2025 - 07:07 PM At 91 years of age, Jeannot Bombenga is easily one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of the living Congolese musicians. With some superstars of the genre having died young, like Bavon Marie Marie, Franco’s younger sibling, who starred with Negro Success and died at 26, or Mbaraka of Super Volcano, who died at 35, a misconception that musicians die young has become a subject of much discourse themed on Congolese rumba. A photo of Jeannot with Sam Mangwana, posted on Facebook by an enthusiast of Congolese rumba, Herman Bangi, rekindled memories of their days at Vox Africa, a band Jeannot formed with Franklin Boukaka in 1959. It was noteworthy that even Mangwana himself, at 80, has......

MUZINA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION - TABU LEY ROCHEREAU & AFRISA INTRNATIONAL

August 01, 2025 - 05:00 PM Tabu Ley Rochereau & Afrisa International Muzina Lyrics With English Translation. MuzinaMuzina di TataE di MwanaE di Mpeve SantuMuzina ndi Tata NzambeMuzina In the name ofIn the name of the FatherAnd the SonAnd the Holy SpiritIn the name of God the FatherIn the name of... Babotama bazalaBakufa balamuka basekwa Everyone born, everyone livingEveryone passed, everyone awakened, everyone resurrected Kasi kombo ya Nzambe ezali ya makasiBoboto ya Yawhe na nkembo But God’s name is strongJehovah’s forgiveness shines brightly MuzinaMuzina di TataE di MwanaE di Mpeve SantuMuzina ndi Tata NzambeMuzina In the name ofIn the name of the FatherAnd the SonAnd the Holy SpiritIn the......

KANDA BONGOMAN’S FOOTPRINTS IN NAIROBI

August 01, 2025 - 04:43 AM During the requiem mass for the late veteran news anchor Catherine Kasavuli, murmurs surfaced that her son, Martin Kasavuli, was a doppelgänger of former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi. This rekindled the tabloid fantasy of the early 1990s, which suggested the TV journalist had an intimate relationship with former President Moi. The genesis of this rumor can be traced to an April 1990 episode when Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man was unceremoniously ejected from the country via a cargo plane. Kanda had been on a sojourn in Kenya's capital, where he held electrifying concerts at KICC, Nyayo Stadium, among other venues. However, just as the stage was set for a concert at the Stanley......

THE KENYAN SOUKOUS GUITARIST - (ROLAND ISESE)

July 29, 2025 - 07:57 PM The year was 1991, and the venue was Bomas of Kenya. It was during the peak of the Soukous craze, and the crowd had gathered to enjoy the best of the Aurlus Mabele-led group Loketo, which featured the lethal soloist Diblo Dibala, partly nicknamed "The Machine Gun" owing to his high-tempo guitar skills. But it was a local boy, Roland Isese, who stole the show. He had taken the stage with the Ulinzi Band, a military ensemble under the leadership of Laban Ochuka, which had been tasked with opening the concert. The band made a bold attempt at the hit song "Extra Ball," and Isese was impressed. His fingers maneuvered the fretboard with the speed of a bullet and the precision of a surgeon. He......

PESA POSITION ENGLISH LYRICS - MADILU SYSTEM

July 22, 2025 - 08:00 AM One of Madilu's biggest hit on which Franco played was Pesa Position. In fact, there were only two, the other was Boma Ngai, Ngai Na Boma Yo To Bomana. Here we are not not talking about Franco's compositions on which Madilu did some singing, such as Mario, Non!, Tu Vois? (aka Mamou), Makambo Ezali Bourreau, but I am talking about songs composed by Madilu on which Franco played the guitar. These were only two. In ten years. Today we give exclusive lyrics of Madilu System Pesa Position Lyrics in English:1) Love has overpowered me, Angela.It has caused me to become ill.I’ve been in many relationship,But this one is a special case.I let you control......

ANOTHER BENGA SUPERSTAR FROM THE MOUNTAIN

July 21, 2025 - 10:40 PM While Franco served a six-month jail term in Makala Prison in Kinshasa for composing two songs, "Jackie" and "Heleni," considered explicit and lurid, an almost similar occurrence was happening simultaneously in Nairobi. Musician Daniel Kamau Mwai, popularly known as DK, was facing charges in court for composing two songs, "Nana" and "Mwithua," both of whose lyrics had been censored as graphic. Luckily for DK, he was never convicted and was instead acquitted of the charges. He had been in the music scene for almost a decade and was already a household name, having created a band that went on to record some of the most popular songs of the era. In a classic case of adopting, repackaging,......

Jabulani Library

KALENGA NZAZI: TWO YEARS ON, NAIROBI CAN'T FORGET THIS MANGELEPA SUPERSTAR

TESTAMENT YA BOWULE - SIMARO LUTUMBA, 1986 ENGLISH LYRICS TRANSLATION

THE VOICE THAT BRIDGED ODEMBA AND SOUKOUS

LIGHTS OFF FOR CHARLES OMUGA KABISAE

DO MUSICIANS DIE YOUNG? NOT JEANNOT BOMBENGA

MUZINA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION - TABU LEY ROCHEREAU & AFRISA INTRNATIONAL

KANDA BONGOMAN’S FOOTPRINTS IN NAIROBI

THE KENYAN SOUKOUS GUITARIST - (ROLAND ISESE)

PESA POSITION ENGLISH LYRICS - MADILU SYSTEM

ANOTHER BENGA SUPERSTAR FROM THE MOUNTAIN

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Jabulani Library

KALENGA NZAZI: TWO YEARS ON, NAIROBI CAN'T FORGET THIS MANGELEPA SUPERSTAR

TESTAMENT YA BOWULE - SIMARO LUTUMBA, 1986 ENGLISH LYRICS TRANSLATION

THE VOICE THAT BRIDGED ODEMBA AND SOUKOUS

LIGHTS OFF FOR CHARLES OMUGA KABISAE

DO MUSICIANS DIE YOUNG? NOT JEANNOT BOMBENGA

MUZINA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION - TABU LEY ROCHEREAU & AFRISA INTRNATIONAL

KANDA BONGOMAN’S FOOTPRINTS IN NAIROBI

THE KENYAN SOUKOUS GUITARIST - (ROLAND ISESE)

PESA POSITION ENGLISH LYRICS - MADILU SYSTEM

ANOTHER BENGA SUPERSTAR FROM THE MOUNTAIN

News

Jabulani Library (237)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (26)

Programs

Weekend Rhumba Twilight Mix

Weekend Soukous Odyssey

Benga Blast

Rhumba Revival

Weekend Zilizopendwa Mix

Weekend Rhumba Mix

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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