The rumba flag is flying at half-mast once again, following the demise of Congolese musician Djo Djo Ikomo in Kinshasa after a long battle with illness. News of his passing was first made public by Mfumu Kimbangu of KBC Radio in Nairobi.

Djo Djo Ikomo, also known as Ikomo Ingange, was a phenomenal composer and singer from the early 1970s, an era defined by some pundits as the genre’s most productive. Born in Mbandaka in 1952, Djo Djo debuted with Orchestre Tabou Nationale in 1970 before joining Orchestre Vévé. There, he became part of the band’s formidable singing line-up alongside Pascal Mangwana, Ramazani Nkalu-luaka, Tusevo Nejos, and the late Pepito, shortly after the stage masters Trio Madjesi left the band. This vocal line-up featured on songs such as "Ndona," "Fifi," and "Djamile." "Maina" was his own composition with the group.

At one point, Djo Djo traveled with Vévé to Uganda for a series of concerts, including a much-publicized performance at the palace of President Idi Amin Dada. When the band returned to Kinshasa, Djo Djo and a few other musicians, including solo guitarist Roxy Tshimpaka, chose to remain behind to pursue their musical interests in the Ugandan capital. Several top Congolese bands had already enjoyed successful tours in Uganda, and the demand for Congolese rumba was growing fast. It was an apt moment for any ambitious team to seize.

Djo Djo and his colleagues created Bana Moja (also spelled Bana Modja), a band that incorporated soloist Roxy Tshimpaka, rhythm guitarist Zengelele Saida, singers Moreno Batamba, Lawi Somana, Mandala Otis, Ochudi, and Beya Maurice Maduma, among others. The band had a stint in Kampala before relocating to Nairobi, where it rebranded as Bana Moja. In its later stages, it included bassist Nsilu Wabansilu, singer Fataki Lokasa, drummer Lava Machine, and others.

According to Alastair Johnston, who has documented the migration of Congolese musicians across Africa on his Muzikifan blog, both Fataki and Djo Djo had previously performed together in Tabou Nationale, which belonged to Tony Bokido. The band disbanded when Bokido relocated from Kinshasa to Mbandaka, and that’s how Djo Djo began moonlighting with Vévé before becoming a full-time member.

This was the band that produced songs such as "Banga Ngenge," "Malanda," "Melinda," "Chéri Peter," "Chéri Clara," "Dunia ya Mungu," "Kayumba," and "Kolokota." With the fluid music industry of those days, musicians listed as belonging to one band often performed with others, and vice versa.

Djo Djo later left Bana Moja for a sojourn with Les Noirs, alongside Moreno, in a band headed by veterans Chuza Kabasele, Duki Duedos, Kalembi Kajos, and others. He did several recordings with Les Noirs before returning to Kinshasa in the mid-1980s. Back home, Djo Djo joined Franco’s TPOK Jazz, where he composed the song "Aime Sans Amour." After his stint with Franco, he went on to perform with Empire Bakuba, led by the "Elephant of African Music," Pepe Kallé, where he composed the song "Nsoso ya ntongo," among many more.

In recent years, Djo Djo had been living in retirement in Kinshasa, where he battled illness. Information on the date and place of his burial is yet to be made available.

In 2017, Djo Djo placed an advertisement in a Kenyan newspaper seeking to trace a lady known as Brigette so he could bequeath her his property. He stated that the lady was his daughter, whom he had sired while in Kenya. A year later, a source intimated to Jabulani that they exchanged contacts and reunited, with the lady flying to Kinshasa to meet her father, who was unknown to her. Djo Djo was also an influential businessman and had accumulated a fortune over the years. It wasn’t immediately established if he had a family back in Kinshasa.

Burial arrangements are yet to be made public. Ikomo left a legacy as one of the superstars who greatly contributed to the music industry in the era when it was most vibrant.

By Jerome Ogola