Africa isn’t just about war, poverty, famine, and humanitarian crises, as often depicted by the international media. Africa is also a story of a people bound by kinship, deeply in love with their culture, whose story is better narrated through art than documentaries, and whose resilience is self-evident in their history.
Not many artists have had the opportunity to showcase the continent’s capabilities to a global audience. However, deep in western Cameroon, a woman of the Douala tribe gave birth to a child who would help rewrite the history of Africa.
On December 12, 1933, Emmanuel N’Djoke Dibango, later known as Manu Dibango, was born. He grew up in his father’s native home in the Yabassi escarpment and had early interactions with religion as a member of the Protestant Church, which instilled in him a love for music.
He enrolled in a local school, and by the time he was 15, he was sent to Paris to further his education. While abroad, Dibango was captivated by music at a young age. He learned the piano and began spending more time with musicians rather than focusing on his studies, the very reason he had been sent abroad.
This infuriated his parents back home, prompting them to reduce the financial support they had been sending for his upkeep. As a result, young Dibango had to immerse himself in music, not just as a passion but as a means of survival. He earned a tidy sum backing up musicians on the piano.
In 1953, Dibango had his first encounter with what would become the love of his life, the saxophone. He learned and perfected his skills using an instrument borrowed from a friend who was equally impressed by his zeal and thirst for success.
In the late 1960s, Dibango moved to Brussels to further his music career. There, he coincidentally met Grand Kallé, also known as Joseph Kabaselle of African Jazz, the most popular and fully professional band from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the time. Grand Kallé took this talented son of Africa back to the continent and gave him the opportunity to join African Jazz as a saxophonist.
Dibango had several engagements within the music scene in Kinshasa and Brazzaville. He was responsible for arranging and playing the saxophone in many of Franklin Boukaka’s songs.
The man with the hearty laughter worked in several ensembles, both in the studio and in concerts, performing in his native Cameroon, Kinshasa, Paris, and Brussels. His innovative nature led him to experiment with various musical elements, fusing traditional funk with jazz and ultimately creating a completely new genre.
His 1972 hit "Soul Makossa" marked the birth of Afro-jazz. The song, which became wildly popular, is believed to have inspired Michael Jackson’s "Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’" from the "Thriller" album. "Soul Makossa" sold millions of copies in the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
Dibango even took Michael Jackson to court over copyright infringement, but the issue was settled amicably out of court.
Manu Dibango was among the first prominent casualties of COVID-19. He passed away on March 19, 2020, in Paris. The news of his death was made public by his daughter, Liza Mornet, who stated that he had succumbed to the dreaded pandemic. His passing made him the second prominent African musician to die of the virus after singer Aurlus Mabélé.
At 86, Manu Dibango was powerful and continued to perform full-length concerts. His love for smoking seemed not to have affected his health, as he played the saxophone flawlessly, a task requiring strong lung capacity, the very organ most affected by smoking.
He was also one of the few musicians to document their musical journeys in writing. Manu authored an autobiography, "Trois Kilos de Café" (Three Kilos of Coffee), which details his life and musical journey. The title was inspired by an early trip abroad when he carried three kilos of coffee for his adopted family, introducing them to the rich taste of African coffee.
Fortunately, he continued to share Africa’s essence with the world, ensuring a steady supply of music infused with African heritage. He left behind a rich discography of more than 30 albums and over 300 songs.
By Jerome Ogola
Your Home of African Tunes
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