Jabulani Library

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

February 13, 2025 - 04:27 PM The city streets are filled with the fragrance of fresh roses because all spaces adjacent to the busy streets have been converted into makeshift flower shops. Hotels are advertising special offers for couples, and gift shops are abuzz with activities, all because love is in the air, and soon it will be Valentine's. February 14 is marked globally as a day of lovers. Although this tradition, with roots in the ancient Roman Empire, hadn't gained much traction in Africa until recently, it is now observed even in remote villages, where it is not strange to find the local grocer selling plastic roses. On Valentine's Day of 1949, a major development happened in the port city of Matadi, when......

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

February 10, 2025 - 07:23 PM The Story of Hugh Masekela, The South African Jazz Hero With no less than 40 albums to his name, all world-class jazz classics, and having had musical engagements with leading American superstars, Harry Belafonte, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder among others can only mean one thing that Hugh Masekela, the South African Jazz maestro was a global music titan. Hugh was a master of trumpet, with extraordinary skills, but it would be grossly inaccurate to restrict the narration on who he was to his prowess in music. He was also an anti-apartheid crusader, with immense contribution to the struggle for liberation in a country where day-to-day life was defined by racial......

MBOTELA, KENYA’S VETERAN BROADCAST JOURNALIST DIES IN NAIROBI

February 08, 2025 - 09:56 AM In the mid-morning of 7th February 2025, news outlets were awash with sad news. The patriarch of broadcast journalism in Kenya, Leonard Mambo Mbotela had breathed his last at Nairobi Hospital, where he had been admitted for treatment. The octogenarian who had an illustrious career at KBC/VOK for over six decades died at around 9.30 a.m., according to his nephew Anne Mbotela. News of his death spread fast and furious with Kenyans mourning him across several social media platforms, as a man whose authoritative voice defined radio broadcasting in the country, through football commentary and his all-time popular program 'Je, Huu Ni Ungwana', which castigated people of uncouth......

BOUKAKA, THE MUSICIAN WHO ALSO WORE AN ACTIVISM CAP

February 06, 2025 - 08:47 AM Sporadic sounds of gunfire pierced through the tranquil night of Brazzaville on 22nd February 1972, with noise gaining crescendo with every passing minute as dawn approached. When morning finally came reluctantly, the information had already spread that there had been an attempted coup d’etat against the government of Marien Ngouabi, who had been Republic of Congo president since 1968.However, forces loyal to the incumbent thwarted the attempt, with the military capturing the dissidents. Among those listed as arrested was Franklin Boukaka, a musician who had made a name for himself both in Brazzaville and Kinshasa and was one of the musical superstars of the time. In a strange twist......

JOHNY BOKELO: A SCION OF A MUSICALLY RICH FAMILY

February 03, 2025 - 05:33 PM Are musicians born or made? Any attempt to Respond to this question in the context of Congolese rumba; is likely to land you at the doorstep of the Isenge family. This is for the reason that this is easily the largest musical family in the history of the genre. The Isenge octad, comprising eight musical superstars, compares well and even surpasses "The Jackson’s five" of the USA, Mushrooms quintet, sons of Kaloleni Giriama in Kenya, and even the six musical children of Dorcas, popularly known as Bana Kadori, of Kenyan benga, whose patriarch was Ochieng’ Kabaselle. For the Jacksons, the youngest star shone the brightest, while for Mushrooms and the Kadori, it was the eldest, but......

M’PONGO, ANOTHER SHINING STARLET FROM THE COUNTRY OF MUSICAL GODS

January 30, 2025 - 03:36 PM She was a breathtaking beauty and had a charming persona and an infectious voice. Maybe God was compensating for her physical inadequacies brought about by polio, which denied her a straight posture and a brisk walk. The gorgeous smile on her face endeared her to fans, making her music addictive, thus cultivating loyalty among her fans.It wasn’t just that. A cocktail of other factors catapulted her to fame. Other incidental happenings acted as the wind that blew air into the embers that flared up the flames of her success. In Congolese rumba, rivalry is a known catalyst for creativity, as exemplified by Franco’s double-barreled shots of ‘chicotte’ and ‘course......

BIOGRAPHY OF QUATRE ETOILES (FOUR STARS).

January 29, 2025 - 06:46 PM The Quatre Etoiles is a Congolese rumba band, formed in 1982. It was composed of the following members;Bopol Mansiamina (born Kinshasa, June 27, 1949; bass, guitar), Syran M'Benza (born Kinshasa, May 31, 1950; guitar), Nyboma Mwan Dido (born Nyoki, Congo-Kinshasa, Dec. 24, 1952; vocal), Wuta Mayi (born Kinshasa, Aug. 3, 1949; vocal).The Quatre Etoiles came together in Paris in 1982 under the auspices of producer Ouattara Moumouni. Bopol and Syran had been working on and off in Paris ever since the African All-Stars split up in 1979. At their urging, former Bella Bella singer Nyboma left Togo, where he had been working with other remnants of the All Stars, and moved to Paris at the beginning......

IS VICKY LONGOMBA CONGOLESE RUMBA GREATEST VOICE?

January 24, 2025 - 05:00 AM When enumerating the families in Congolese music, the Longombas occupy a prime position among the most prominent, in the league of the Isenge siblings and the sons of Lola along with his siblings. The Longombas comprise OKJ and African Jazz singer Vicky Longomba, Viva La Musica and Loketo drummer Albert Willam Longomba aka Awilo, Super Mazembe singer Lovy Longomba, and the Longomba siblings of the Nairobi who did contemporary hip hop. Vicky Longomba is the patriarch of this music lineage. Born on 13th December 1932, Vicky is the fourth musician in the hierarchical ranking of the Brussels sextet, after Grand Kalle, Dr Nico, Dechaud Mwamba, and Roger Izeidi. Vicky was a wonderful singer......

THE MUTUASHI QUEEN'S REIGN EXTENDS BEYOND HER DEATH

January 23, 2025 - 10:15 AM It has been two years since the Queen of Mutuashi, Tshala Muana, breathed her last in a hospital in Kinshasa, where she had been admitted. Her death marked the end of an illustrious career that lasted three decades and saw her become a celebrity not just in her home country, the DRC, but across the continent. Although DRC has had a galaxy of women musicians, from the days of Pauline Lisanga at Loningisa studios in 1952 to the era of Marcel Ebibya, Lucy Eyenga, and the generation of Mbilia Bell, and even those who came after her, like Cindy Le Coeur, Tshala Muana's contribution to Congolese music stands out for several reasons. She is the face of Mutwashi. She did not invent the dance, but......

A GLIMPSE OF PAPA NOEL'S MUSICAL JOURNEY

January 23, 2025 - 09:00 AM "Simplify it," Franco suggested persuasively."We have a long list of songs to rehearse," The late Grand Maitre Luambo had descended a floor down the Un-Deux-Trois building, from the UMUZA office to the ground floor where the band was practising, to intervene. At the time, Grand Maitre Luambo headed UMUZA, the musician's association, as such it was headquartered at his club, Un-Deux-Trois, which housed his orchestra, OK Jazz.From his offices one floor up, he had heard the band guitarists mark time, struggling to master some jazz chords that had been introduced to them by Papa Noel, who insisted that they had to master.Franco, himself being an astute guitarist who manoeuvered the......

Jabulani Library

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

MBOTELA, KENYA’S VETERAN BROADCAST JOURNALIST DIES IN NAIROBI

BOUKAKA, THE MUSICIAN WHO ALSO WORE AN ACTIVISM CAP

JOHNY BOKELO: A SCION OF A MUSICALLY RICH FAMILY

M’PONGO, ANOTHER SHINING STARLET FROM THE COUNTRY OF MUSICAL GODS

BIOGRAPHY OF QUATRE ETOILES (FOUR STARS).

IS VICKY LONGOMBA CONGOLESE RUMBA GREATEST VOICE?

THE MUTUASHI QUEEN'S REIGN EXTENDS BEYOND HER DEATH

A GLIMPSE OF PAPA NOEL'S MUSICAL JOURNEY

News

Jabulani Library (236)

Artist Spotlight (23)

Editor's Choice (17)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (43)

Jabulani News Archive (22)

Music Lyrics (52)

Playlists (4)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (22)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (24)

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

Jabulani Library

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

MBOTELA, KENYA’S VETERAN BROADCAST JOURNALIST DIES IN NAIROBI

BOUKAKA, THE MUSICIAN WHO ALSO WORE AN ACTIVISM CAP

JOHNY BOKELO: A SCION OF A MUSICALLY RICH FAMILY

M’PONGO, ANOTHER SHINING STARLET FROM THE COUNTRY OF MUSICAL GODS

BIOGRAPHY OF QUATRE ETOILES (FOUR STARS).

IS VICKY LONGOMBA CONGOLESE RUMBA GREATEST VOICE?

THE MUTUASHI QUEEN'S REIGN EXTENDS BEYOND HER DEATH

A GLIMPSE OF PAPA NOEL'S MUSICAL JOURNEY

News

Jabulani Library (236)

Artist Spotlight (23)

Editor's Choice (17)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (43)

Jabulani News Archive (22)

Music Lyrics (52)

Playlists (4)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (22)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (24)

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

Livestream