REMMY ONGALA "SURA MBAYA"

He had a face that, despite not being as ugly as he himself depicted in his 'sura mbaya' sobriquet, could neither be described as handsome because it was far from that reality.

To complete the conspicuous look, he wore dreadlocks on his head, with a few strands beaded. That was Dr Remi, the Congolese import into Tanzania, one whose music came to define Tanzania's music.

"His first wife was his music, and these other factors played a secondary role," his Belgian wife told reporters in the company of Remi's musical colleague Cosmas Tobis Chidumule, who had made a name as an astute composer and singer with the iconic DDC Mlimani Park.

It has been 14 years since Remi died in Dar es Salaam. The DRC-born musician had made Tanzania his music home, and it is in the East African country that he gained international fame, with his stage name 'Sura Mbali' evoking curiosity, oftentimes travelling before him, and making fans really wish to see how ugly the man was.

Immortalised on a bus stage on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam known as 'kwa Remi', Remi had many faces, with his spirituality and the views he held on religion evoking more curiosity than his looks. However, unlike his looks, his controversial views on religion, which sometimes took the shape of Pan-Africanism, found their way into his music.

In one of his performances in Dar es Salaam, Remi questions the authenticity of the inspiration to give African children European names while clothing them in Christian names.

In yet another documentary, Remi is heard asking Chidumule if men will be allowed to go with their girlfriends to heaven. When Chidumule clarifies that it wasn't so, Remi questions how good that heaven will be without women. Many Africans have reservations about the imported religions, but the audacity to ask is the major deficiency, which puts Dr Remi and Edge above the rest.

Maybe it was due to his birth and childhood. Maybe he was so inoculated into Africanism that he found Christianity wanting. According to his own account, his city came after several stillbirths and infant mortalities. In typical African societies, children whose predecessors die young are subjected to some rituals.

In some societies, they are abandoned by the roadside in a scripted move so that a passer-by can discover them and bring them home. That way, the demons tormenting the children of the home will not be keen on the title, as they will mistake it for an outsider.

Remi underwent similar rites, and a medicine man who was consulted over the issue advised them that he would never 'shave his death'. That's why he never shaved until the later days of his adult life when he chose to shave his trademark dreadlocks upon acquiring Christianity.

Remi also claimed to have been born with teeth in his mouth. This may not be true. It isn't strange for a musician to exaggerate a few aspects of their history to make it bizarre.

He claimed that, as opposed to his unpleasant looks, he had a 'roho safi'—a fact which many agree with. His bad looks never permeated his mannerisms; instead, they found a way into his music.

"Kifo unaua hata kipofu" (Death can't spare even the blind)

"Hata ukiwa na mali, porini hawakujui" (You are wealthy and powerful, but in the jungle, the snakes and other residents don't know you)

"Kicha ana mimba" (Even the village madman woman gets pregnant, meaning she too has a lover).

These are a few of the illustrations of how his peculiar thinking influenced his music. However, some of his acts betrayed his lines of thought.

For example, after castigating imperialism, he went to bed each night with a Belgian wife. Belgians are the very imperialists that enslaved and impoverished DRC, his motherland. In fact, the whole territory was a Leopoldville property. Literally going to bed with them would be an abomination for an anti-imperialism crusader.

It is also glaring that most Congolese expatriates who camped in Kenya, Mazembe, Mangelepa, Liwanza, etc., sang exclusively in Lingala, while those who ventured into Tanzania sang in Swahili. Maquis did it, and so did Dr Kitenzogu Makasi. Remi didn't just sing in Swahili; he mastered the language and spoke it very fluently.

His music was also largely influenced by the country's socio-political history. This is the reason he, on many occasions, ran into headwinds with the authorities, which threatened importation, but Remi reminded and even amplified his anti-government activism.

Remi managed his band, composed, sang, played the guitar, and played percussion. He was a great soul, and the music world is sure to miss him for eons to come.

By Jarome Ogola

Jabulani Radio Livestream

Next Track

Track History