Last weekend, Kenya's lakeside town of Kisumu was to experience a rare spectacle in a music extravaganza that was to feature two of the DRC's most iconic music bands: Quartier Latin of Kofi Olomide and Zaiko Langa Langa of N'Yoka Longo. Kisumu, a town that sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, is an epicentre of the evolution of Kenya's most dominant music genre, benga. It prides itself on a thriving entertainment industry, with dozens of bands performing in numerous venues. News of such big names visiting was bound to excite fans, especially bearing in mind that few major artists have visited the town since 1986, when the concrete wall blocking Franco from his fans had to be brought down.
However, Kofi Olomide's performance left fans disappointed after the superstar climbed onto the stage later than expected and lip-synced his songs—an act that contradicted their expectations of a live performance with his entire band. This confusion was attributed to organisational inadequacies. At least Zaiko delivered what had been anticipated.
The two bands are among the longest-surviving bands from the DRC. Zaiko Langa Langa, whose name is an acronym for Zaire Ya Bankoko (Zaire of the ancestors), came into existence in 1969 and is credited with revolutionising Congolese rumba. The death of the horn section, comprising the clarinet, trumpets, and saxophone, is attributed to Zaiko Langa Langa, and so is the birth of the atalaku and sebene sections, whose inclusion meant an increase in tempo and the addition of keyboards and synthesizers.
The resultant sound was known as cavacha, a third-generation subgenre that mutated into the famous soukous. This was an anti-climax in showmanship, which became the new direction for Congolese music and defined entertainment for subsequent generations.
On the other hand, Quartier Latin, Kofi Olomide's band, came into existence in 1986. As Zaiko marks 55 years of existence as a top Congolese band, Kofi's Quartier Latin marks 38 years. These are remarkable achievements because most Congolese bands do not survive to celebrate their 10th anniversaries.
Bands like African Jazz, Negro Success, African Fiesta Sukisa, Bella Bella, Lipua Lipua, and many others didn’t survive long enough to mark their 20th anniversaries. As such, hitting the 38-year mark for Quartier Latin and 55 years for Zaiko is a rare feat.
However, while little is known about N'Yoka Longo before he joined Pepe Manuaku Waku, Bimi Ombale, Papa Wemba, Teddy Sukami, and others to create Zaiko, Koffi's background can be traced with accuracy. He debuted in music after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Economics from Bordeaux and a master's from Paris, by joining Viva La Musica of Papa Wemba in 1974. His primary role in the band was as a singer and composer.
A point of convergence is that both pioneers have created subgenres. While captcha, a name coined from the onomatopoeic sound made by a train wagon, is attributed to Zaiko, Koffi equally created tcha-tcho, a variant of soukous that was slower in pace and a little different from the techno soukous that sold the dance style known as ndombolo.
That's not all. Both bands have birthed big names. Fally Ipupa and Ferre both served under Koffi Olomide at one point, while Zaiko has produced a litany of big names, including from the days when it was known as Orchestra Zaiko. These ensembles include Zaiko Langa Langa, Zaiko Familia Dei, Choc Stars, Anti Choc, Viva La Musica, Langa Langa Stars, Isife Lokole, Yoka Lokole, and many others. The two bands also have one of the largest discographies, running into the hundreds.
Regarding their personal differences: while Koffi has a flamboyant persona and often courts controversy, N'Yoka Longo is a soft-spoken musician. It wasn't long ago that Koffi was unceremoniously kicked out of Kenya for molesting a female dancer at the airport. On the other hand, no major controversy involving N'Yoka Longo is remembered, either in Kenya or abroad.
Thus, when the two appeared at the Kisumu festival, history was written and amended in many ways. The names Zaiko Langa Langa and Quartier Latin undoubtedly have a heavy impact on the town and its music scene.
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