Le Super Borgou de Parakou was the brainchild of Moussa Mama, who, having w… Read Full Bio ↴Le Super Borgou de Parakou was the brainchild of Moussa Mama, who, having worked as a goldsmith in neighbouring Accra and Ghana in the 1950s, returned to Benin with a wealth of musical ideas, and a progressive vision to meld these sounds into his collective troupe.
Mama and Menou Roch, Orchestre Super Bourgou (as they are also known) co-founder and guitarist, found themselves with a platform to provide cutting social commentary on the socio-economic ills and rampant inequalities they saw around them. The group became regulars at the Congolaise bar, where they caught the attention of the founders of Benin’s most influential record label, Albarika Store (Orchestre Super Bourgou were the label’s first EP release) and this is the first widely circulated document of this chapter in Northern Benin’s rich musical history.