Lokua Kanza is a singer, songwriter, and composer from the Democratic Repub… Read Full Bio ↴Lokua Kanza is a singer, songwriter, and composer from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the greater Congo). He is known for his soulful, folksy sound, which is atypical of the dancefloor friendly soukous music that is common in Congo.

Lokua Kanza was born Pascal Lokua Kanza in 1958 in Bukavu, in the province of Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the eldest of eight children, with a Mongo father and a Tutsi mother from Rwanda. In 1964, the family went to live in Kinshasa (Congo's capital) in a middle class area, until the day when Pascal's father, a ship's captain, died. His mother then moved to a much poorer area of the city, and Lokua, the eldest, had to work to feed the family. He therefore went to school part time, and took odd jobs, as well as singing in churches. Lokua Kanza sings in French, Lingala, and English.

Meu Amor
Lokua Kanza Lyrics

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Ndoto eh ndoto eh
Katya butu - nakoti lola
mitungisi na ngai - nionso pe esili
Nazali kopepa - likolo ya punda
minzoto pembeni na ngai ekoseka

tongo etani ngai na kati ya bwale
nzoka nde nionso wana ezalaki se ndoto

Meu Amor

eza ndoto ngai naleki yo Meu Amor
oh oh oh eza ndoto ngai naleki yo Meu Amor

pasi eleki nakoti zamba
eloko oyo ndoto eza nde bozoba
okomitungisama nionso se pamba
po ba pasi na yo na molimo eleki
tongo etani ngai na kati ya bwale
nzoka nde nionso wana ezalaki se ndoto

Meu Amor

Ezalaki se ndoto ya pamba eh
ndoto ndoto bozoba

Meu Amor

eza ndoto
Meu Amor
eh ndoto

Voix parlèe
ndoto ezalaki se ndoto
tongo etani bapasi na ngai ninso ezongi

ngai na kati ya bwale
nzoka nde nionso wana ezalaki se ndoto

Meu Amor

eza ndoto

yo Meu Amor
ezalaki se ndoto

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lokua Kanza's "Meu Amor" are in Lingala with occasional lines in French, so the translation can be somewhat challenging. The song opens with the repetition of the word "ndoto" which means "dream" in Swahili. The singer then goes on to describe a dream they had about their lover, reminiscing about how they used to dance together in the past, and describing their longing to be reunited. The lyrics are somewhat abstract and poetic, with descriptions of snakes and other imagery that seems to be symbolic.

The chorus repeats the phrase "Meu Amor" which means "my love" in Portuguese, and is a nod to the musician's Angolan heritage. The dream motif continues throughout the song, with the singer emphasizing how much they long to be reunited with their lover, and how much their love means to them. The song ends with a spoken-word interlude, where the singer continues to describe the dream they had, and how it felt like reality.

The lyrics to "Meu Amor" are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about the power of love and how it can transcend time and distance. The dream motif is used to emphasize the singer's longing for their lover, and the repetition of the phrase "Meu Amor" underscores the depth of emotion they feel. The song has a melancholy yet hopeful tone, with the singer expressing both their sadness at being apart from their love, and their faith that they will one day be reunited.

Line by Line Meaning

Ndoto eh ndoto eh
Dreams, oh dreams

Katya butu - nakoti lola
Silent night - I'm sitting alone

mitungisi na ngai - nionso pe esili
My thoughts - everything is calm

Nazali kopepa - likolo ya punda
I'm on the edge - the world is spinning

minzoto pembeni na ngai ekoseka
The worries beside me are laughing

tongo etani ngai na kati ya bwale
I'm standing in the middle of the forest

nzoka nde nionso wana ezalaki se ndoto
Where even the snakes all seemed like dreams

Meu Amor
My love

eza ndoto ngai naleki yo Meu Amor
This dream I'm calling you, my love

oh oh oh eza ndoto ngai naleki yo Meu Amor
Oh, oh, oh, this dream I'm calling you, my love

pasi eleki nakoti zamba
The wind blows softly