He has collaborated with many musicians, including Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Sly and Robbie. In 1998 he recored the album CubAfrica with Cuban artist Eliades Ochoa .
His Soul Makossa is often considered the first disco record (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). Prominent and loved by his country, he just celebrated his 50th musical anniversary in Cameroon, where he was greatly supported by the wife of the president of Cameroon.
Manu Dibango was the sole African who exposed African traditional music to the western world. His style took the world by storm when the American superstar, Michael Jackson took Manu's Soul Makossa which featured in Jackson's album in You wanna be startin' Something.[i/] This same hit today vibrates the music chart which featuresAkon. Obviously, Jackson lost the suit and had to pay the African Saxophonist for Damage.
He has influenced so much Africans and buyam sellam has been modeled in an eclassified. cameroon jobs,accomodation, www.buyamsellam.org
Ongele Mba
Manu Dibango Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Biso na oe
Di tano nde ka ndoti
Nasi ta na
Nala o wone
Esi be oa o mbason
Souviens toi mi min'a
On vivait notre amour
Nde oa o yombo pe ka kiloki
O boba mba na lunga mukuti
Nde son na son ndola ngo n'alo nde
Ka eyadi ewedi
Ngoe kumwa walene mo etum
Ekumwa potise mo ke mbape ne o wo
Na Mbembe
Na keki damea mo na misudi miso
Na si wa di
Na sontane so na bolone oa e titi
Pe njom a kuma misodi
Ongele mi min'a
Ndul'a su etimbi sonje
Souvient toi ma mim'a
Mi mim'a n'oublie jamaisOa Nu ta na mba o bo bunya bwa ndutu eehh
Ongèlè mba o munyengè eehh yo oohh Sè mbana Oa (oa) Nu ta na mba o bo
Bunya bwa ndutu eehh Ongèlè mba o munyengè eehh yo oohh
Munyèngè na ndutu eehhh Nika nde nyé ndongo lasu eehh O wasé wan iihh
-MbaAyo oohh Munyènguè na ndutu eehhh
Nika nde nyé ndongo lasu eehh O wasé wan iihh
The lyrics of Manu Dibango's song Ongele Mba express a sentiment of nostalgia and remembrance of a past relationship. The song's narrator is speaking to their former lover, urging them to remember the beautiful moments they shared together when they were young and carefree. They recall how they lived their love without any thought of the future, but now they find themselves in a different place. The line "Nde oa o yombo pe ka kiloki" translates to "Now we are in a bind we cannot escape," indicating that something has changed and their love is no longer possible.
The song's chorus, "Ongele mi min'a, ndul'a su etimbi sonje," means "Remember my love, and let's dance to the music again." The phrase "ongele mba" means "come and dance" in the Duala language of Cameroon, combining nostalgic sentiment with a call to action. The song concludes with an expression of hope that they will one day meet again and dance together once more.
Overall, Ongele Mba is a poignant and reflective song that captures the essence of lost love and the desire to catch a glimpse of its magic once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Ongele mi min'a
Remember me, my love
Biso na oe
We were together
Di tano nde ka ndoti
We were living our love without thinking about tomorrow
Nasi ta na
We were happy
Nala o wone
Until the moment when
Esi be oa o mbason
The world started to turn around and things changed
Souviens toi mi min'a
Remember me, my love
On vivait notre amour
We were living our love
Sans penser a demain
Without thinking about tomorrow
Nde oa o yombo pe ka kiloki
Until it was too late to go back
O boba mba na lunga mukuti
I'm lost in my own thoughts
Nde son na son ndola ngo n'alo nde
And I don't know where I am going
Ka eyadi ewedi
When everything is confused
Ngoe kumwa walene mo etum
I drink to forget
Ekumwa potise mo ke mbape ne o wo
I drink until I can't feel anymore
Na Mbembe
In Mbembe
Na keki damea mo na misudi miso
With the women, the dances, the songs
Na si wa di
And the joy
Na sontane so na bolone oa e titi
Until the sun rises and sets again
Pe njom a kuma misodi
But in my heart, I'm still crying
Ndul'a su etimbi sonje
I hear the drums in my head
Souvient toi ma mim'a
Remember me, my love
Mi mim'a n'oublie jamais
Don't forget me, ever
Oa Nu ta na mba o bo bunya bwa ndutu eehh
We were happy, dancing to the sound of the drums
Ongèlè mba o munyengè eehh yo oohh Sè mbana Oa (oa) Nu ta na mba o bo
Remember me, my love, let's dance to the sound of the drums again
Bunya bwa ndutu eehh Ongèlè mba o munyengè eehh yo oohh
The sound of the drums, remember me, my love, let's dance again
Munyèngè na ndutu eehhh Nika nde nyé ndongo lasu eehh O wasé wan iihh
The drums are beating, the night is dark, and I'm lost
-MbaAyo oohh Munyènguè na ndutu eehhh
And I can only hear the drums
Nika nde nyé ndongo lasu eehh O wasé wan iihh
The night is dark and I'm lost
Writer(s): manu dibango
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.