During his career, Tabu Ley composed up to 3,000 songs and produced 250 albums.
Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu was born in Bagata, in the then Belgian Congo. His musical career took off in 1956 when he sung with Joseph "Le Grand Kallé" Kabasele, and his band L'African Jazz. After finishing high school he joined the band as a full-time musician. Tabu Ley sang in the pan-African hit Indépendance Cha Cha which was composed by Grand Kallé for Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960, propelling Tabu Ley to instant fame. He remained with African Jazz until 1963 when he and Dr Nico Kasanda formed their own group, African Fiesta.[6] Two years later, Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico split and Tabu Ley formed African Fiesta National, also known as African Fiesta Flash. The group became one of the most successful bands in African history, recording African classics like Afrika Mokili Mobimba, and surpassing record sales of one million copies by 1970. Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana were among the many influential musicians that were part of the group. He adopted the stage name "Rochereau" after the French General Pierre Denfert-Rochereau, whose name he liked and whom he had studied in school.
In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International, Afrisa being a combination of Africa and Éditions Isa, his record label. Along with Franco Luambo's TPOK Jazz, Afrisa was now one of Africa's greatest bands. They recorded hits such as "Sorozo", "Kaful Mayay", "Aon Aon", and "Mose Konzo". They performed also at the Zaire 74 and therefore are in the documentary film Soul Power.
In the mid 1980s Tabu Ley discovered a young talented singer and dancer, M'bilia Bel, who helped popularise his band further. M'bilia Bel became the first female soukous singer to gain acclaim throughout Africa. Tabu Ley and M'bilia Bel later married and had one child together. In 1988 Tabu Ley introduced another female vocalist known as Faya Tess, and M'bilia Bel left and continued to be successful on her own. After M'bilia Bel's departure, Afrisa's influence along with that of their rivals TPOK Jazz continued to wane as fans gravitated toward the faster version of soukous.
After the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko regime in the Congo, he adopted the name "Tabu Ley" as part of Mobutu's "Zairization" of the country, but later went into exile in France in 1988.
In 1985, the Government of Kenya banned all foreign music from the National Radio service. After Tabu Ley composed the song "Twende Nairobi" ("Let's go to Nairobi"), sung by M'bilia Bel, in praise of Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, the ban was promptly lifted. In the early 1990s he briefly settled in Southern California. He began to tailor his music towards an International audience by including more English lyrics and by increasing more international dance styles such as Samba. He found success with the release of albums such as Muzina, Exil Ley, Africa worldwide and Babeti soukous. The Mobutu regime banned his 1990 album "Trop, C'est Trop" as subversive. In 1996, Tabu Ley participated in the album Gombo Salsa by the salsa music project Africando. The song "Paquita" from that album is a remake of a song that he recorded in the late 1960s with African Fiesta.
When Mobutu was deposed in 1997, Tabu Ley returned to Kinshasa and took up a position as a cabinet minister in the government of new President Laurent Kabila. Following Kabila's death, Tabu Ley then joined the appointed transitional parliament created by Joseph Kabila, until it was dissolved following the establishment of the inclusive transitional institutions. In November 2005 Tabu Ley was appointed Vice-Governor of Kinshasa, a position devolved to his party, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) by the 2002 peace agreements. He also served as provincial minister of culture. In 2008, he was said to have fathered up to 102 children, including the French rapper Youssoupha, with different women.
He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history." He was dubbed "the African Elvis" by the Los Angeles Times.
Tabu Ley Rochereau died on 30 November 2013, aged 76, at Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels, Belgium where he had been undergoing treatment for a stroke he suffered in 2008. He was buried on 9 December 2013 in the Cimetière Acropolic de la N'sele in Kinshasa, DR Congo, after receiving an official mourning ceremony at the Palais du Peuple.
Congo Avenir
Tabu Ley Rochereau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mboka yango mokengeli koy, mboka yango mokengeli léopard.
Mikolo to sekelaki na mosolo ya mboka congo ekoki
To fonkwani miso lelo to moni buzoba nioso to sali.
Yo ako bongisa congo avenir ebongo to sala, ebongo to sala,
Moto nioso ata mwana, congo ya mosolo pembe ya nzoko,
Mikolo to sekelaki na mosolo ya mboka congo ekoki
To fonkwani miso lelo to moni buzoba nioso to sali.
Oyo ako bongisa congo avenir ebongo to sala, ebongo to sala,
Moto nioso ata mwana, congo ya mosolo pembe ya nzoko,
Congo ya bwania kasa ya mbila, congo ya makasi moto ya koy.
Congo, congo nde mboka, congo mboka ya ba koko;
Congo boko mona pamba lobi boko lula yango;
Congo, congo y'africa, congo mboka ya kitoko;
Congo ya batu mayele, congo bako bikisa yo;
Congo, congo nde mboka, congo mboka ya ba koko;
Congo boko mona pamba, lobi boko lula yango;
Congo bana bazali ko yekola, congo bako bikisa yo
Congo, congo ya ba koko, congo, congo nde mboka;
Congo, congo nde mboka, congo oooh, mboka ya ba koko ooooh.
End.
The lyrics of Tabu Ley Rochereau's song Congo Avenir paint a beautiful picture of the potential of the Congo as a nation, its rich cultural heritage and the aspirations of its people for a brighter future. The opening lines of the song, "Congo, congo nde mboka, Mboka yango mokengeli koy, mboka yango mokengeli leopard," which roughly translates to "Congo, Congo is the homeland, where the elephant and the leopard rule supreme," reflects the richness of the natural resources of the country, and the power of the Congolese people.
The song goes on to highlight the challenges facing the country, citing the need for unity, strength, and resilience to overcome obstacles that threaten the progress of the nation. "Mikolo to sekelaki na mosolo ya mboka Congo ekoki, To fonkwani miso lelo to moni buzoba nioso to sali," which means, "Yesterday we lamented the state of our country Congo, but today we raise our heads high and pledge to work together to build a better future," is a call to action for the people of Congo to come together and work towards a shared vision for their country.
The chorus of the song, "Yo ako bongisa congo avenir ebongo to sala, ebongo to sala, Moto nioso ata mwana, congo ya mosolo pembe ya nzoko, Congo ya bwana kasa ya mbila, congo ya makasi moto ya koy," which translates to, "He who loves Congo, the future we will save, we will save, We are all the children of Congo, the country of ivory, Congo of the powerful roar, Congo of our strong people," serves as a reminder to the Congolese people to love their country and work towards a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Congo, congo nde mboka,
Congo, Congo is our home, our land
Mboka yango mokengeli koy, mboka yango mokengeli léopard.
This land is guarded by the eagle and the leopard
Mikolo to sekelaki na mosolo ya mboka congo ekoki
Yesterday we were struggling to see a future for Congo
To fonkwani miso lelo to moni buzoba nioso to sali.
We cried then and swore to make things right
Yo ako bongisa congo avenir ebongo to sala, ebongo to sala,
Whoever wants a bright future for Congo should join us, let us walk together
Moto nioso ata mwana, congo ya mosolo pembe ya nzoko,
Every one of us, young and old, is responsible for building a peaceful Congo
Congo ya bwana kasa ya mbila, congo ya makasi moto ya koy.
Our Congo, rich in culture and resources, belongs to its people
Congo, congo nde mboka, congo mboka ya ba koko;
Congo, Congo is our home, our land
Congo boko mona pamba lobi boko lula yango;
We'll clean it up and make it bloom
Congo, congo y'africa, congo mboka ya kitoko;
Congo is part of Africa, a beautiful land
Congo ya batu mayele, congo bako bikisa yo;
It belongs to its strong and resilient people
Congo bana bazali ko yekola, congo bako bikisa yo
Let all of us work together to develop and grow Congo
Congo oooh, mboka ya ba koko ooooh.
Congo, our homeland
Writer(s): tabu ley rochereau
Contributed by Sophia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexander LUOBA
on Sacramento
My best song of all time, I really appreciate the Legend Tabu
Adam
on Monsieur Malonga
Can anyone share lyrics for Monsieur Malonga?
I love how this song sounds and would really like to know what it's about. Thanks in advance!
Tony Menzies
on Kimakango Mpe Libala
I would really love to get the lyrics for Aon Aon. It's been a long time favourite of mine. From the 'Dance d'Afrique' LP's