Kasongo Wa Kanema: Congolese musician who could sing both in Kiswahili, French and Lingala

He was an articulate singer, composer and a vocalist of great repute who sang in three international languages - Kiswahili, French and Lingala in Kenya and Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo).

His work spoke volumes of the complexities of the music industry. He was a team player who was perfect in his compositions and while on stage shows.

And in some of his compositions, he sang in two languages like most Congolese musicians who have lived in Kenya and Tanzania who are equally fluent in Kiswahili dialect.

In other compositions, he purely sang either in Lingala or French.

And that’s how the celebrated Congolese musician Kasongo wa Kanema juggled through his work while performing with Orchestra Super Mazembe to emerge as one of the most popular musical outfits in Kenya in the seventies and eighties.

He was a prominent artiste in the East African rhumba and was renowned for the big hits Shauri Yako and Kakolele Viva Christmas, among others.

Kasongo Wa Kanema was an icon who tutored many musicians, including Disco Longwa and Maurice Kasongo whom they performed with in the same band in his career.

He relocated to Kenya from DRC in 1974 with the band, which made Nairobi to be their permanent home since then.

From then on,  Orchestra Super Mazembe performed most of their shows in Nairobi with a few trips around the country in the main cities of Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa.

As a team player, Kasongo Wa Kanema had a strong bond with Longwa Didos, the leader of the band (Super Mazembe), who recruited him from Baba Gaston's Baba Nationale band into this outfit.

Kasongo also worked with other notable musicians including Jimmy Kanyinda, Kashala Majita and John Ngereza (Before he moved to Les Wanyika) while with Baba Nationale. 

His musical prowess and dedication to his craft are well-documented.

The artiste’s calmness and sobriety set him apart from some of his musical peers in the fight for top honours.

Kasongo Wa Kanema is reported to have had good working relationships with his mentor Longwa Didos.

As a young musician, he was always destined for bigger things beyond the confines of Congolese music unlike his rhumba musical peers who only concentrated their efforts in a small area.

In 1978, Super Mazembe took East Africa by storm after the release of the Kasongo song in 1977.

“That was a popular song that over the years has been the backbone in the popularity of the musical outfit besides other songs composed and sung by the band,” said veteran rhumba fan Jacob ‘Papa Na Pele’ Owiyo.

Owiyo who’s a friend to many rhumba artistes in the region and globally confirmed that Orchestra Super Mazembe so far has only three surviving members after the demise of Kasongo Wa Kanema on April 14, 2020.

They are Disco Longwa, Abdalla Majow Maduley and Loboko Bua Mangala.

Disco Longwa, the son of Didos Longwa Muntokole, is the band leader of Bana Mazembe, an off-shoot of Orchestra Super Mazembe, which is still performing in different clubs in Nairobi while Maduley relocated to the United States of America.

Currently, Loboko is the band leader of Orchestra Super Mazembe.

“This band (Mazembe) is till strong and has lots of attraction,” said media personality and rhumba television presenter Mfumu Kimbangu.

Kimbangu said the sky is the limit for the veteran band.

The rhumba fraternity celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Kasongo Wa Kanema, the popular love song Kasongo composed in 1977 by the legendary composer Alley Katele is still on the lips of the ardent band’s fans.

They fondly remember the artiste with other popular songs including Kakolele Viva Christmas track, which was another great 1979 hit after Shauri Yako.

Kasongo hit is possibly the most liked song of the legendary band.

As a supreme tenor vocalist, perhaps the best in East Africa, Wa Kanema was an integral cog of the Super Mazembe band.

He was a gifted manager who was lucky to have high-ranking musicians like Disco Longwa, Maurice Kasongo and the Longombas like Lovy, among others.

Jacob ‘Papa Na Pele’ Owiyo described Kasongo as a talented musician whose contribution to the Kenyan music industry was great.

“He was a talented artiste whose value to the local artistes was great in terms of compositions and talents search for the number of years he served and lived in kenya,” said Owiyo.

Kasongo was always keen to share musical discoveries on the air.

He died at the age of 73 on April 14, 2020, after a battle with high blood pressure that later culminated in a stroke.

He served Super Mazembe for four decades as a guitarist, singer and song composer.

Its popularity resulted in the song being treated as a national anthem on the lips of many Lingala fans.

He died in the process of recording his new 10-track album which was done in pure Rumba style.

The late Kasongo was among the last four surviving Super Mazembe band members that initially had ten artistes

Kasongo left his Kenyan widow and six children.