Nganga Edo, the death of a dean of Congolese music

Text by: Sarah Tisseyre

Nganga Edo, songwriter and singer, was the last survivor of the Bantus of the capital, the most famous of Brazzaville's orchestras, which he had helped to create in 1959. Also passed by the legendary OK Jazz in Kinshasa, he shot his bow yesterday evening, Sunday June 7, at the age of 87.

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The last time he sang was to participate in a Covid-19 pandemic awareness message two months ago. Nganga Edo was a monument of Congolese independence music, a founding member of the legendary Bantu of the capital in Brazzaville.

The Bantus of the capital, the adventure of his life

Born a year before the country's independence, this group toured the continent in the years that followed, with hits like Osala Ngaï Nini , Rosalie , Comité Bantou , Masuwa . Last year, the Bantus of the capital celebrated their 60th birthday, with a new generation. Only survivor of the first hour: Nganga Edo, singer, songwriter.

A carpenter by training, he had chosen in the early 1950s to devote himself to his passion, music. First in a group called Negro Jazz, in Brazzaville, then on the other side of the river, in Kinshasa, in the legendary Tout Puissant OK Jazz, with Franco, among others. Before launching the Bantus of the capital, the adventure of his life.

Modern Congolese rumba

This means that Nganga Edo has contributed to shaping modern Congolese rumba. His life and work were the subject of a documentary broadcast last year to the Brazzavillois public, who thus had the opportunity to honor the patriarch of Congolese rumba before his death.

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• Music
• Congo Brazzaville
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Congo Brazzaville

Music: tribute to Nganga Edo, 86, the last of the Bantus in the capital