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Kenya: Born in the 1970's, Mangelepa Bandsmen Still Going Strong
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The Nation (Nairobi)
4 August 2007
Posted to the web 6 August 2007
Tim Kamuzu Banda
Nairobi
When a list of the top five music groups in Kenya are compiled, it is highly unlikely that Les Mangelepa would be left out of the roll of honour.
For the older generation of Kenyans, the mention of the name Mangelepa brings back memories of a golden era of East African music when fans would flock to Nairobi's Uhuru Park, Garden Square, Tents Club and Park Inn. Even for people born in the 1980s and after, hits like Embakasi, Nyako Konya and Maindusa definitely make the list of songs they fondly refer to as classic rhumba of East Africa.
The familiar story of Les Mangalepa started in the 1960s when, as members of Baba Gaston's band in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they led the exodus of musicians from the conflict-torn country into Eastern Africa, via Tanzania and on to Nairobi.
Striking out on their own, they played their first gig as Les Mangalepa at Park Inn, Nairobi, in July 1976.
The name was corrupted from the French marquez le pas, meaning marching time, in which they parodied the army style, laying down an irresistible beat to become the stylistic expression for their ever-growing marching army of fans.
They have toured the entire eastern African region, including Malawi, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and Zanzibar which they recently visited as performers at last year's edition of the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
Some members have also toured Malaysia, Japan and other Far East countries courtesy of an invitation from Saxonist Tabu Nyong'o, a former member who now lives in Japan.
In the past 31 years, the band has witnessed a lot of goings-out and comings-in, but it has survived a complete break-up, thanks to some of the original founders who have stayed put.
They include singers Kabila ka Banze, Lutulu Kaniki Maki and Kalenga Nzaza Vivi as well as guitarists Twikale wa Twikale and William Tambwe. Some 31 years since Les Mangelepa was founded, the band is still churning out songs and entertaining lovers of the rhumba genre of music in Kenya and beyond.
Their last album came in 2000 when they released in Mombasa the Mangelepa Millennium amid much fanfair.
Produced and financed by Topcom Productions, the album was well received because of not only the name the band has made for itself, but also because it featured great tracks that had been its hallmark in the earlier years.
"We had many shows and sold quite a number of copies of the album, but it is not just because we are well known, but because we put a lot of work into it and came out with a good album," explains band leader Ka Banze.
Seven years later, the band is ready with another album they say is better than any of the 20 they have released to date and a reflection of their 31 years' experience.
The yet-to-be named album has been recorded at Studio Watatu in Nairobi, and has been produced and financed by producer David Makali's Sound Africa.
It features songs like Konakona and Nairobi - tracks that the band believes will be bigger than others such as Embakasi, going by the reception they are already receiving from music lovers who have listened to them.
"We hope to have a big launch sometimes next month, and we would like people who love authentic African music to come and witness and purchase yet another classic album," the soft-spoken Ka Banze says.
The group would like also to reassure is fans countrywide that it will be embarking on a nationwide tour to promote the album and meet its hundreds of thousands of followers.
"We have the plans to go around the country, but we would also like any promoter or venue owner who would like to work with us to facilitate the tours in the smaller towns to get in touch with us," appeals Vivi. Other than just putting the final touches to the album, Les Mangelepa has lined up other projects.
First, it is working on VCDs of some of the classic hits which, Ka Banze says, will be released in a compilation later in the year. They have recorded a dozen and some are already being aired on the Kenya Broadcasing Corporation (KBC) TV.
"The fans, whether in Kenya or Japan, know the songs and can sing along, so why not have them see it on video? I am sure they will love it," says a confident Ka Banze. Another ambitious project is to launch a platform that will give aspiring musicians interested in Mangelepa's genre of music a chance to pursue their career and realise their dream.
The band says that it owes it to the next generation to mentor young rhumba singers. "We learnt from others and notably in Baba Gaston's band almost four decades ago.
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"We would also like to mentor others to make ensure that rhumba lives on," affirms Ka Banze, the powerful voice behind Malawi Zikama - another of the band's hit song. They say that anyone wanting to learn from them can meet the band at Savoy Bar and Restaurant in Nairobi where they play every Tuesday night.
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