FAREWELL TO MANU DIBANGO, AFRICAN MUSIC PIONEER

Young music fans singing along to “mama se, mama sa, ma ma coo sa” might not have known this refrain was sampled from Manu Dibango’s global hit “Soul Makossa”. Some might even have attributed the song to Michael Jackson or Rihanna, but now with the outpouring of tributes to Dibango, they’re likely better informed.

Dibango, who died March 24 in France at age 86 after contracting Covid-19, was a pioneer of funk and a “giant” in African music. Born in Cameroon, he influenced musicians both on his home continent and internationally, as he performed a wide range of genres, fusing jazz, Afrobeat and traditional sounds.

When he released “Soul Makossa” in 1972, it became a huge hit, and its chorus was later “borrowed” by both Jackson (who paid an out-of-court settlement for its unauthorized use) and Rihanna.

Performing primarily as a saxophonist, Dibango was also proficient on the vibraphone and piano. He wrote lyrics and composed and arranged music as well. As an artist and activist, he used his stature to promote African solidarity and raise the profile of African music in countries such as France and Belgium, where he lived, according to historians.

“For me, he was a massive artist globally, a giant in African soul and funk,” said Martin Evans, a professor of history at the University of Sussex and one of three international curators of an exhibition that profiled Dibango a few months ago.

Manu Dibango in the studio in the early days of his career.

(Photo courtesy of "Paris-Londres")

That show highlighted how Dibango and other African musicians such as Salif Keïta changed the sound of French music. Held at Paris’ Musée de l’histoire d’immigration (National Museum of the History of Immigration), the exhibition - titled Paris-Londres: Music Migrations (1962-1989) - explored “the close and complex relationship between migration, music, anti-racism and political activism”.

“Dibango’s influence on the French and francophone music world was enormous,” said Evans, adding that the musician had generously loaned personal objects and other items to the exhibition because he thought it provided an important narrative.

“He was very political, and very conscious of African solidarity,” Evans told SWAN.

In 1984 for instance, Dibango teamed up with several African artists in Paris to produce “Tam Tam Pour l’Ethiopie”, a single to raise funds for the famine-stricken country. It was recorded in response to Band Aid’s “Do They Know Its Christmas” - which had offended many Africans with its  “patronizing” lyrics, including: “And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time / The greatest gift they'll get this year is life (Oooh)”. 

Besides his activism, Dibango was always interested in the avant-garde and in what up-and-coming musicians were doing as well, say music experts.

Singer Angélique Kidjo collaborated with Dibango.

(Photo: McKenzie / SWAN)

“I saw him play at the Fête de l’Humanité in 1991,” Evans recalled, “and he joined young rappers on stage and just riffed with them. He was amazing.” (The Fête is an annual arts event to raise funds for French Communist Party newspaper l’Humanité.)

Earlier this year, Dibango rehearsed with Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, who called him the “original giant of African music” on her Twitter account. Others, including deejay Louie Vega termed him “a true pioneer of many sounds”.

For historian Evans, Dibango was a pioneer in every sense, even if his importance “might not have registered” universally.

“What was most striking, too, was his modesty and humility, given all he accomplished,” Evans said.

In addition to Soul Makossa, Dibango released more than 60 albums over the course of his career and worked with a range of artists including American jazz legend Herbie Hancock, South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Jamaican reggae producers Sly and Robbie and Cuban singer-guitarist Eliades Ochoa.

Dibango’s death from Covid-19 in a Paris-area hospital occurred as the pandemic worsened in France, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases and over 1,000 fatalities as of March 24. A statement on his official Facebook page said that his funeral would be a private event and that a tribute would be organized when possible. - SWAN