Kenya

David Fanshawe (born 19 April 1942 - died 5 July 2010) traveled to Kenya & Tanzania to record indigenous music. Witchcraft & Ritual Music is the culmination of his work. This record consists of sixteen songs & since only one track,”Marimba” A5, was recorded in Tanzania, I have concluded that this is really Witchcraft of Kenya. I am posting it here.

The recordings are amazingly crisp & clear given the fact that these recordings were made in local settings, not in a recording studio. The tracks are music from various healing ceremonies, initiation rites, weddings, funerals, & folk music. Many of these traditions have gone by the wayside as western culture has crept into Africa.

In his liner notes Fanshawe says, "...I have tried to capture the spirit of a musical heritage now nearly extinct. The music on this album comes from a part of East Africa whose musical traditions remain largely unknown to the rest of the world. Particularly fascinating is the manner in which music & medicine are combined in the indigenous practice of witchcraft; music takes on the power of medicine, & medicine becomes associated with the healing sound of drums, interwoven with beautiful threads of melody."

These songs were performed with local, indigenous instruments with the occasional western one. One instrument is a chepkombis which is a bowl or pot with a skin stretched over it. A stick is placed on top of it vertically. The musician rubs his/her hands up & down the stick to produce some very eerie sounds.

Other instruments are kayamba (rattles), ankle-bells, flutes, cow bells, uta (a 1-stringed harp), kibugantit (a 6-stringed harp), nyatiti (an 8-stringed harp), lukuji (a mouth harp), bung'o horn, & many drums.

 Various – Africa: Witchcraft & Ritual Music, Nonesuch H-72066 Explorer Series, 1975. 

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Side 1 -

Ngoma Ra Mrongo

Mwari Initation

Coconut Pickers Song

Matondoni Wedding

Marimba

Tuken Moral Songs

Giriama Spirit Dance

Side 2 -

Kayamba Dance: Giriama Wedding

Alto Bung'o Horn

Akamba Witch Doctor

Pokot Witch Doctor

Pokot Dance

Song Of Dawn

Lukuji

Nyatiti

Funeral Dance

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The late Charles ‘Oriango’ Arap Chepkwony was a Kenyan musician of the Kipsigis ethnic group.

The Kipsigis are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting Kenya. They speak Kipsigis as a mother tongue, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family. Traditionally, they practiced herding but are presently known for cultivating "green gold" tea. They inhabit the highlands of Kericho from Timboroa to the Mara River in the south & in the west from Mau Escarpment to Kebeneti. The Kipsigis are the most populous sub-group of the Kalenjin, itself a subdivision of Nilotes who originated in the South Sudan region. In the 1700s, the Kipsigis migrated to Kericho. By the end of the 18th century, the Kipsigis were living in the Rift Valley province of Kenya.

Chepkwony played electric guitar in the Koilong’et Band with the legendary Kalenjin singer & guitarist Kipchamba arap Tapotuk.  He also had his own group, the Kolu Band. They both recorded in Kericho, Kenya in the 1970s with the famous Chandarana Recording Company out of the Chandarana Music stores in Kericho & Nairobi. His songs were great hits in the 70s & 80s. The late Chepkwony’s compositions are still popular among the wider Kalenjin people of Kenya.

The singer & guitarist Kipchamba arap Tapotuk was born Kipkemoi Taguto in 1937, in Bomet, northwest of Nairobi in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. His parents moved to Mau Narok & settled there for a while. He died in early April 2007.

Kipchamba played the traditional guitar. His career spanned more than half a century, usually playing with his own group, Koilong'et Band with Oriango arap Chepkwony, Francis Lang'at, Moris Mainek, & Sekeri Tallam. Their first recording was in Kisumu. They then moved to Kericho, then to Nairobi to record with Chandarana Music Stores, then back to Kericho.

His songs struck a chord across generations & made immense contributions to the literature 7 the preservation of the culture of the Kalenjin. The songs were heavily laden with the Kalenjin idiom. That makes them all the more interesting.

On this cassette, Chepkwony performs with his own group Kolu Band on side A & with Kipchamba’s band Koilong’et Band on side B.

 Charles A. Chepkwony –Magtalena, Chandarana Recording Co. CCMV102. 

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Face 1 –

Kilyano Retanga

Yach Busrek

Magtalena

Bakach Chebaigeiyat Sikilai

Kas’ Imam O Pilista

Face 2 –

Chemosi

Bane Matanda

Sukulit Ab Musoknotet

Wuiyee My Lover

Enjoy,
NØ

And Ye harm none, do what Thou wilt!

I have performed the law in truth for the lord of the law, Taif Alif. I have held out my hand for the holder of my heart in Annapolis, my youthrib city. Be ye then my protectors unto Mussabotomia before the guards of the city. Theirs theres is a gentlemeants agreement. Womensch plodge. To slope through heather till the foot. Join Andersoon and Co. If the flowers of speech valed the springs of me rising the hiker I hilltapped the murk I mist my blezzard way. Not a knocker on his head nor a nicknumber on the manyoumeant. With that coldtbrunt natteldster wefting stinks from Alpyssinia, wooving nihilnulls from Memoland & wolving the ulvertones of the voice…It might have been what you call your change of my life but there’s the chance of a night of my lifting. Hillyhollow, valleylow! With the sounds and the scents in the morning.

Uganda

Here is some great Ugandan dance music from the 60s. All the great dance bands from Uganda of the 60s are here. These recordings were made in Nairobi, Kenya between 1964 & 1968. There were no recording studios in Uganda at the time, so musicians had to go elsewhere to record there music if they wanted something more permanent than their live shows in the memory of their audiences.

 

Various – The Kampala Sound: 60s Ugandan Dance Music, Original Music OMA 109, 1988. 

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Side A –

Bill Mbowa & the AGS Boys – Jane Wange

Kawaliwa & Mary with the AGS Boys – Fumbira Abaana

Kawaliwa & Mary with the AGS Boys – Rin

Frida Sonko & Equator Sound – Gwenasobya

Moses Katazza & Frida Sonko with Equator Sound – Nona Ente Yo

Moses Katazza & Frida Sonko with Equator Sound – Amazima Lona

Elly Wamala, M. Philip, Keya, Charles, & Makassy – Hamadi

Charles Sonko & Equator Sound – Wano Tulimuba

Side B –

Charles Sonko & sisters with Equator Sound – Sifunanga Wa Buruaio

Fred Masagazi & King Jazz d’Equateur – Ekommera

Charles & Frida Sonko with Orch. Melo Success – Omutwa Gwamaka

Freddie Kigozi & the Hodi Boys – Mega Jukira

Freddie Kigozi & the Hodi Boys – Onkyayadeki

Charles & Frida Sonko with Orch. Melo Success – Nawalirunga

Enjoy,

NØ

Rwanda

Similar to the Ocora releases I have posted, Bärenreiter – Verlag in Germany started their Musicaphon division in 1960 to collect & preserve traditional World music, much of it Asian & African. This release features the three main ethnic groups of Rwanda: the Tutsi; the Hutu; & the Twa. These are field recordings where made in 1954 & 1954. The Twa are the oldest group to inhabit Rwanda. The are pygmies & many are still tribal hunters. They make up only about 1% of the native population. The next group to arrive in the region was the Hutu (or Abahutu) who were part of the great Bantu expansion. They make up about 84% of the native population of Rwanda. They are primarily pastoralists. The Tutsi (or Watusi) arrived about four or five centuries ago in the second wave of Bantu migration. They make up the other 15% of the native population. They have been since their arrival viewed as the aristocracy of the three groups.

The Tutsi monarchy ruled Rwanda (then called Ruanda-Urundi) until 1961, when Kigeli V was exiled from the colony. The political power then was transferred from the minority Tutsi to the majority Hutu. This led to the ‘Social Revolution’ & Hutu violence against Tutsis. Tens of thousands of Tutsis were killed & many others fled to neighboring countries.

The Tutsi & Hutu music has many similarities, as they are both off-shoots of the Bantus. The Twa music is quite unique. This release comes with a 10 page booklet with text in English, French & German & many photos. I have included this in the file. Side A is all Tutsi music. Side B, the first six are Hutu & the last three are Twa.

 An Anthology of African Music - Music from Rwanda, Bärenreiter Musicaphon BM 30 L 2302, 1965.

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Side A –

Rukina

Rurambo hand clapping song

Umuhara

Guhindura

Muberule

Kana

Chandali

Ikimanura

Side B –

Mugore W’Imgare

Induru Ni Ndende

Ikondera

Ntawundi Mwana Nkibyara Ndakuze

Kubangurira

Ingare

Agasambi

Nshoz’ Uruyange

Ibare

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Orchestre Impala de Kigali was one of the groups that popularized dance music in Rwanda. This did not even begin to happen until the late 70s. Rwanda has had a tragic history. The Germans & Belgians colonized the area & then established a Tutsi monarchy. The monarchy was overthrown in 1961 & by 1962, Rwanda has gained its independence. In 1973 Juvénal Habyarimana took control of Rwanda in a bloodless coup. He was well liked by most of the different ethnic groups & a calm spread over the land.

Rwanda was a very poor country. They exported few valuable resources, mainly small quantities of coffee & tea. The capital Kigali was not much more than a large village. Electricity was yet to make its way to the rural villages. The music was mostly slow, acoustic, traditional.

The music of Rwanda is primarily what was featured in the above anthology. Rwanda was not a musical powerhouse. There was no record industry so bands just self-produced their own cassette tapes primarily. The best known orchestra in those times was Orchestre Impala de Kigali. By the 80s, popular dance music with electrified instrumentation began to appear. Still there was not really much of a music scene. There was no TV, only one state run radio program which played Rwandan traditional music & French pop with a few tracks by Rwandan bands in the mix. Cassettes were marketed by a handful of shops in Kigali, Butare, & Gisenyi. Many of the Rwandan tapes appeared in a series under the logo ‘African Hits’. Orchestre Impala de Kigali was one of the few groups that received much airplay. They played a unique & eclectic style, which fused elements of traditional Rwandan music with bits of Democratic Republic of Congo’s rumba & other popular genres of African music of the day.

In 1989, world coffee prices plummeted. This significantly affected already impoverished Rwanda's economy as coffee was one of its major cash crops. The Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF formed in Uganda. The following year the RPF invaded Rwanda, starting a civil war. The unrest grew throughout the country. By 1993, Radio Télévison des Milles Collines or RTMC was broadcasting & spreading ethnic hatred. To ease tensions, Habyarimana’s government signed the Arusha Accords which opened government positions to both Hutu & Tutsi.

On April 6, 1994 President Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot out of the sky. The following day, Hutu extremists began killing their political opponents. As the brutal killings continued, the world stood idly by & just watched the slaughter. Lasting 100 days, the Rwanda Genocide left approximately 800,000 Tutsis & their Hutu sympathizers dead.

Of Orchestre Impala’s original eight members: Andre ‘Pepe la Rose’ Sebanane; Felix Jean ‘Soso Mado’ Gasasira; Paul ‘Mimi la Rose’ Sebigeri; Abdallatif ‘Toubi Lando’ Gasigwa; Francois ‘Maitre Rubangi’ Rubangura; Jean Pierre ‘Kali wa Njenje’ Kalimunda; Fidele ‘Fidele la jacard’ Ngenzi: & Jean Berechimas ‘Semu wa semu’ Semu, only Paul & Fidele are still alive. Other than Semu, who died in the 80s of natural causes, all the rest were killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

There is a common saying in Rwanda: “Nakibuza Impala gucuranga” that literally means ‘nothing can stop the Impala from playing music’. This indicates how much people treasure & believe in the band even today. To honor their fallen members & the bands name, the two surviving musicians have recruited young men to take the place of the deceased & have restarted the band again. These new members were recruited & Impalage (a group of female traditional dancers) were added. The all new group is made up of nine members plus the Impalage. They perform as Orchestre Impala de Kigali just like before.

Here is one of the many cassettes from the original “Nakibuza Impala gucuranga” Orchestre Impala de Kigali. It is their third release with all eight original members in great form.

Orchestre Impala de Kigali – Volume III, 1982.

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Side A –

Uribeshya

Umuqwaneza

Amavubi No. 1

Unaenda Wapi

Side B –

Ntugasaze

Soko kw’iteke

Anonciata

Goretti

Ngwino Mutimukeye

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Sabrina Iyadede is a modern Rwandan musician. She & her family lived in Rwanda until the 1994 Genocide began. Then she & her mother moved to Brussels for safety.

Out of that monumental pain & darkness emerged an exquisite beauty & light. As a survivor of Rwanda's 1994 Genocide, Iyadede has overcome pain, trauma & incredible loss. She has emerged with an inspirational strength & spirit. She has recorded & performed with Zap Mama in Belgium. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Her passion & love for her home country & continent is evident in her words. She represents her home with soul, beauty, grace, funk, & fire.

Iyadede’s voice is at once delicate & powerful, but her style defies easy categorization. Her free spirit & originality offer an alternative sound to that usually expected of pop music. On this demo she presents an eclectic mix of electronic pop & funkadelic hotness, her sound oscillates between punk-rock, electronica, & jungle, with elements of Afro-beat & Afro-funk.

She is the very picture of resilience & hope. She is a multi-talented artist whose star is rising. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Iyadede – The Demo, 2011.

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Greetings

Not the Same

When I was a Kid

Burnstone & Fire

Things that We Have

Pretend You’re a Square

The Love Mantra

African Thunder

Emergency

Let’s Stay Together

Make it a Song (feat Nineteenz)

Little Brown Girl

Enjoy, but always remember the pain of hatred,

NØ

 

 

Burundi

Reuploaded by request from Andy W 04/08/2026

This is the third release of traditional African music I have posted from Ocora, so perhaps I should say a little about them. Ocora is a French label dedicated to traditional forms of music with a worldwide coverage. They have published more than 600 records for scientific purposes as well as for the general audience on vinyl, cassette, & compact-disc.

Formerly known as "Société de Radiodiffusion de la France d'Outre-mer", SORAFOM was founded in 1955 by Pierre Schaeffer as a cooperation venture to train radio engineers in African national broadcasting services, but also to record & preserve African rural soundscapes. SORAFOM became "Office de Coopération Radiophonique" (OCORA) on April the 14th of 1962, as part of Radio France to collect & preserve traditional music heritage. Ocora was initially run by composer & musicologist Charles Duvelle.

Part of Ocora's extensive traditional music line, this album of music from Burundi attempts to present some of the salient examples of musical traditions in the old Kingdom. Some of the music is really quite amazing in the way that it can be both incredibly simple, but at the same time mesmerizing. There are demonstrations of native inanga zithers, ubuhuha vocal techniques, drum troupes, whispered singing techniques, musical bows, &  ritualized greetings.

A whispered low-register male voice opens this collection accompanied by the dull rich sounds of a plucked string instrument. Use your imagination. It is the man pictured on the front cover, singing ghost stories to little ones or recounting the treacherous glories & losses of some past war. Many vocal pieces follow, with or without back-up, varying greatly in tone, character, & style. There are two greetings whose title begins with "Akazehe" sung by first one then two young girls: so beautiful yet fragile. There are gorgeous solo flute pieces, epic chants with a large ensemble, later the haunting voice from track 1 comes back, perhaps even more sinister. Last but certainly not least is a child's voice beautifully weaving in & out of the ringing plings & plongs of a plucked zither.

 

 Various - Musique du Burundi, Ocora OCR 40, 1967.

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Side  A -

Chant avec Cithare

Chant de Femmes

Ubuhuha pt. 1

Ubuhuha pt. 2

Complainte avec Vièle Monocorde

Chant et Arc Musical  

Chant et Sanza

Side B –

Solo de Flûte  

"Akazéhé" par Une Jeune Fille

"Akazéhé" par Deux Jeunes Filles  

Solo de Cithare

Tambours Royaux Ingoma

Suite de Cithare Inanga avec Voix Chuchotee

Sanza Ikembe avec Voix

Tambours Ingoma avec Choeur d’hommes

Groupes de Tambours royaux avec appels de Trompes

Chant d’Enfant Accompagne d’un Arc Musical Umuduri

 

 

 

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Khadja Nin was born in Burundi on June 27. 1959. She is the youngest daughter of a family of eight. She studied music at an early age like most of her brothers & sisters. She has an exceptional singing voice, & at the age of seven she became one of the lead vocalists in the Bujumbura Choir in the capital city of Burundi.

Ya is her fourth album. Khadja successfully uses a blend of African rhythms & modern pop to create her own unique brand of music. Khadja wrote all the lyrics on this new album herself, using the opportunity to bring up the subjects closest to her heart (street children, war, & her ongoing struggle against inequality of all kinds). It also includes a personal tribute to Nelson Mandela & a song about motherhood, entitled "Mama".

 
The musicians on Ya are: Khadja Nin – vocals; Nicolas Fiszman – guitar, mandolin, keyboards, electric & upright bass; Luis Jardim – percussion; & David Salkin – drums & African drums. Songs are sung in French, Swahili, & Kirundi (Kirundi, also known as Rundi, is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by nine million people in Burundi & adjacent parts of Tanzania, Congo-Kinshasa, & Uganda. It is the official language of Burundi).

 Khadja Nin – Ya, Mondo Melodia 186 810 062 2, 2000. 

Mama

Embargo

Sesiliya

Turasa

Mzee Mandela

Damu Ya Salaam

Kuji Fondeya

Afrika Obota

Like an Angel

Kembo

Shadow Man

 

 

 

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Here's another special treat for my loyal world musick travelers. This is Burundi Black. Burundi Black was a 1971 recording credited to Burundi Steiphenson Black. It was released as a single. It made it to #31 on the UK Singles Chart.

 

The single was arranged & produced by French pianist, arranger, & record producer Michel Bernholc (1941 – 2002). He was a classically trained pianist who had previously worked with pop musicians such as Michel Berger, France Gall, Françoise Hardy, & Claude François. For the Burundi Black single, he used the pseudonym Mike Steiphenson.

The record sampled a recording of drumming by 25 members of the Ingoma people in Burundi. The recording was made in 1967 by anthropologists Michel Vuylsteke & Charles Duvelle. It was released on the album Musique du Burundi on the French Ocora label in 1967 (the album I share above). Steiphenson overdubbed his own piano & guitar rock arrangement onto the recording.

In 1981, a new arrangement of Burundi Black was recorded by drummer Rusty Egan (of Rich Kids with Glenn Matlock & Midge Ure, later in Visage also with Midge Ure) & French record producer Jean-Philippe Iliesco. It was released in the UK & US where it became a dancefloor hit, described by music critic Robert Palmer as "glitzy pop-schlock, a throwaway with a beat".  This is the 1981 remix. Interesting in comparison to the original Ocora, I believe.

 

 Burundi Steiphenson Black – Burundi Black (Rusty Egan remix), Barclay BAX1, 1981. 

Side A –

 Burundi Black (first part)

Side B –

Burundi Black (second part)

 

 

Enjoy,

NØ

Tanzania

Ramadhani ‘Remmy’ Mtoro Ongala was an African guitarist, singer, songwriter, & bandleader known as the ‘Doctor’. He was born in 1947 in Kindu, North Eastern Zaire. He performed in bands from the age of sixteen, learning his craft from his father, who was a well-respected, traditional musician. In 1978 Remmy travelled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where he joined Orchestra Super Makassy. Later he formed his own band, Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the local businessman who bought & owned the band’s instruments).

 

He had a majestic stage presence & his distinct voice, rich & soulful, soared above the lilting rhythms of the Orchestre Super Matimila. The rolling melodic drive of Zairean soukous is undeniable, but there is also the influence of traditional Tanzanian rhythms with plenty of snippets of latin & soul. His music was known as 'ubongo beat'. In Swahili 'ubongo' means brain. His lyrics gave his listeners much to think about.

He died at his home in Dar es Salaam after suffering kidney failure on December 13^th, 2010.

This first release is from Remmy’s home-made two-track recording with its rough but understated sound.

Remmy Ongala & Orchestre SuperMatimila - Nalilia Mwana, Womad Records 010, 1988.

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Side A –

Nalilia Mwana

Sika ya Kufa

Tembea Ujionee

Side B -
Ndumila Kuwili
Mnyonge Hana Haki
Arusi ya Mwanza

Also in 1988, a Kenyan bootleg of material called On Stage With Remmy Ongala (the record sides are labeled ‘Dance with Remmy Ongala On Stage’) became available internationally. This included a version of one of Ongala’s most popular songs, “Kifo” (Death).

 Remmy Ongala – Dance with Remmy Ongala OnStage, Ahadi AHD LP 6007, 1988.

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Side 1 -

Sauti ya Mnyonge
Asili ya Muziki
Maisha

Side 2 -
Kifo
Mama Mzazi
Narudi Nyumbani

This is a cassette release from the following year. This was a fertile time for Remmy, some of his greatest music.

Dkt.Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila – 89 cassette, 

Ahadi AHD (MC) 6009, 1989.

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Side A -

Nasikitika

Hakuna Matapeli

Chaguo Lako

Side B -

Nani Ambembeleze Mwenziwe

Tumetoka Mbali

Carola

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East Africa's distinctive taarab music (taarab meaning ‘to be moved’) is unique to the Swahili coast, which extends from Kenya down to Mozambique. But the music & culture's true homeland is the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. Taraab's best-known practitioners are the elegantly accomplished members of the great Culture Musical Club.

Taraab has its roots in Egypt, in the Cairo wedding bands with their classical Arabic repertoire. The instrumentation reflects this: ouds; khanouns; & dumbeks take places alongside bass, accordion, & violins. The music is dramatic & orchestral, like its Arabic inspiration, but sung in Swahili which gives it a thoroughly African twist.

Also like its Arabic counterpart, taarab is still performed at weddings. Culture Musical Club (known as Mila na Utamaduni in Swahili) is a true social club that still plays local weddings, as well as international festivals. The band gathers regularly at its clubhouse in Stone Town to rehearse & socialize. Although not the oldest taarab ensemble on Zanzibar (that honor goes to Ikhwani Safaa Musical Club, founded in 1905), Culture Musical Club has been an ongoing concern for decades, replacing members as needed & becoming a multigenerational outfit in the process.

Culture Musical Club began life as part of the youth organization of the Afro-Shirazi Party during Zanzibar's struggle for independence back in 1956. Today, Culture Musical Club is not only the largest, but also one of the most prolific, successful orchestras of Zanzibar. In addition to innumerable performances in Stone Town, villages of Zanzibar, & on the Tanzania mainland, this group has toured internationally with outstanding success. They have developed a distinct uniquely Swahili style.

 Culture Musical Club -Shime!, World Village, 2009. 

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Tracklist -

Yangu Haikuhusu

Ni Yeye

Sina Haja Ya Pendo Lako

Nuru

Rejea Tena Chuoni

Muziki Ni Kazi Yetu

Kama Yalivyonipata

Kidumbaki, Part I: Babu / Naumwa

Kidumbaki, Part 2: Tuheshimu Wazazi / Mama wa Kambo / Kwa Heri Nakuaga

Bonus for all my loyal traveling companions. Taj Mahal is an musical adventurer with refined taste. The veteran American bluesman has long been fascinated by African styles. He has explored the links with the blues through his recordings with Toumani Diabate or live collaborations with Tinariwen. On this release he has moved from Mali to Zanzibar, to team up with the island's best-known orchestra, Culture Musical Club. It is as a reminder that there is great music in eastern Africa as well.

CMC are a world (or at least half a world) removed from Taj's robust blues trio. So to get comfortable with each other, the two cautiously explore each other's music, with the Club providing atmospheric bursts of gently wailing violins & Taj playing suitably Arabic-edged banjo on their sturdy songs. Then the two come together through the magick of musick. They kick into “Catfish Blues”; the legendary Bikidude, now in her 90s, tackles “Done Changed My Way of Living”; & they gamely tackle the witty M'Banjo (which although a Taj Mahal tune, even seems to be named appropriately African). I think you’ll all enjoy this. The result is much more than musical tourism.

Taj Mahal & Culture Musical Club – Mkutano Meets theCulture Musical Club of Zanzibar, 

Tradition & Moderne T&M 031, 2006.

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Tracklist –

Dhow Countries

Muhoga Wa Jang’ Ombe

Zanzibar

Catfish Blues

Naahidi Kulienzi

Mkutano

Done Changed My Way of Living

M’Banjo

Mpunga

Enjoy,

NØ

Malawi

The Katenga Humming Bees, led by guitarist T.C. Katenga, were a popular band in Malawi during the 1970s. Love these two songs. Other than that, I don't really know anything about them.

 Katanga Humming Bees -  Musadabwe Jane b/w Pasilya Po 7” 45rpm, Zakwathu MX 104, 1973. 

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Evison Matafale was a Malawian from Chileka. He was born in 1969. He was the founder & leader of Malawi’s most successful reggae band The Black Missionaries. The band was originally made up of five members: Evison Matafale; Peter Amidu; & three Fulami brothers, Musamude; Anjilu; & Chizondi. Currently only three of the founding members are living.

Evison Matafale rose to fame & iconic status after the release of their debut album, Kuimba 1, in 1999. However, soon after Kuimba 1 was released, Evison disappeared from the public view for almost a year battling with tuberculosis. He returned to the limelight upon the release of their second album, Kuimba 2 in 2001. However, his star did not shine long. He died while in police custody on November 27th, 2001. There are various versions as to his death. One blames the police for brutality. The other blames his poor health due to tuberculosis. Probably it was a combination of the tuberculosis & poor health conditions & lack of treatment by the police while in custody. After Evison died, Musamude Fulami took over the band. He too died from tuberculosis in September, 2007.

This is the last Black Missionaries release featuring Musamude Fulami. I have added a bonus track “Police Hunt Matafale” from Kuimba 3 featuring Musamude.

The Black Missionaries are musical icons in Malawi. They always sell out their shows with their take on reggae & their traditional story-telling abilities. They are primarily active in & around the city of Blantyre. They reside in nearby Chileka. The band currently has seven members: Peter Amidu; Yanjanani Chumbu; Taku Chokani; Paul Chokani: & three of Robert Fulami’s sons, Anjiru; Chizondi; & Moda Fulami (Robert Fulami is also musical nobility from Malawi. He passed away July 12, 2012).

They have nine albums, Kuimba I – IX. They perform in concerts throughout Malawi, singing about love & promoting rastafarian issues.

 Black Missionaries – Kuimba 6, 2007.

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Tracklist -

Ngooneka Bwanji?
Lovin’ U
Salimo
Alekeni
Sialendo
Sitidzagwada
Ndidzayenda
Tikudikira
Children of Rasta
Mesiya
bonus track – Police Hunt Matafale

To paraphrase Sonny Curtis - Remember, you might fight the law, but the law wins.

NØ