Jean Bosco Mwenda
Encyclopedia
Jean Bosco Mwenda, also known as Mwenda wa Bayeke (1930–1990) was a pioneer of Congolese
fingerstyle acoustic guitar
music
. He was also popular in other African countries, particularly East Africa
, and in the late 1950s and early 1960s was briefly based in Nairobi
, where he had a regular radio show and became a profound influence on a generation of Kenyan guitarists.
Along with his friend and sometime partner Losta Abelo, and his cousin Edouard Masengo, Bosco defined the Congolese acoustic guitar style. His song "Masanga" was particularly influential, due to its complex and varied guitar part. His influences included traditional music of Zambia
and the Eastern Congo, Cuban groups like the Trio Matamoros
, and cowboy movies.
Bosco was born in 1930 at Bunkeya, a village near Likasi
(then called Jadotville), Haut-Katanga District
in then Belgian Congo
, but lived most of his life in Lubumbashi
, where in addition to playing music he had a job in a bank and with the local mining company, managed other bands, and owned a hotel on the Zambian border. He died September 1990 in a car accident in Zambia
.
A 1982 video field recording by Gerhard Kubik exists in a compilation of influential African guitarists artists entitled "Native African Guitar". A 1982 CD with booklet (text by Gerhard Kubik, also in English; includes the Kisuahili song texts) is available from Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. The recordings include the complete concert Bosco gave at June 30, 1982 at the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. In 1988 Cape Town based record label, Mountain Records
, recorded a studio album of Mwenda's music and issued it in 1994. The album is entitled Mwenda wa Bayeke - African guitar legend.
Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Describing the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is difficult, due to vagaries surrounding the meanings of various terms. The country itself was formerly called Zaire and is now sometimes referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo...
fingerstyle acoustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. He was also popular in other African countries, particularly East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, and in the late 1950s and early 1960s was briefly based in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, where he had a regular radio show and became a profound influence on a generation of Kenyan guitarists.
Along with his friend and sometime partner Losta Abelo, and his cousin Edouard Masengo, Bosco defined the Congolese acoustic guitar style. His song "Masanga" was particularly influential, due to its complex and varied guitar part. His influences included traditional music of Zambia
Music of Zambia
The music of Zambia has a rich heritage which falls roughly into three categories: traditional, popular and Christian.- Traditional music :Traditional Zambian music is rooted in the beliefs and practices of Zambia's various ethnic groups and has suffered some decline in the last three decades...
and the Eastern Congo, Cuban groups like the Trio Matamoros
Trio Matamoros
The Trio Matamoros were one of the most popular Cuban trova groups. Formed in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros , Rafael Cueto and Siro Rodriguez...
, and cowboy movies.
Bosco was born in 1930 at Bunkeya, a village near Likasi
Likasi
Likasi, formerly known as Jadotville or Jadotstad, is a city in Haut-Katanga Province, in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.-Demographics:Likasi has a population of around 367,000...
(then called Jadotville), Haut-Katanga District
Haut-Katanga District
Haut-Katanga District is a district located in the Katanga Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
in then Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
, but lived most of his life in Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
, where in addition to playing music he had a job in a bank and with the local mining company, managed other bands, and owned a hotel on the Zambian border. He died September 1990 in a car accident in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
.
A 1982 video field recording by Gerhard Kubik exists in a compilation of influential African guitarists artists entitled "Native African Guitar". A 1982 CD with booklet (text by Gerhard Kubik, also in English; includes the Kisuahili song texts) is available from Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. The recordings include the complete concert Bosco gave at June 30, 1982 at the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. In 1988 Cape Town based record label, Mountain Records
Mountain Records
Mountain Records is a record label started in Cape Town, South Africa in 1980 by Patrick Lee-Thorp.The record label produces mostly South African music and is known as the home of Cape Jazz recordings, having issued a number of albums by such names as Basil Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Jonathan Butler,...
, recorded a studio album of Mwenda's music and issued it in 1994. The album is entitled Mwenda wa Bayeke - African guitar legend.