Bonga Downloads

Bonga's qualities at the height of his career included a superbly deep and raucous voice, delicate harmonies, beautiful sad and dancing melodies. From Angola, this major African artist somewhat sacrificed his subtlety for efficiency. Since then, his greatest pleasure has been to get the audience on... Learn More »

Bonga's qualities at the height of his career included a superbly deep and raucous voice, delicate harmonies, beautiful sad and dancing melodies. From Angola, this major African artist somewhat sacrificed his subtlety for efficiency. Since then, his greatest pleasure has been to get the audience on its feet and dancing, preferring the quick tempos and arrangements that make his female fans sway their hips. Yet his name is above all associated with splendid ballads, be it "Sodade" (a traditional song recorded by Bonga during the 70s, well before Cesoria Evora's exquisite cover version and planetary hit in 1992) or "Mona ki n'gui xiça" used by French film director Cedric Klapish for the soundtrack of his film "Chacun cherche son chat".
Bonga was born Jose Adelino Barçelo de Carvalho in 1943 in Kipiri, while Angola was still under Portuguese rule. He later changed his over-colonial name to the more African Bonga Kuenda. The young Bonga/ José, living in the poor suburbs of Luanda (the capital city whose centre is a fortress built by the Portuguese in 1576) was drawn very early on to the independence movements rife in Africa during the 50s. Could it have been any other way in this country whose capital city is dominated by a symbol of colonial oppression, where injustice is flagrant and where the Portuguese dictator Salazar fiercely repressed the countryside in order to quash the peasant revolts ?
A movement began to take form in the outskirts of Luanda (grouping together poets, novelists, painters and musicians) to reclaim the History and culture of their country. Bonga joined his father's group (his father played the accordion) that played Rebita, the music of the fishermen from the island Ilha de Cabo. His instrument was the particularly subversive dikanzas, not because it is made of a piece of striated bamboo but because this percussive instrument marked a return to their roots.
Music played an essential role in redeeming its dignity to the Angolan people, so affronted by the coloniser. From as early on as the 40s the "Ngola ritmo" - a group of nine musicians - toured the shanty towns playing traditional rhythms to which they added more contemporary elements (acoustic guitars, hints of Portuguese Fado and Brazilian music). The Semba (the musical style from the region around Luanda) then bloomed and this underground rhythm took off like wild fire.
Bonga formed his own group called "Kissueia" (a Kimbundu name meaning "the misery of the poor areas") in which traditional instruments held in contempt by those in power were played. Alongside the dikanzas, a large n'goma drum, a musical 'ungu' arch and a puita (a shaft inserted into an animal skin) could be found. On top of which, Bonga did not hesitate in playing ritual kalundu or kilombe-lombe dances. In 1966 and under threat he was forced into exile. He was just 23 years old when he went to live in Lisbon. Under cover of a double career as athlete and footballer, he continued his political militancy, becoming a leading figure of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Forced to flee to Rotterdam, he began to play music once again, often working with musicians from Cape Verde. He released his first album in Europe, "Angola 72", 10 magnificent and poignant Semba and percussion tracks.
Following a detour by Belgium, Bonga moved to Paris where he met numerous African musicians. But he categorically refused to westernise his style in order to sell more records. His only concessions were to include a hint of Morna from Cape Verde and a touch of Congolese Soukouss. The result was another wonderful album "Angola 74".
Since then, Bonga has composed over 170 songs, worked on his autobiography, been nominated for the 1996 Unesco prize, received gold and platinum discs…but all the honours have not lulled him to sleep as he remains politically active, now fighting for the independence of Eastern Timor.
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