In 1970, a Congolese singer took the stage at the Olympia in Paris, one of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe. Tabu Ley Rochereau was bringing Congolese rumba to an audience that had rarely seen it.
The Olympia concert was a landmark in the international recognition of African popular music. It helped establish Tabu Ley as one of the continent’s great stars, a rival and counterpart to Franco in shaping Congolese music.
From Kabasele to his own band
Born Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu in 1940, he took the name Rochereau from a French general, a name he reportedly chose after correctly answering a school history question. He began his career singing with Joseph Kabasele’s African Jazz, the band behind “Indépendance Cha Cha”, the anthem of Congolese independence in 1960.
He then co-founded African Fiesta with the guitarist Dr Nico, and later formed his own band, which became Afrisa International.
A smooth voice
Where Franco’s music was often gritty and earthy, Tabu Ley’s was known for elegance: a smooth tenor voice, romantic songs and sophisticated arrangements. He wrote thousands of songs over his career, and many became standards across Africa.
Mbilia Bel
In the 1980s, Tabu Ley brought the singer Mbilia Bel into Afrisa, and she became one of the first female stars of Congolese music. Their duets and her solo hits, including “Nakei Nairobi”, were hugely popular across Africa, particularly in East Africa.
Exile and politics
Tabu Ley’s relationship with Mobutu’s government was complicated. In the late 1980s and 1990s he lived in exile, recording and performing abroad, including in the United States. After Mobutu fell in 1997, he returned to Congo and served in government under Laurent-Désiré Kabila, and later as vice-governor of Kinshasa.
Death
Tabu Ley suffered a stroke in 2008 and died in Brussels in November 2013. His body was returned to Kinshasa, where he was honoured with a national funeral.
The legacy
Several of Tabu Ley’s children became musicians, including the singer Youssoupha, a French rapper. His songs remain part of the core Congolese rumba repertoire, recognised when UNESCO inscribed the genre as intangible cultural heritage in 2021.
Songs across the continent
Tabu Ley’s influence reached far beyond the two Congos. His recordings were played heavily in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, where Congolese musicians had a strong presence, and in West Africa, where highlife bands learned from Congolese guitar styles.
A singer from Kinshasa filled the Olympia in 1970. Half a century later, the music he sang there is officially part of the heritage of humanity.
