- Edouard Masengo
Edouard (Katiti) Masengo (born 1933 in
Kafubu ,Katanga Province ,Democratic Republic of the Congo -27 March , 2003) was a Congolese guitarist.In 1950 Masengo helped train
JECOKE , a comedic troop ofKenya n youths. The JECOKE troop went on tour throughKenya ,Uganda ,Congo Brazzaville ,Belgian Congo , andCameroon , with great success, due to their "kalinchelincheli" dance. A music contest was organized inLeopoldville in 1956. The winner was JECOKE, who beat out famed local artists such asWendo Kolosoy ,Grand Kalle andFranco to win.The day before the Independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Masengo decided to go to
Nairobi ,Kenya , where he was to make several productions with such great stars asMiriam Makeba ofSouth Africa . She recorded Masengo's song "Malaika" which became a huge hit.Donat Muya , chief of theLubumbashi National Museum, says that Masengo went to meetHarry Belafonte inKingston, Jamaica Fact|date=March 2007. They sang Masengo's compositions as a duet, and this new fame opened the door for Masengo to get contracts to endorse the products of such firms asCoca-Cola ,Ford , and Shell. However, Edouard Masengo did not forget his roots in Katanga. He returned there often to visit fellow musiciansLosla Abelo and Mwenda wa Bayeke (Jean-Bosco Mwenda).In 1972 Masengo returned for good to
Lubumbashi , but was stripped of his wealth by the government inZaire .He died in poverty on March 27, 2003, but his musical influence lives on in such artists as
Watoto Wawili ,Kabwebu Kitambala ,Victorina ,Ndoa ,Bibi Theresa ,Jadotville , and others. Fact|date=March 2007References
* 1. KatangaNews http://www.katanganews.com/culture05.htm
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