A/ KONGA ESPERO



In the beginning of the 90s, several Esperantist singers fled from Congo to Europe because of the war (i.a. Zhou-Mack who went to Paris, and Denizo Rock Tamba to Germany), and took part in Vinilkosmo-Kompil’ Vol. 2 in 1996.
On May 18th 2005, Denis Rock Tamba was expulsed from Germany with other Congalese, after sixteen years of exile, leaving his son and his organized life behind.
After returning to Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Denis Rock Tamba, who had several musical experiences in Germany (Afrika Espero, La Rolls, etc.), returned to his musical activities in Congo and met with other musicians.
During the ILEI conference that occured in Kinshasa, several Esperantist musicians, writers, and composers from different regions of Congo, met (Viktor Lufimpu, Junior Ngangu, and Denis Rock Tamba), and they had the idea of creating a musical group with various other musicians under the name Konga Espero.
Despite technical difficulties, they succeeded in recording an 8-title mini-album in 2009 in a studio in Kinshasa, B>Kiu lingvo?, and they agreed to add it to the Afrika Kompilo project.
Their music carries us from reggae and zook through latino and funk rock, with themes going from political engagement, world peace, and romance.

The musicians of Konga Espero:
– Viktor Lufimpu: writer, composer, and lead singer
– Rock Tamba: writer, composer, lead singer, and guitar
– Junior Ngangu: writer, composer, lead singer, and guitar
– Aime Nkuansambu: bass
– Konga Ndali: guitar solo
– Derlain: keyboard
– Franck Lukombo: chorus and percussion
– Esther: chorus
– Annie Bilola: chorus
– Doustin Mopoto: drums
– Nelly Masemi: chorus
– Lily Kandolo: chorus

Recorded and mixed in Studio Diya Studio in Kinshaso
Sound engineer: Oscar Diyabanza
Mastering in Studio de la Trappe/Vinilkosmo in Donneville, France
Sound engineer: Triboulet
Booklet text revision: Rikardo Cash
Cover graphic concept: Papy Boke
Photos: Tede Diyabanza
Graphics on the booklet and CD sleeve: Cyrille Poullet (Platano)

VIGLA MUZIKO



Dido Fundo began playing music and singing in the Congolese language Lingala in 1985 in the Lower Congo province Mbanza- Ngungu when he was still in school.
His premier concert was at the ISP University of Mbanza-Ngungu.
After studying Esperanto, Dido Fundu began singing for the first time in the International Language in 1993, and called his new Esperanto group Vigla Muziko.
Today the group is based in Kinshasa.

On this album, Dido Fundu wrote, composed, and sings his own songs accompanied by :
– Djo Mass: bass
– Mastaki Bafa: accustic guitar
– Lidjo: guitar solo
– Mamie Biyela: chorus

Texts revised by Roel Haveman
Recorded and mixed in Studio Bobongo
Sound engineer: Zola
Photos: Kenjano
Booklet and sleeve graphics: Cyrille Poullet (Platano)

B/ Mayoma kun jOmO Afrikumas



Théophile Mayoma Diankembo was born July 28th 1960 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mayoma learned Esperanto in 1983, and began writing and singing in Esperanto from 1985. He never sang in a group, but he sings alone, writes and composes his songs in Esperanto, without playing a musical instrument.
Mayoma enjoys listening to music from different parts of the world: the United States, Jamaica, France, England, and South Africa; that is why he likes to write and sing his songs in the International Language.
At first he sent his songs to people he knew, to Esperanto groups and associations, in order to find singers to interpret them, but without success.
Then he tried recording the songs on cassettes and sending them out as he had done with the texts. Until 1987, when the American composer David Gaines responded, and finally made the arrangements and recorded two songs on a cassette and sent them to Mayoma in 1992.
After 1992, Mayoma lost contact with David Gaines, and started looking again for other singers and producers, but without success.
Finally, in 2006, JoMo (Jean-Marc Leclercq, a well-known singer in Toulouse, France) accepted, and in early 2007 he began recording several of Mayoma’s songs in his home studio, with the aim of releasing them in the Afrika Kompilo project that Vinilkosmo has just launched.

Especially for this compilation, JoMo composed a song in three languages: Afriko ne ’stas vendenda in Esperanto, Africa n’es pas per vénder in Occitanian, and Afrika ezali ya koteka te in Lingala (Africa is not for sale).

Recording in JoMo-Studio and Studio de la Trappe/Vinilkosmo
Mixing and mastering: Studio de la Trappe/Vinilkosmo
Sound engineer: Triboulet
Text revision: Rikardo Cash
Booklet and sleeve graphics: Cyrille Poullet (Platano)