BUKASA, LEON
- 3 Min Read
Leon Bukasa (1925-January 16, 1974), one of the notable figures of modern Congolese song, performed and composed during the eventful decades of the 1950s and 1960s. Some consider him a poet of the colonial period, exalting nature and love of country. He should, however also be recalled as a musician who expressed the hopes and strengths of independent Congo. Born in Jadotville (the present Likasi) in the province of Katanga (now Shaba), Bukasa became, in his day, one of the greatest musical celebrities of Kinshasa.
PHOTO CAPTION: Bukasa Leon. SOURCE: EA Library.
The son of working class parents in a region where the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (“Upper Katanga Mining Union”) exercised considerable power, the young Bukasa entered the working world shortly after he completed primary school. By turn, he was instructed in the trades as a lathe operator, draftsman, and ceramist. He then tried his hand in a totally different area, becoming first a mechanic and then a chauffeur. Later, he learned masonry and even carpentry. None of these professions really inspired him; perhaps this is the reason his success at them was limited. In his leisure time, however, Bakasa devoted himself to fishing and music, two activities he loved dearly. Keeping himself informed about the musical atmosphere of Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), young Bukasa soon realised he would never achieve his full potential as a musician if he remained in Katanga. Therefore, in 1948 he decided to change his environment and he moved to the capital.
At that time, the music world in Léopoldville was experiencing great changes. Moving away from merely constructing melodies out of the traditional repertory, Congolese singers composed more original works, reflecting the problems of their own lives in song. This evolution is partially explained by the integration of modern instrumentation from sources outside Africa. The adoption or adaption of modern dances, the tango, the bolero, the classic rumba, created an increasingly rich atmosphere for the song. In addition to radio transmissions, recording companies brought distant musical themes to the studios, bars, and individual homes in Léopoldville. Bukasa profited from this atmosphere. Soon after his arrival at the capital, he met Bowami who introduced him to the ‘Editions Ngoma, where most of the important singers of the era were being developed.
His first recording revealed genuine talent. Since this was the fulfillment, the culmination of his life goals, Bukasa abandoned the trowel and the hammer to devote himself completely to music, taking up with equal pleasure both wind and stringed instruments. He showed himself to be as gifted a composer as he was a singer. From about 1959 onwards, he dedicated his songs completely to themes of national independence, an event which he had the good fortune to celebrate.
Although the country suffered a period of crisis after June 30, 1960, once the Mobutu government restored stability, Bukasa felt the glimmer of new hope. In response, he rewrote his famous song Ngoo, Congo na biso (“‘Ngoo, our Congo”‘) to which he gave the new title Ngoo, Zaire na biso.
On the eve of his 50th birthday, after a long illness, one of the most creative figures in Congolese music, Léon Bukasa, died on January 16, 1974.
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