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Kindu is 420km from the border; that's hardly "near the border".
 
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{{Short description|Tanzanian musician}}
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'''Ramadhani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala''' (1947 &ndash; 13 December 2010) was a [[Tanzania]]n guitarist and singer. Ongala was born in [[Kindu]] near the Tanzanian border, in what was [[Belgian Congo]] at the time, now the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/arts/music/17ongala.html?ref=todayspaper|title=Remmy Ongala, Tanzanian Musical Star, Dies at 63|date=18 December 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref>
{{Infobox musical artist
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| name = '''Remmy Ongala'''
| image =
| image_size =
| landscape =
| alt =
| caption =
| background =
| birth_name = Ramazani Mtoro Ongala
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|02|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kindu]], [[Belgian Congo]]<br/><small>(modern-day [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]])</small>
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| origin = [[Dar es Salaam]], Tanzania
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2010|12|13|1947|02|10|df=y}}
| death_place = Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| genre = [[Soukous]]
| occupation = Singer, guitarist, songwriter
| instrument = Vocals, electric guitar
| years_active =
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website =
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}}


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'''Ramazani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala''' (10 February 1947 – 13 December 2010)<ref name="BBC"/> was a Tanzanian guitarist and singer. Ongala was born in [[Kindu]], in what was the [[Belgian Congo]] at the time, and now is the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/arts/music/17ongala.html?ref=todayspaper|title=Remmy Ongala, Tanzanian Musical Star, Dies at 63|date=18 December 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref>
A rising musician since the late 1980s, Remmy Ongala was part of the [[soukous]] scene (a Congolese kind of [[Rumba]]), which in conjunction with his Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the businessman who owned the band's instruments)<ref name=tel-obit>{{cite news|title=Remmy Ongala|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8228519/Remmy-Ongala.html|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 December 2010}}</ref> he helped to transmute to the Tanzanian music often called [[Ubongo (music style)|Ubongo]], the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] word for brain, in [[Tanzania]], which in turn led to Tanzanian hip-hop, particularly in the city of [[Dar es Salaam]] during the 1990s. Ubongo is usually perceived by artists and listeners alike as "conscious" music, one that actively contributes to the Tanzanian soundscape with socio-political commentary. Believing in the abolishment of racism and social injustice, Ongala infuses his lyrics with these messages.<ref>{{citation | title = Remmy Ongala Afropop Artist | url = http://www.afropop.org/explore/artist_info/ID/32/Remmy%20Ongala/ | publisher = Afropop Worldwide | accessdate = 2010-12-13}}.</ref> His inspiring message has led him to be nicknamed "Dr Remmy". Following the end of British colonial rule in 1961, [[Julius Nyerere]] introduced the value of [[Ujamaa]], or familyhood, which emphasized equality and justice. Such became a recurring theme in many Tanzanian artists' music, including Remmy Ongala.<ref>{{citation | last = Lemelle | first = Sidney J. | contribution = 'Ni wapi Tunakwenda': Hip-Hop Culture and the Children of Arusha | title = The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture | editor1-first = Dipannita | editor1-last = Basu | editor2-first = Sidney J. | editor2-last = Lemelle | pages = 230–54 | location = Ann Arbor, MI | publisher = Pluto Press}}.</ref>


A rising musician since the 1980s, Remmy Ongala was part of the [[soukous]] scene (also known as "Congolese rumba"). In 1978 he travelled to [[Dar es Salaam]] where he joined [[Orchestra Makassy]]. Later with his own band, Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the businessman who owned the band's instruments),<ref name=tel-obit>{{cite news|title=Remmy Ongala|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8228519/Remmy-Ongala.html|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 December 2010}}</ref> he helped to transmit the soukous style to the Tanzanian musical subculture often called [[Ubongo (music style)|Ubongo]], the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] word for brain. This in turn contributed to the development of Tanzanian hip-hop, particularly in the city of [[Dar es Salaam]] during the 1990s.
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His song "Kipenda Roho" was used in [[Oliver Stone]]'s film ''[[Natural Born Killers]]''.


The use of his music as a social instrument led him to address concerns in his hometown that entailed social issues including [[poverty]], [[AIDS/HIV]], [[urbanization]] and family life. Known as the Sauti ya Mnyonge (voice of the poor man), his fight was strong.<ref name="Hilhorst & Ongala, R.">{{cite journal|last1=Hilhorst|first1=Sean|title=Remmy Ongala: Capitalist transition and popular music in Tanzania 1979–2002|journal=Journal of African Cultural Studies|date=3 November 2009|volume=21|issue=2|doi=10.1080/13696810903259319}}</ref>
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He was reported to have died at his home on 13 December 2010 in [[Dar es Salaam]].<ref>{{citation | title = Remmy Ongala: Tanzania music fans mourn 'the Doctor' | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11984676 | publisher = BBC News | date = 13 December 2010}}.</ref>


Ubongo is usually perceived by artists and listeners alike as "conscious" music, a style that actively contributes socio-political commentary to the Tanzanian soundscape. Believing in the abolition of racism and social injustice, Ongala infused his lyrics with these messages.<ref>{{citation | title = Remmy Ongala Afropop Artist | url = http://www.afropop.org/explore/artist_info/ID/32/Remmy%20Ongala/ | publisher = Afropop Worldwide | access-date = 2010-12-13 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605100520/http://www.afropop.org/explore/artist_info/ID/32/Remmy%20Ongala/ | archive-date = 2011-06-05 }}.</ref> His inspiring and sometimes didactic message led him to be nicknamed "Dr Remmy".
Posthumously, he received the Hall of Fame trophy at the 2012 Tanzania Music Awards.<ref>[http://www.kilitimetz.com/awards/2009/index.php Tanzania Music Awards Official website] Retrieved 29 September 2012</ref>

Following the end of British colonial rule in 1961, [[Julius Nyerere]] preached the value of [[Ujamaa]], or familyhood, as a basic constituent of Tanzanian nationalism, placing an emphasis on equality and justice. This became a recurring theme in many Tanzanian artists' music, including Remmy Ongala's.<ref>{{citation | last = Lemelle | first = Sidney J. | contribution = 'Ni wapi Tunakwenda': Hip-Hop Culture and the Children of Arusha | title = The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture | editor1-first = Dipannita | editor1-last = Basu | editor2-first = Sidney J. | editor2-last = Lemelle | pages = 230–54 | location = Ann Arbor, MI | publisher = Pluto Press}}.</ref>

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His song "Kipenda Roho" was used in [[Oliver Stone]]'s film, ''[[Natural Born Killers]]''.

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Ongala died on 13 December 2010 at his home in [[Dar es Salaam]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite web | title = Remmy Ongala: Tanzania music fans mourn 'the Doctor' | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11984676 | publisher = BBC News | date = 13 December 2010}}.</ref> Posthumously, he received the Hall of Fame trophy at the 2012 Tanzania Music Awards.<ref>[http://www.kilitimetz.com/awards/2009/index.php Tanzania Music Awards Official website] Retrieved 29 September 2012</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Songs for the Poor Man]]'' (Ongala album, 1989)


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|title=Remmy Ongala|journal=Ntama Journal of African Music and Popular Culture|date=15 July 2003|url=http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27%3Aremmy-ongala&catid=66%3Aarticles&Itemid=29&showall=1|author=Sophia Thubauville}}
*{{cite journal|title=Remmy Ongala|journal=Ntama Journal of African Music and Popular Culture|date=15 July 2003|url=http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27%3Aremmy-ongala&catid=66%3Aarticles&Itemid=29&showall=1|author=Sophia Thubauville}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Sanga|first=Imani|date=2010|title=Postcolonial cosmopolitan Music in Dar es Salaam: Dr. Remmy Ongala and the Traveling Sounds|journal=African Studies Review|volume=53|pages=61–76|via=Research Gate}}

==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.realworldrecords.com/news/remmy-ongala-1947-2010 Remmy Ongala's obituary on Real World Records]
* [http://www.realworldrecords.com/news/remmy-ongala-1947-2010 Remmy Ongala's obituary on Real World Records]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
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| NAME = Ongala, Remmy
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Tanzanian musician
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1947
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| DATE OF DEATH = 2010-12-13
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| PLACE OF DEATH = Moyimbiri National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ongala, Remmy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ongala, Remmy}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1947 births]]

Latest revision as of 08:41, 7 May 2024

Remmy Ongala
Birth nameRamazani Mtoro Ongala
Born(1947-02-10)10 February 1947
Kindu, Belgian Congo
(modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo)
OriginDar es Salaam, Tanzania
Died13 December 2010(2010-12-13) (aged 63)
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
GenresSoukous
Occupation(s)Singer, guitarist, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, electric guitar

Ramazani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala (10 February 1947 – 13 December 2010)[1] was a Tanzanian guitarist and singer. Ongala was born in Kindu, in what was the Belgian Congo at the time, and now is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2]

A rising musician since the 1980s, Remmy Ongala was part of the soukous scene (also known as "Congolese rumba"). In 1978 he travelled to Dar es Salaam where he joined Orchestra Makassy. Later with his own band, Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the businessman who owned the band's instruments),[3] he helped to transmit the soukous style to the Tanzanian musical subculture often called Ubongo, the Swahili word for brain. This in turn contributed to the development of Tanzanian hip-hop, particularly in the city of Dar es Salaam during the 1990s.

The use of his music as a social instrument led him to address concerns in his hometown that entailed social issues including poverty, AIDS/HIV, urbanization and family life. Known as the Sauti ya Mnyonge (voice of the poor man), his fight was strong.[4]

Ubongo is usually perceived by artists and listeners alike as "conscious" music, a style that actively contributes socio-political commentary to the Tanzanian soundscape. Believing in the abolition of racism and social injustice, Ongala infused his lyrics with these messages.[5] His inspiring and sometimes didactic message led him to be nicknamed "Dr Remmy".

Following the end of British colonial rule in 1961, Julius Nyerere preached the value of Ujamaa, or familyhood, as a basic constituent of Tanzanian nationalism, placing an emphasis on equality and justice. This became a recurring theme in many Tanzanian artists' music, including Remmy Ongala's.[6]

His song "Kipenda Roho" was used in Oliver Stone's film, Natural Born Killers.

Ongala died on 13 December 2010 at his home in Dar es Salaam.[1] Posthumously, he received the Hall of Fame trophy at the 2012 Tanzania Music Awards.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Remmy Ongala: Tanzania music fans mourn 'the Doctor'". BBC News. 13 December 2010..
  2. ^ "Remmy Ongala, Tanzanian Musical Star, Dies at 63". The New York Times. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Remmy Ongala". The Telegraph. 28 December 2010.
  4. ^ Hilhorst, Sean (3 November 2009). "Remmy Ongala: Capitalist transition and popular music in Tanzania 1979–2002". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 21 (2). doi:10.1080/13696810903259319.
  5. ^ Remmy Ongala Afropop Artist, Afropop Worldwide, archived from the original on 2011-06-05, retrieved 2010-12-13.
  6. ^ Lemelle, Sidney J., "'Ni wapi Tunakwenda': Hip-Hop Culture and the Children of Arusha", in Basu, Dipannita; Lemelle, Sidney J. (eds.), The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, pp. 230–54.
  7. ^ Tanzania Music Awards Official website Retrieved 29 September 2012

Further reading[edit]

  • Sophia Thubauville (15 July 2003). "Remmy Ongala". Ntama Journal of African Music and Popular Culture.
  • Sanga, Imani (2010). "Postcolonial cosmopolitan Music in Dar es Salaam: Dr. Remmy Ongala and the Traveling Sounds". African Studies Review. 53: 61–76 – via Research Gate.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Remmy_Ongala&oldid=1222676086"