Remmy Ongala
Source: Web (thechanzo.com)
Music • Historical Archive • 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo • 0 views

Remmy Ongala 🇨🇩

Emmanuel Ramazani Ongala (Known as "Dr. Remmy")
Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist, Bandleader of Super Matimila, Social Critic
Born 1947-02-10 🇨🇩 Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Passed Away 2010-12-13 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Lifespan 63 years old
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Notice / Correction
"Death does not take bribes; it cares nothing for the rich or the poor; let us love one another while we draw breath."

Archival Overview

Beloved musician known as 'Doctor Remmy' whose soulful soukous-tinged 'Ubongo Beat' with Orchestre Super Matimila tackled death, social inequality, and AIDS prevention.

Biographical Record

Emmanuel Ramazani Ongala was born on February 10, 1947, in Kindu, eastern Congo. Moving to Dar es Salaam in 1978 to join Orchestre Makassy, he later assumed leadership of Orchestre Super Matimila in the Sinza district.

Adopting the moniker 'Dr. Remmy', he named his style Ubongo Beat ('Brain Beat'), insisting that music must make people think deeply. Singing in Swahili with a raw, bluesy growl, his masterworks—most famously the haunting philosophical epic Kifo ('Death') and fearless songs promoting condom use during the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic—endeared him to millions as the 'Voice of the Poor' (Sauti ya Wanyonge). He toured internationally with Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festivals.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Sinza Cemetery
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
GPS: -6.7833, 39.2167
View on Memory Atlas
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