José Adelino Barcelo de Carvalho Bonga was born in Angola in 1942, but it was only with a nickname that, three decades later, he would go around the world. Today he is known for his semba music style, which made him fly beyond his origins.
“To have an idea, we just need to listen to Brazilian samba. The experience I have is of watching the audience get up every time we interpret this specific music from Angola, which is of joy, of peace, of harmony, a very positive vibration ”.
The voice of decolonization
It was in Angola that Bonga began his career, feet on the track, but still far from the stage.
At the age of 23, as a promising athlete, he headed to Portugal to join Benfica, where he set a 400-meter record.
But the political ideals and the defense of the independence of Angola, at the time a Portuguese colony, forced us into exile, in the Netherlands.
“I left athletics with a lot of hurts because I really liked sport, Benfica and the experience here. But I had to leave because it was part of a cell, it is not true, political, it is not, and the others had already been arrested in Angola. Of course, after receiving [this] information, I leave Portugal ”, says the musician.
Currently living in Lisbon, Bonga reflects on those years.
It was still under the dictatorship, during exile, that he decided to dedicate himself full time to the music. In 1972, he released a controversial album: “Angola 72”.
“There were a lot of quiet people, a lot of cowed people, a lot of situated people. Situationists, who made some money from colonization, whether they were white or black. It is a record that has been talking about all these things ”.
Bonga became a great success in Angola, Portugal, and around the world, being honored in France for his contribution to the arts.
Africa: heritage, a legacy
Today, at 78, he has almost 40 albums edited and continues to produce.
” Kúdia kuetu “ is the musician’s latest song and is inspired by Angolan food.
“ Kúdia kuetu means ‘our food’, ‘our gastronomy’. Therefore, this type of food and this dish called funge is part of our tradition. You can also call it calulu ”.
With friends and family, he likes to enjoy the flavors of Angola.
Africa sits at the table in Lisbon and always feels at home, where Bonga shares affections and a legacy for the youngest.
The heritage is remembered by the niece Erika Jâmece, who, as a tribute, painted a picture of her uncle.
“Bonga has always been very represented in families in Angola. We grew up listening to Bonga, even very forbidden, but the families did. It touched the children a lot. Singing, going to get things we didn’t know about the land ”.
However, Bonga is keen to affirm that this legacy is not a case for vanity but to continue as it started.
“They call me an ambassador, for example, of African music, of Angolan music, the protagonist of things of humanism. This is all very good. But it doesn’t bring me vanity. On the contrary, it forces me to work much harder and to be consistent according to what I think in my head ”.
