Kinshasa « Planet Ilunga

* Official release date: 13 January 2026 *

Pour nos lecteurs francophones: cliquez ici pour la version française de cet article.

Planet Ilunga announces a double LP dedicated to the label VITA, one of the leading Congolese 1960s labels created by Roger Izeidi, legendary entrepreneur in music publishing in the 1960s Congolese rumba scene. VITA is best known for its catalog featuring the band African Fiesta, established in 1963 by three well-known musicians: Nicolas Kasanda, Tabu Ley Rochereau and Roger Izeidi.

The output of the band (232 songs) occupies an exciting chapter in the history of Congolese popular music. During the mid-1960s, African Fiesta consistently reached the top of the hit parade. The band, which back in the day positioned itself as a competitor to a current called ‘Fiesta Cubana’, breathed new energy into Congolese Rumba, continuing the tradition of the African Jazz school started by Joseph Kabasele.

The VITA label, with African Fiesta as their sole provider, besides four songs of Eduardo De Veracruz Vinagre et Son Orchestre, ran between May 1963 and early 1966. It created a spectacular legacy and back catalog full of tasteful sentiments and sensual melodies, deeply rooted in the Afro-Latin sound. This new compilation offers a few of the classic African Fiesta songs and complements them with an eclectic and original selection, divided into four thematic sides: Showcase, Rumba Lingala, Cha Cha Cha & Bolero.

*_{African Fiesta from left to right: Joseph Mwena, Docteur Nico, Rochereau, Jeef Mingiedi, Roger Izeidi, Dechaud}*

This double LP album comes with a 16-page booklet featuring the history of VITA and African Fiesta, song commentary by Congolese Rumba expert Herman Bangi Bayo (vice president of the national commission for the promotion of Congolese Rumba), and a written catalog of the VITA label. The heirs of Roger Izeidi kindly gave permission in Kinshasa to release this album of African Fiesta on Planet Ilunga.

Release info

* Licensed from the children of Roger Izeidi (Kinshasa)
* Double LP: tracklist
*Numbered to 1000 copies
* Manufactured by Les Disques Garcia (LPs & cover) and Optimal Media (booklet)
* Worldwide distribution by Honest Jon’s (UK), Outrenational (France), Light in the Attic (USA) & Office Sambinha (Japan)

Acknowledgements

Concept & compilation: Bart Cattaert
Notes: Herman Bangi Bayo & Bart Cattaert
Art Direction: Fiona Oikonomidou (Heliosblue)
Proofing: Hayat Assabounti & Alastair Johnston
Audio restoration & mastering: Pieter De Wagter (EQuuS)
Lacquer cut: Michael Kuhn (Manmade Mastering)

Thanks to: Max, Augustin, Annie, Martine, Cathy, Huguette, Freddy, Jolie, Nadine, Patrick, Sandrine, Sandra & Guy-Leon Izeidi, Herman Bangi Bayo, Sylvain Konko (RIP), Arafat Paluku, Fiona Oikonomidou, David Manet, Hayat Assabounti, Alastair Johnston, Zoi Sakka, Christian Ongoba, Pieter De Wagter and Mike Grinser.

Special word of thanks to Max Izeidi for the welcoming in Kinshasa and for entrusting me with the archives of Roger Izeidi and Éditions VITA and to Liliane Kasanda for photo material.

‘Lipopo ya ba Nganga’ is another magic Congolese production from the Souvenirs from the Congo 2LP. The song captured me, as it was different from what I was hearing in most Kalle-compositions. Lyric-wise, this is one of Kabasele’s strongest efforts.

Natiya mwa loléya na posi
Ekobima ngai awa nakozonga wele wele
Chèque na ngai ko esila kala
Mibayu nadefaka bakanga pointage kala
Mboka ko moko kombo ebele
Kinshasa Kini Malebo Lipopo Léoville eh *

In the sixties, after the independence, Joseph Kabasele composed a song that captured the zeitgeist of post-colonial Kinshasa (Léopoldville). The title of the chant, ‘Lipopo ya ba nganga, means loosely translated ‘The magic of Kinshasa’. Kalle describes the fixation on escapism, instant gratification and consumption in urban life. It now can be interpreted as a social commentary against the hedonistic way of life in former Léoville. The translation of the last line* sums it up rightly: a single city, yet many names: Kini Malebo, Lipopo, Léoville…

The picture with the weird dancing couple shown above is the standard front cover of the Série des nouveautés, a series of 45 rpm ep’s on the legendary Congolese label Ngoma. It gives a glance of the first popular bars in Kinshasa during the vibrant fifties. Orchestras from the likes of Kabasele’s African Jazz, Franco’s OK Jazz or Rock-A-Mambo were performing in those bars. The pictures below are snapshots of the nightlife in Kin La Belle – another Kinshasa nickname – during the 1950s and 1960s. When the modern world became more accessible to Congolese people, albeit the wealthy ones. They are all made by Jean Depara, an Angolan photographer who moved to the Congo in the early fifties.