• Zaiko Langa Langa

By JOWIT SALUSEKI –

LEGENDARY Rumba outfit, Zaiko Langa Langa, is tonight expected to perform at Lusaka’s Hotel InterContinental as part of its three show display that will also see them date fans at Club Chez Ntemba in Kabulonga tomorrow.
On Sunday, the show shifts to Livingstone’s Limpos Pub and Restaurant where revellers will be given a music dosage of their own.
Founded in the early 1969 by D.V Moanda, Marcelin Delo, Henry Mongombe, Olemi Eshar–Eshar dem Belina and Andre Bita, Zaiko Langa Langa survived in the 2000s and have been largely popular through the decades.
Because of their ‘rebel’ and ‘hippie’ attitude and their innovative approach to Soukous , they became a symbol of the new generation of post –independence Zaire and are sometimes compared to the Rolling Stones for their appeal on the Congolese youth.
The band has experienced several personnel changes and a number of prominent Soukous musicians have been in the line up; examples are Bozi Boziana, Dindo Yongo, Evoloko Jocker, Ny’oko Longo and Bimi Ombale.
Despite internal quarrels and personnel changes and with the departure of Evoloko, Bozi and Djo Mali in 1981 to form Langa Langa stars, Zaiko Langa Langa were still successful throughout the 1980.
The band was touring Europe and Africa regularly, and was the first Zairean band to visit Japan.
In 2000, Zaiko Langa were awarded by the Congolese Media Association for the best Congolese musical group of the 20th century.
The sounds of Zaiko Langa Langa was revolutionary with the respect of the Soukous tradition. They adopted a more up tempo beat, abandoned wind instruments and emphasised on snare drums and electric guitars.
In 2002 , Zaiko performed in the mythic arena at Zenith of Paris, France, where more than 6000 fans attended and this was considered by many as the renaissance or rebirth of Zaiko.
Among the group’s catalogue of albums include: Eureka, L’amoureux decu, Anthologie ,and Rencontres.
The word ‘Zaiko’ is a portmanteau for the Lingala phrase Zaire ya bankoko , meaning Zaire of our ancestors.
The meaning of the phrase Langa Langa is controversial according to the band’s website, it means ‘marvelous or mighty’.