Where the Music Comes From

"Song For the Poor Man" (1989) by Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila

I spent the last two weeks talking about American music traditions - but this week, let’s go back to Africa and look at an artist who asks, “Muziki asili yake wapi?” Where does the music come from?

Remmy Ongala was born in Eastern Zaire, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, but he came to fame in Tanzania, after forming Orchestre Matimila in Da…