Cameroonian guitarist Cromwell Nzié recorded this Marche with the Opika label in what is now called Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Le Guitariste Cromwell”, is the brother of popular singer Anne-Marie Nzié, the “Golden Voice of Cameroon” ( “La Voix d’Or du Cameroun”). Cromwell reportedly taught Anne-Marie to play guitar while she was bedridden with a broken leg. In the 1950s, Cromwell was “widely popular and received a great deal of radio airplay.”
In 1963, the two participated in a guitar contest organized by a German musician that included many popular guitarists of the time. Anne-Marie won the contest – a success that “restarted her musical career [and] led her to becoming the most popular female singer in the newly founded Republic of Cameroon.”
This song is in the Ngoumba language, spoken by a population originating from Kribi and Lolodorf, in southern Cameroon. Unfortunately, this makes translation somewhat difficult, as Ngoumba is not a widely spoken language.
Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo circa 1953-54. Released as Opika 1069.
Credits: Cromwell Ndzie Moise – guitar, vocals
Sources: BRUNNER, ANJA. “THE SINGER ANNE-MARIE NZIÉ AND THE SONG ‘LIBERTÉ’: ON POPULAR MUSIC AND THE POSTCOLONIAL STATE IN CAMEROON.” African Music, vol. 9, no. 3, 2013, pp. 40–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24877314. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Cameroonian guitarist Cromwell Nzié recorded this Assiko with the Opika label in what is now called Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Le Guitariste Cromwell”, is the brother of popular singer Anne-Marie Nzié, the “Golden Voice of Cameroon” ( “La Voix d’Or du Cameroun”). Cromwell reportedly taught Anne-Marie to play guitar while she was bedridden with a broken leg. In the 1950s, Cromwell was “widely popular and received a great deal of radio airplay.”
In 1963, the two participated in a guitar contest organized by a German musician that included many popular guitarists of the time. Anne-Marie won the contest – a success that “restarted her musical career [and] led her to becoming the most popular female singer in the newly founded Republic of Cameroon.”
This song is in the Ngoumba language, spoken by a population originating from Kribi and Lolodorf, in southern Cameroon. Unfortunately, this makes translation somewhat difficult, as Ngoumba is not a widely spoken language.
The vocals on this track sound impassioned – as though they wish to urgently communicate a strong message.
Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo circa 1953-54. Released as Opika 1069.
Credits: Cromwell Ndzie Moise – guitar, vocals
Sources: BRUNNER, ANJA. “THE SINGER ANNE-MARIE NZIÉ AND THE SONG ‘LIBERTÉ’: ON POPULAR MUSIC AND THE POSTCOLONIAL STATE IN CAMEROON.” African Music, vol. 9, no. 3, 2013, pp. 40–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24877314. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Beautiful fingerstyle guitar work by the master of the style, Congolese artist Mwenda Jean Bosco.
The title translates loosely to “If You Don’t Eat the Chili”, and the song seems to have a strong moral message about avoiding behavior that could have negative consequences.
Pilipili yasipo kula inakuahana gani? If you don’t eat chili, how can it burn you?
Believed to have been recorded circa 1958. Released as Gallotone CO.200.
Credits: Mwenda Jean Bosco – guitar, vocals Unknown Artist – percussion
Beautiful fingerstyle guitar work by the master of the style, Congolese artist Mwenda Jean Bosco.
The title translates loosely to “Soothing Love” and the lyrics give relationship advice and moral guidance to women that reflect gendered norms such as humility, emotional labor, and loyalty.
Kama anasirika we mama humupeze If he is angry, calm him down.
Kama ya panacheka we mama rudisha tena If he is not smiling, make him smile again
Kama uko na kiburi kwa bwana hakuna pesa If you act proud to your man, there is no money
Mbele za mapendo kwa bwana hupate pesa. Show acts of love to your man to get money
Believed to have been recorded circa 1958. Released as Gallotone CO.200.
Credits: Mwenda Jean Bosco – guitar, vocals Unknown Artist – percussion
A record from the middle period of the Ngoma label – likely from around 1951. The title translates roughly to “We, the Proud Ones of Today.”
Not much is known about the artist – but his music has been featured on a few compilations of Congolese music from this time period, including:
• “Ngoma, The Early Years, 1948-1960” on Popular African Music (CD, 1996), • “Early Congo Music 1946-1962” on El Sur Records (CD set, 2019) • “Nostalgique Kongo” on Buda Musique (CD, 2019)
Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo in 1950-51. Released as Ngoma 869
A record from the middle period of the Ngoma label – likely from around 1951. The title of this song by Congolese artist Camille Mokoko translates to “Why Do You Refuse Me?”
Not much is known about the artist – but his music has been featured on a few compilations of Congolese music from this time period, including:
• “Ngoma, The Early Years, 1948-1960” on Popular African Music (CD, 1996), • “Early Congo Music 1946-1962” on El Sur Records (CD set, 2019) • “Nostalgique Kongo” on Buda Musique (CD, 2019)
Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo in 1950-51. Released as Ngoma 869
A rare disc on the Congolese Opika label, one of a handful of labels that operated out of what was then called Léopoldville in Belgian Congo (Now Kinshasa). After reading King Leopold’s Ghost, I always cringe when calling the city by its colonial name, which honored such an evil personage.
This delightful song’s title, “Mongai Rumba Mabe”, translates to “Memory of a Bad Rumba” and is credited to “Jaccano na baninga na ye”, or Jaccano and his friends. Not much is known about Jaccano Sukuma, however.
They lyrics seem to describe the memory of a rumba (party) where the lamenting singer’s reputation is shattered due to gossip, rumors (“malibondo”), and social drama.
This damaged disc was sent as a packer / freebie with a few other Opika titles I bought from a European seller. It has a radial crack that is hanging on for dear life – without TLC, soon to become an significant edge bite. On this side the break is clean and playable with tics that I can easily de-click away. The flip side has the worse of it, as the crack is not clean but ragged – with shards of the grooves broken off. This renders the first 30-40 seconds of the flip side unplayable. Fortunately, this is the better tune of the two.
The catalog number of this one, S 45 C, is also odd – as most Opika releases are numbered from 1 to 2198.
Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo circa 1954. Released as Opika S 45 C.
This extremely rare Eritrean record by Fecresellassie’ Ogbasghi (ፍቅረ ፡ ሥላሴ’እቍባዝጊ) was recorded and released while Eritrea and Ethiopia were under Italian occupation during WWII.
Eritrea fell under Italian colonial control in the 1880s and it was used as a launching point for Mussolini’s brutal invasion of Ethiopia in 1936. British troops and resistance forces led by Haile Selassie liberated the country in 1941 and Italy finally signed an armistice in September, 1943.
The East African records on Columbia’s AI series were pressed in Italy and sponsored by Eritrean business man Saleh Ahmed Checchia – whose last name can be seen on the right side of the label as “Commendatore Checchia”.
The seal of the Italian East Africa government can be seen in the runout at the bottom of the record.
This record features an instrumental accompaniment on the ክራር, translated on the label as a “Kirar” or “chitarra” on the label. This instrument is a traditional Eritrean lyre.
The song title “የኦርበኛው · ያዘነሾም ፡ ታሪክ” literally translates to “Of the patriot: the story that saddened him” The label translates this into Italian as “Storia del Guerriero Henescim” or “Story of the Warrior Henescim”. It is possible that “Henescim” is a transliteration of the word “ያዘነሾም” (romanized as “Yazenesom”).
I got this from an Ethiopian record collector who found a few in pristine condition with original sleeves. If you enjoy this, check out the other (much rougher) AI series Columbia in my collection: https://youtu.be/WDvGbhpKdck
Recorded in Eritrea circa 1940. Released as Columbia AI. 605 (mx. AOI.211)
