Manu Dibango

Background

Emmanuel N'Djoké Dibango was born in Douala, Cameroon, in 1933. His father was a member of the Yabassi ethnic group and a civil servant, while his mother was a Duala and a fashion designer. Dibango attended Protestant church for religious education and learned French at a colonial school. In 1949, at age 15, he was sent to college in Saint-Calais, France, later attending the lycée de Chartres where he learned piano.

After stints with French jazz clubs, Dibango moved to Belgium, where he was signed by Joseph Kabasele and joined the band African Jazz. He married a Belgian actress, model, and photographer named Marie-Josée (Coco) in 1957, with whom he had one child. Dibango achieved a UK disco hit with 'Big Blow' in 1976, and in 1998 recorded the album 'CubAfrica' with Cuban artist Eliades Ochoa. He was nominated for one Grammy Award in 1974 for 'Soul Makossa'.

Did You Know?

• His song 'Soul Makossa' contains the word 'makossa', meaning '(I) dance' in the Duala language.
• In 2009, Dibango sued Michael Jackson and Rihanna over unauthorized sampling of the 'Soul Makossa' hook, but the case was settled out of court.
• He performed an 80th birthday concert at the Olympia in Paris in July 2014, broadcast by TV5Monde.