Bonga

In addition to his music, Bonga is a global symbol of African freedom and independence. He celebrated his 50-year career with a great new album, Kintal da Banda, in 2022, and we will see him on tour again in Budapest.

Born in 1942, Bonga started out as a successful athlete and, as Angola was a Portuguese colony until 1975, he long held the Portuguese record for the 400m flat race. But his other passion overcame him and he chose a career in music, where he also became a world champion.

With his first albums, the musically groundbreaking Angola 72 and Angola 74, he was an advocate of Angolan independence, and until 1975 he was an undesirable figure in his home country and in Portugal - at that time a Cape Verdean community in Rotterdam was his home. His music, the harpsichord that he essentially developed, was shaped by Portuguese influences, as well as by the influence of Cape Verdean morna and coladeira, but also by Afro-Cuban rhythms and even by a connection with samba.

The main thing was of course Bonga's character, all her songs are dominated by storytelling, a positive vibe that ultimately conveys joy, peace and harmony, and of course her raspy, smoky, yet always playful and captivating voice.

His first album, 1972's Angola 72, which demanded independence, made him an instant national hero, and his status was confirmed by his next album, 1974's Angola 74 - these LPs are among the best releases of the 1970s. It was on the latter that the 1950s Cape Verdean song Sodade, first heard by Cesaria Evora, became famous, and then made a beloved worldwide hit with its cover twenty years later in 1992. It's no coincidence that the two of them did a joint version of the song, and the barefoot diva performed it with Bonga at several Evora concerts.

Bonga, who lives largely in Lisbon, has remained one of Angola's biggest musical stars, with nearly 40 albums to his name and a form that hasn't faded in the 21st century. In fact, his latest album, 2022's Kintal da Banda, is a beautifully orchestrated semba release inspired by Bonga's childhood, the influence of the courtyard of an Angolan family home, and the memory of the bond between family and neighbourhood. Let us say no more: a concert not to be missed.