African Jazz Mokili Mobimba
African Jazz Mokili Mobimba was a popular song written in the Congolese rumba style by Charles Mwamba Déchaud and performed by Joseph Kabasele's band, Le [Grand Kallé et l'African Jazz|African Jazz].
History
Beginning in June 1961, the popular Congolese band African Jazz —led by Joseph Kabasele— made a series of recordings in Brussels, Belgium. One of their new songs was "African Jazz Mokili Mobimba", written by guitarist Mwamba "Déchaud" Mongala in the Congolese rumba style. It was released later that year. It was a pastiche of two Latin American songs. The lyrics caution against excessive travel abroad. The song also references all of the performing musicians as well as several Congolese cities and African countries. At just over five minutes in length, it was one of the first African recordings to make use of the larger 45 rpm records then only recently available in the continent.African Jazz Mokili Mobimba went on to become a hit of the early 1960s. It became particularly popular in Kenyan dance clubs in 1965. It is often considered to be one of African Jazz's most memorable songs, though by the early 2000s it was commonly referred to as simply "Africa Mokili Mobimba".