Deli Kongoli
Mzee Deli Kongoli Mbayirwa, known professionally as Deli Kongoli, was a Congolese musician and singer. His primary instrument was a guitar. He is also known as "The Great Maestro."
Early life
Kongoli was born in the Centre Hospitalier Mama Musayi in the city of Butembo, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 June 1964.Career
Kongoli often performed in his home city of Butembo alongside fellow artist, Étienne Kasereka, and his band, Nande Révélation. Believing his role as an artist to "passive" describe contemporary stories of everyday life, Kongoli wrote of familial and gender dynamics.Kongoli helped organize the national "Africa Amkeni" festival, held on 28 June 2025. He explained that the patriotic festival, receiving 184 applications from across the DRC, aimed to celebrate the contributions of Congolese people Africa and the world.
Cultural influence
Kongoli was hailed as a "mentor," "legend," and "icon" of Yira Mirembe folk music. Following his death, tributes were made in his honor.Death
On 7 October 2025 fellow musician Popal Isse Vossi reported that Kongoli and his wife fell ill in Butembo, where he was transferred between multiple medical facilities to no avail. The Butembo musicians' association appealed to the local community for monetary support. Kongoli, however, was not working for approximately six months prior as both Kongoli and his wife were bedridden. Thanks to the efforts of the community and a generous benefactor, the President of the Union for the Development of Lubero Butembo-Beni, Musa Muke Vwakyananda, announced Kongoli was transported from the Adventist church in Butembo to the Mulago National Specialised Hospital in Kampala, Uganda on 15 October. He began receiving medical treatment on 16 October. In his last public statement, given from his hospital bed in Kampala, Kongoli said:Kongoli died on the morning of 10 December 2025 at the age of 61. His death was confirmed by fellow artist, Popal Isse Vossi. Kongoli's body was brought to Matanda Hospital morgue on 12 December. His eucharistic requiem mass was held on 13 December at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Kitatumba neighborhood in his home city of Butembo, headed by Assumptionist Father Wilfrid Kimbanda and six other priests. A highly attended funeral procession followed the pallbearers which carried his casket to his eventual place of burial, located in Cimetière Kitatumba. Prominent figures and members of his biological families paid final tributes.