Henri Dikongué
Encyclopedia
Henri Dikongué is a Cameroon
ian singer and guitarist
.
Dikongué was born in Douala
to a family of musicians. He attended a school music in Paris
, where he attempted unsuccessfully to release a first album. He started a music/acting troupe and worked with actor Martin Yog and musicians Alfred M'Bongo and Manuel Wandji, as well as Maranatha
, a South Africa
n chorus.
After finally choosing to settle in Paris in 1989, he perfected his skills with classical guitar
and collaborated with African musicians such as Manu Dibango
and Papa Wemba
. In 1995 he released his first album, Wa. His music mixes elements from makossa
, bikutsi
, reggae
and rumba. He sings in his native tongue, Duala
.
His second album, C'est la vie, was released in 1997 (in the US under the Tinder Records label) and sold about 10,000 copies. Between 1997 and 1998, he toured Germany
and the United States
.
His third album, N'oublie jamais, was released in 2000. This album incorporated more musical styles such as reggae
and flamenco
, but the album wasn't as successful as his previous works.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Dikongué was born in Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
to a family of musicians. He attended a school music in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he attempted unsuccessfully to release a first album. He started a music/acting troupe and worked with actor Martin Yog and musicians Alfred M'Bongo and Manuel Wandji, as well as Maranatha
Maranatha
Maranatha is an Aramaic word occurring twice in the New Testament and also in the Didache which is part of the Apostolic Fathers' collection. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians...
, a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n chorus.
After finally choosing to settle in Paris in 1989, he perfected his skills with classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
and collaborated with African musicians such as Manu Dibango
Manu Dibango
-External links:*...
and Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu . He is a Congolese rumba musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.-Zaiko Langa Langa:...
. In 1995 he released his first album, Wa. His music mixes elements from makossa
Makossa
Makossa is a type of music that is most popular in urban areas in Cameroon. It is similar to soukous, except that it includes strong bass rhythm and a prominent horn section. Makossa, which means " dance" in Duala, originated from a type of Duala dance called kossa, with significant influences...
, bikutsi
Bikutsi
Bikutsi is a musical genre from Cameroon. It developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaounde. It was popular in the middle of the 20th century in West Africa...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and rumba. He sings in his native tongue, Duala
Duala language
Duala is the language spoken by the Duala people of Cameroon. The language belonges to the Bantu language family, and a subgroup of it called the Duala languages...
.
His second album, C'est la vie, was released in 1997 (in the US under the Tinder Records label) and sold about 10,000 copies. Between 1997 and 1998, he toured Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
His third album, N'oublie jamais, was released in 2000. This album incorporated more musical styles such as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
, but the album wasn't as successful as his previous works.
Discography
- Wa 1995
- C'est la vie (This is life) 1997
- N'oublie jamais (Never forget) 2000
- Biso Nawa 2005