Mama Ohandja
Encyclopedia
Mama Ohandja is a Cameroon
ian singer, musical arranger, dancer and choreographer. In the early 1970s, he became the most prominent musician in the region to marry traditional music with modern international styles, combining tom-tom
s, traditional balafon
s and other instruments with electric instrumentation.
Ohandja was born in the village of Ebanga, in the district of Okola
in Cameroon to parents who were traditional singers. His own musical career began in the 1960s interpreting Africa
n, Latin America
n and Europe
an songs in cabaret with his orchestra De Mandoline Jazz d'Efok. But it was in 1971 that Ohandja developed his recognisable style with the release of the successful Confiance jazz. Ohandja fused disparate influences to become known as "Jimi Hendrix of Cameroon." He continues to record and perform with his group les Magistrats which was founded in 1991.
He has 5 children : 3 daughters (Aimée, Bernadette, Fanny) and 2 sons (Guy and Jean).
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, musical arranger, dancer and choreographer. In the early 1970s, he became the most prominent musician in the region to marry traditional music with modern international styles, combining tom-tom
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
s, traditional balafon
Balafon
The balafon is a resonated frame, wooden keyed percussion idiophone of West Africa; part of the idiophone family of tuned percussion instruments that includes the xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, and the vibraphone...
s and other instruments with electric instrumentation.
Ohandja was born in the village of Ebanga, in the district of Okola
Okola
-References:* * - Thèse de Donation Avele, Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV * Charles Nanga, , Mémoire ENA....
in Cameroon to parents who were traditional singers. His own musical career began in the 1960s interpreting Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an songs in cabaret with his orchestra De Mandoline Jazz d'Efok. But it was in 1971 that Ohandja developed his recognisable style with the release of the successful Confiance jazz. Ohandja fused disparate influences to become known as "Jimi Hendrix of Cameroon." He continues to record and perform with his group les Magistrats which was founded in 1991.
He has 5 children : 3 daughters (Aimée, Bernadette, Fanny) and 2 sons (Guy and Jean).