Famous Cameroonian musician, Emmanuel NDjoke Dibango, fondly known as Manu Dibango, on March 24, passed away as a result of the New Coronavirus -COVID-19. The 86-year-old, who was living in France, passed away in Île-de-France. He was renowned for his saxophone skills and smooth jams. A statement on his facebook page confirmed his death, saying that, “It is with deep sadness that we announce to you the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove.” His funeral will take place in “strict privacy”, the statement read, asking instead for people to send condolences by email and adding that a tribute will be arranged “when possible”. Tributes continue to pour in for music icon His death has been met by sadness from music lovers, especially his fans, who hailed him as a great musician who left a huge legacy behind. One of his die-hard fans, Jacques ‘Mighty Popo’ Muligande, a Rwandan musician and educator, with a lifelong connection with Rock & Roll, Blues, and Jazz, hailed Dibango’s tremendous career and acknowledged a huge void the star leaves in the industry. “He is among African artistes, who have uplifted the continent’s music, taking it to the world. To me he was a role model and a legend in this industry,” said Muligande, adding that he will be remembered for fusing jazz and funk music with traditional sounds from his home country. He said Dibango’s legacy should be an inspiration to the upcoming generation. Muligande said that Dibango, whose hits song “Big Blow” earned him global claim, will continue to inspire many generations, including himself. He said that he has made a song to pay tribute to him. Eric Soul, real name Eric Karengera Kirenga, founder, music Curator and Creative Director at Afrogroov, echoed Mighty Popo’s views, saying Dibango is a real inspiration and influence who young people can learn a lot from, given his afro-jazz legacy. “He was a real inspiration. I wish young people would look into who Manu Dibango is and be inspired by his approach to music,” said Karengera who wished he knew the Cameroonian saxophonist personally. The music curator added that losing such an artiste to the Coronavirus pandemic is a huge loss for Africa and Africans should celebrate his talent and many other African legends while they are still alive. “We’re so obsessed with young culture or new talents that we forget to celebrate our legends like Dibango, one of the pioneers of African music who believed in the expression of African culture. We need to celebrate them more while they are still alive,” He reiterated that African don’t need to wait until music legends are dead to recognize their contribution to the World of music in Africa. Many of his fans worldwide took to social media to express their condolences as they mourned their idol’s death. “My sax idol what a tragedy! May he rest in peace,” Mureithi Kiarie replied in a tweet that announced the saxophonist’s death. Even those who did not know him we saddened by his passing “I wish the world mourns my Name when I rest. R.I.P Legend. Inspired last minute,” said Acquinas Nabiswa in a tweet. Born in the Cameroonian city of Douala in 1933, the saxophonist was one of the pioneers of Afro-jazz and also fused funk with traditional Cameroonian music. In 2009, the fuse jazz artiste filed a lawsuit accusing Michael Jackson of stealing one of his hooks from his song, Soul Makossa, for two songs on the legendary Thriller album, prompting Jackson to settle the case out of court. The Cameroonian musician and songwriter who also played the vibraphone is renowned for his hit song Soul Makossa—produced in 1972—said to have influenced Michael Jacksons Wanna Be Starting Somethin which was the opening track of Americas famous album Thriller of 1982. The Big Blow hitmaker’s musical career spanned across more than six decades giving his fans more than 70 albums.
