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Nguza Viking: Is he really as worthless as a dog’s carcass?"Nasema Sina ndugu, wa kuweza kunisaidia. Nikifa leo na kesho, maiti ya kwangu ni bure. Yatatupwa kama ya mbwa, na kuyasahau pale pale ..." These lyrics taken from Orchestra Maquis debut Swahili song of 1977 translate into: "I say, I have no relatives who can ever assist me (even) if I die today, my body will be useless, to be discarded like a dog’s carcass and be forgotten ...". Last week, the lyrics became a frightening reality when the former Maquis band leader, Nguza Viking was sentenced to life imprisonment alongside his three sons, by the Dar es Salaam Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court, for sexual assault of children. Through this reflect of the musician’s life, Valentine Marc Nkwame recalls the melancholiac memories of the days when Congo- influenced Tanzanian bands rocked the local music scene. Nguza Viking and his journey through time About this time, twenty years ago, the name Nguza Viking was guaranteed to cause as much interest as it is doing now. Twenty years ago, Nguza was the leader, singer, guitarist and overall front-man with one of the biggest bands in Tanzania, Orchestra Maquis. In fact, the year 1984 also saw Maquis at the peak of fame, having just released its countrywide super successful song, "Karubandika" penned by Nguza himself. Suffice to say it was about the same time when the Dar es Salaam based band, performed here in Arusha. It was a very successful show too. Maquis, like all other leading bands of that time, played in stadiums. Their fans wouldn’t exactly fit in limited size venues like the Blue Triple A or even Hotel Seventy Seven. The band migrated to Tanzania in the mid-seventies from Congo (then known as Zaire) and its stay in the country was purely by accident. Then known as Maquis-du-Zaire, the band established in the 60's, was on its way to Kampala, Uganda where it had been invited to perform and the trip took Maquis through Tanzania. Here, the band realized, the market for music bands especially those with Zairean influence was very big indeed. In Dar es Salaam, Maquis decided to cut short, their journey to Uganda and settled in the City, playing gigs in various clubs. The band grew very popular. Later however, a problem arose. The Tanzania Government issued a directive that though Zairean bands were very much welcome, they should record their songs in Kiswahili the national language and not their indigenous Lingala. At that time, Maquis could only sing in Lingala, but their band leader, one Chinyama Chiyanza remembered that they used to have a singer who knew Swahili. The singer was none other than, Kikumbi Mwanza Mpango who later became to be known as "King-Kiki", a former band member who earlier on had lived in Tanzania. Chiyanza went back to Zaire (Congo) and brought Kiki who penned the band’s first Swahili songs including "Nasema Sina Ndugu", "Kasongo Rudi Kijijini" and "Kyembe". Kiki also introduced the band’s style of "Kamanyola bila Jasho" (Kamanyola without sweat), a show rhumba beat that can be danced without sweating. By the year 1978 Maquis was no doubt the biggest and most successful band in Tanzania, having eclipsed all the local outfits like Juwata (formerly Nuta and now Ottu) jazz band, Safari Trippers and National Panasonic, a band owned by Matsushita Electronics of Japan, which then had a radio manufacturing branch in Dar es Salaam. Chinyama, the Maquis leader was a saxophonist, Kiki - naturally became the lead singer, being better off in Kiswahili than others while Nguza strummed on as a solo guitarist alongside Ilunga Lubaba (rhythm) and Banza Mchafu (Bass). Other band members included; Kassongo Mpinda and Ibrahim Kibambe who later became a born again Christian, moved to Arusha and sang with the New Life Band plus about 30 other members. Early 1979, trouble started with Maquis ... (to be continued)
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