Angola 72 (reissue) vinyl

Icon of Angolan music Bonga is on first-name terms with the stars and has given true meaning to the concept of 'Africanness'. He belongs to that caste of African singers who have sublimated their roots. His rasping, powerful voice is immediately identifiable and anyone listening to his music remains entranced from start to finish. In the mid '60s,, Bonga's athletic talents took him to Portugal where, ironically, he became a champion under his birth name while playing an active part in the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. When the Salazar regime finally realised he was playing a double game, he managed to escape and went into exile in The Netherlands. There, in 1972, he recorded a harrowing first album soberly entitled Angola 72, with Cape Verdean musicians for the Dutch label Morabeza - today available on Lusafrica. This key record became something of a soundtrack for Angola's struggle for independence.