Alright. It’s time to answer some of those requests. First up, Super Mama Djombo.

Guinea Bissau borders the country I live in but unfortunately I’ve only ever looked at the border and never actually crossed it. Last time I was in south-western Senegal there were reports of banditry on the road I would’ve had to take across the border so I didn’t take the risk. This is no surprise since Bissau is a somewhat lawless place and one of the absolute poorest nations on the planet. It must also be the unsuccessful coup attempt capital of the world.

You can blame a lot of this on the Portuguese, Africa’s foremost crappy colonials, who didn’t let go of the country until 1974. Another reason that things are so bad there is a brutal civil war that happened in 1998-99 to unseat the country’s just as crappy as the Portguese if not worse dictator, Joao Vieria. Since then there’s been another coup and recently a mutiny of sorts. Things aren’t exactly looking up.

But man, oh man, in 1974 people were pumped for freedom. The group that sums up this spirit – in fact the group that pretty much was this spirit as embodied in its music – is Super Mama Djombo.

They only got one chance to properly record their music when in 1980 they went up to Lisbon and recorded something like five albums worth of songs and produced one full-length LP in a very short period of time. Suddenly they were African superstars. But then, like all other hopes in Bissau since independence, they gradually faded away after the 1980 coup that started another slow decline of their beloved country.

Their hit self-titled album was remastered and rereleased in 2003. One of the songs on that album, Pamparida, is said to have caused several spontaneous riots when played in public places. I’ve also posted a second track that I like because when it breaks I get shiver down my spine.

Super Mama Djombo – Pamparida
Super Mama Djombo – Pansau Na Isna