Kekele - 'Ba Kristo'
This week we bring you music from the Democratic Republic of Congo to recognize the incredible moment in history we are witnessing. In the largest UN overseen election in history, 58 million Congolese citizens will choose their elected leaders for the first time in 46 years! With over 33 candidates for president and 9,500 people running for 500 legislative seats the ballots are sure to be long, just finding your candidate will be a challenge.
To mark the election we give you 'Ba Kristo', from Kekele's hot new album "Kinavana". By paying homage to the Cuban composer Guillermo Portabales, the album brings the two countries together across the black atlantic in the most joyous and musical of ways. 'Ba Kristo' is based on the music of Portabales' song "El Carretero", but instead of telling a wagoner’s tale it denounces the efforts of evangelical churches in Africa to ban all music that is not Christian.
Kekele is on tour this month so check their schedule to see if they are coming to a club near you!
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Technorati Tags: free song, congo elections, congo, kekele
I think you folks are doing a fantastic job of promoting world music and educating people about this diverse and magical form of music.
The only quibble is that getting to the download and finding the proper link is confusing. I see the sample to listen to a stream but not the actual download.
Aside from that keep up the good work
Posted by: Brent Wagner | July 28, 2006 at 11:13 PM
Brent,
Glad you enjoy what we do! To download the song, click on "get the music" which brings you to the free song page at www.freesong.calabashmusic.com. There you will find a description of the song and two buttons, "sample this song" opens our flash player and "add to my music" puts the song in your account for download. If you do not have an account with us, sign up! It is free, easy, and without any commitment. A community membership has access to our free offerings. Enjoy the music!
Posted by: simeonchapin | July 29, 2006 at 09:08 AM
I just found this video on RootsWorld news. It features Loko Massengo (now of the rumba supergroup Kekele), in a 1973 TV broadcast by the ensemble Madjesi. Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc2T5PRGubA
Posted by: simeonchapin | July 29, 2006 at 09:32 AM