TWO DAYS AFTER REMMY ONGALA DIED, HIS DRUMMER FOLLOWED HIM

The late Abou Semhando.

It was around three o'clock at night, on Saturday 18 December 2010, when I got a call from veteran musician Luiza Nyoni, she was crying and told me that there had been an accident and Abou Semahando who was on a motorcycle had been hit by a car and had died, the accident had happened in Mbezi Tanki Bovu. I woke up and went to the accident site and alas the information was true. I found Abou's motorcycle had already been loaded in a police car and the car that had hit him was in the ditch.  

In the accident, a van hit him in the back while he was on his motorcycle on his way home after a performance by his band, somewhere in  Africana area. According to his fellow musicians, Abou last played the drums for the second last song and decided to go home, minutes later got into a fatal accident. The strange thing is that Abou on his motorcycle led the funeral procession of Dr. Remmy Ongala just two days before his death..

The car involved in the accident

Abou's mangaled

 motorcycle

The car 

Abou Semhando first on right with a red shirt, in a group photo with fellow musicians during the Dr Remmy's funeral ceremony

Timetable for funeral arrangements for the late Abou Semhando (Baba Diana), musician and manager of the African Stars Band-Twanga Pepeta

• Saturday 18/12/2010-friends and relatives gathered at the home of the deceased, Mwananyamala Kisiwani (Ngilangwa) to offer condolences and console the bereaved.

• Sunday 19/12/2010- 5:00 AM.  Dawn prayers at  Muhimbili mosque, after the prayer the mourners would travel to Kibanda, Muheza ready for the funeral.

• Immediately after lunch the body would be moved to the Muheza mosque and after prayer the body would be taken to the cemetery for burial.

• Mourners would return to Dar es Salaam after the burial.

Some notable things:

1.19/12/2010 was  the day his eldest daughter was to be married

2. He had written to the management of the Band to give him a month's leave because he wanted not to be on stage for a while. It is the first time he wrote a letter requesting leave

3. The ringtone he put on his phone is the song by Njohole Jazz Band - this band's musicians almost all died together in a bad car accident.

Standing from left to right -.Remmy Ongala, Abuu Semhando,Kasaloo Kyanga, Fan Fan they are all deceased.

I first met Abou Semhando around 1979, we were both working with Printpak Tanzania Ltd, he was in typesetting department I was a proofreader. At the time he was with Sola TV Band I was with the Oshekas Band, but I would honestly say we were not close in any way. In 1989 I joined the Vijana Jazz band he was the band's second in command and we became quite close after. In his lifetime Abou was a member of several bands including Sola TV, Vijana Jazz, Diamond Sound and Super Matimila.

In the evening after DR Remmy's burial,

 Abou Semhando and Cosmas Chidumule, a veteran musician who was once also a member of Super Matimila Band under Dr Remmy Ongala,Semhando were joking about who would follow after the death of their colleague.

Abou Semhando : You will follow and back his songs like you always did.

Cosmas Chidumule: No way, you should follow him after all you were his drummer for a longer period.

Two days later it was a joke no more Abou went on to join his comrade

MAY GOD FORGIVE THEIR SHORTCOMINGS 

AMEN