ABOU SEMHANDO ALIFARIKI SIKU MBILI BAADA YA KUONGOZA MSAFARA WA KUMZIKA DR REMMY

MarehemuAbou Semhando.

Ilikuwa ni mida ya saa tisa usiku, alfajiri ya Jumamosi 18 December 2010, nilipopigiwa simu na mwanamuziki mkongwe Luiza Nyoni, alikuwa analia akanambia kumetokea ajali na Abou Semhando aliyekuwa kwenye pikipiki amegongwa na gari na amefariki, ajali ile ilikuwa imetokea maeneo ya Mbezi Tanki bovu. Niliamka na kuelekea eneo la ajali na hakika taarifa ile ilikuwa ni ya ukweli. Nilikuta pikipiki ya Abou imepakiwa katika gari la polisi na gari iliyomgonga ikiwa kwenye mtaro. Abou ambaye kati bendi alizopigia ni pamoja na Sola TV, Vijana Jazz, Diamond Sound na Super Matimila kweli alikuwa amefariki..

Katika ajali hiyo gari aina ya benzi ilimgonga nyuma akiwa katika pikipiki yake wakati akitoka kupiga mziki maeneo ya Africana. Kwa maelezo ya wanamuziki wenzake Abou alipiga drums nyimbo ya pili toka mwisho na baada ya hapo kuamua kuelekea nyumbani ambapo ndipo alipokutana na ajali hiyo. Jambo la kusikisha pia ni kuwa Abou aakiwa na pikipiki yake ndiye aliyeongoza msafara wa mazishi ya Dr. Remmy Ongala siku mbili tu kabla kifo chake.

Gari lililohusika katika ajali

Pikipiki ya Abou

Gari lililohusika katika  ajali hiyo

Abou Semhando wa kwanza kulia akiwa na miwani kwenye shughuli ya kuaga mwili wa marehemu Remmy Ongala siku mbili kabla ya kifo chake. 

Ratiba ya  Mazishi ya mwanamuziki na na meneja wa Bendi ya African Stars-Twanga Pepeta  Marehemu Abou Ally Semhando “BABA DIANA”

•         Jumamosi 18/12/2010-ndugu na jamaa kukusanyika nyumbani kwa marehemu, Mwananyamala Kisiwani(Ngilangwa) kwa ajili ya kutoa pole na kuwafariji wafiwa.

•         Jumapili 19/12/2010-Saa 11 Swala ya alfajiri katika msikiti wa Muhimbili, baada ya swala waombolezaji kuingia katika magari na kuelekea kijiji cha Kibanda, Muheza tayari kwa mazishi.

•         Mara baada ya chakula cha mchana mwili kupelekwa msikiti wa Muheza nabaada ya swala mwili kupelekwa makaburini kwa maziko.

•         Waombolezaji watarejea Dar es Salaam baada ya maziko.

1.19/12/2010 ni siku aliyokuwa amuoze binti yake wa kwanza
2. Alikuwa ameuandikia uongozi wa Bendi kuwa umpe likizo ya mwezi kwani alitaka asiweko katika jukwaa kwa kipindi. Ni mara ya kwanza yeye kuandika barua ya kuomba likizo
3. Katika simu yake ringtone aliyoiweka ni ya wimbo wa Njohole Jazz Band- bendi hii wanamuziki wake karibu wote walikufa pamoja katika ajali mbaya ya gari.

Waliosimama..Remmy Ongala, Abuu Semhando,Kasaloo Kyanga, Fan Fan wote wamekwisha fariki.

Abou Semhando alikuwa mpiga drum wa Remmy Ongala enzi za Super Matimila na mtindo wao wa Talakaka. 1981. 

Mara baada ya mazishi ya Dokta Remmy, Abou Semhando na Cosmas Chidumule walikuwa wakitaniana, kuwa nani atakaefuata baada ya kifo cha mwenzao,

Abou Semhando : Utafuata wewe ukawe unamsaidia kuimba.

Cosmas Chidumule: Mi sitaki utaenda wewe  mpiga drum wake.

Siku mbili baadae Mungu akapitisha uamuzi wake.

MUNGU WASAMEHE MAPUNGUFU YAO NA KUWALAZA PEMA 

AMEN

MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN DECEMBER

 

tHE LATE ANDY SWEBE

Many people believe that the end of the year tends to be characterized by many shocking tragedies, it seems this is true in the community of Tanzanian musicians. Here are some of the tragedies that befell the music industry in the month of December.

Let me start with the night of December 12, 2010, that night Ramadhani Mtoro Ongala, a famous musician also known as Dr. Remmy Ongala died. Remmy died at the Regency Hospital in Dar es Salaam. In his lifetime Remmy Ongala went through several bands after entering Tanzania from Congo. He arrived in the country and joined the Orchestra Makassy band, a band led by Mzee Makassy whom Remmy used to identify as his uncle. Remmy left Orchestra Makassy and joined a band based in Songea called Super Matimila, for a short time he returned to Orchestra Makassy where at that time I was lucky to be one of the musicians in the band, and on the lineup there was also the great Mosese Fan Fan who is now also deceased.

Dr Remmy again returned to Matimila where he stayed for a long time with the band that identified itself as playing the Bongo Beat style. But eventually Dr Remmy left dance music and started singing gospel music until death. Dr Remmy was buried on Thursday 16^th  December 2010 in the Sinza cemetery, not far from an area named after him, 'Sinza kwa Remmy'.  On the eve of Dr Remmy's burial, various musicians gathered at Dr Remmy's house and played music throughout the night to bid farewell to their comrade. Just two days after Dr. Remmy's funeral, another musician who was riding a motorcycle that led the procession to the cemetery to bury Dr. Remmy had a fatal accident, he was hit by a car and died on the spot, he was returning home after his music gig, it was Saturday 18 December 2010.

 The musician was Abou Semuhando also known as Lokasa or Baba Diana. Abou was a drummer for many years and was with the Super Matimila at the same time as Dr Remmy. Other bands that Abou played for include Sola TV, Vijana Jazz and Diamond Sound. Abou was buried at his home village in  Kibanda, Muheza. The saddest thing is that, on the day of his death, Abou’s eldest daughter was getting married. Abou had also already written to the management of his band to ask for a leave because he wanted to rest for a while.

Another December death occurred at dawn on 28 December 2011 at the Marie Stoppes Mwenge hospital in Dar es Salaam. The talented bass guitarist Andisye Swebe, better known as Andy Swebe, suffered from an asthma attack at night , he was  rushed  to the hospital, but  Andy died. Andy started learning to play the guitar from David Mussa of Safari Trippers, after that he played in a small band called Oshekas until he moved to Morogoro where he was employed by a leather factory. One day Mzee Makassy's band had a gig in Morogoro and when he was invited on stage to play a bit, he pleased Mzee Makassy so much that he asked him to join the band, that was the beginning of Andy's long journey in music, later he went through Lovy Longomba's Afriso Ngoma band, at that time with Kassim Mponda, Raymond Thomas, Seif Lengwe, Sololo wa Imani, John Maida, Ramadhani Kinguti, Kalamazoo and others, then he moved to MK Group, later he moved to Bicco Stars, and the journey continued until he and Mafumu Bilali started the African Beats Band.  He later moved to the Kilimanjaro Connection band under Kanku Kelly and they toured several countries for several years with this band. Andy was a freelance musician without a band when death took him.

On December 15, 2014, veteran musician Shem Karenga died. Shem Karenga died at Amana Hospital and was buried at Kisutu Cemetery. Mzee Shem went through several bands including Lake Tanganyika Jazz of Kigoma, Tabora Jazz, and MK Beats and finally Tabora Jazz Stars, he was a very talented soloist, singer and composer.

Let me finish the article by remembering the musician whom fans of the Maquis du Zaire band and finally Maquis Original knew by the name of Mzee Chekecha. His real name was Mwema Mudjanga, he was the band's trumpeter but he had a swagger that eventually gave him the name Mzee Chekecha, he was also one of the directors of Maquis du Zaire and he died on December 6, 2013 in Amana hospital and was buried in Magomeni cemetery Kagera

May they all rest in peace

 

 

NI MIAKA 12 TOKA KIFO CHA DR REMMY ONGALA -TUMUOMBEE KWA KUKUMBUKA YALIYOJIRI KATIKA MAZISHI YAKE

Ni miaka 12 toka Dr Remmy alipofariki siku ya Jumapili tarehe 12 Disemba mwaka 2010, kiasi cha saa sita usiku katika hospitali ya  Regency Hospital.  Siku chache kabla ya hapo alikuwa amelazwa Mhimbili akiwa na matatizo ya kisukari na figo, akaonekana amepata nafuu akaruhusiwa kurudi nyumbani, lakini akazidiwa na kupelekwa hospitali ya  Regency, ambako mauti yalimkuta.

Picha za baadhi ya marafiki, na ndugu waliokusanyika nyumbani kwa  Dr Remmy baada ya kusikia msiba  

Cosmas Chidumule  nyuma yake ni Juma Mbizo

Waziri Ally na  Mzee Manyema

Mzee makassy na Mzee Manyema

Mbombo wa Mbomboka

Mohamed Mgoro

Cosmas na Mzee Kungubaya

Mzee Makassy na Waziri Ally

Chiddy Benz na Bombo wa Bomboka

Kally Ongala akiwa na Nyoni, mmiliki wa bendi ya   Super Matimila 

King Kiki akiwa na Shogholo Challi Katibu Mtendaji wa BASATA wakati huo.

Geophrey Kumburu na Farijala Mbutu

Mgosi Mkoloni

 Joseph Mbilinyi aka Sugu

Mohamed Mgoro na Joseph Mbilinyi (Sugu)

Chidumule na Sugu

Hamza Kalala, Mgoro, Chidumule na Sugu

Rashid Pembe, Sugu, Nindi

Tido Mhando , Mgoro

Makassy, Kanku Kelly,  Chidumule

Ratiba ya Mazishi –Alhamisi 16^th December 2010

Saa 4 asubuhi –Mwili wa Dr Remmy kutolewa MUhimbili na kuletwa katika viwanja vya Biafra Kinondoni.

 - Maombi

-   Tamasha la muziki (Gospel na rhumba)

-       Kuaga mwili

Saa 8 – Mwili kupelekwa nyumbani kwa marehemu Sinza

Saa 10 – Mazishi katika makaburi ya Sinza

 

Jumatano 15^th Disemba 2010  Mkesha wa siku ya mazishi

Seti mbili za vyombo vya muziki vilipangwa nje ya nyumba ya marehemu, na usiku kucha wanamuziki walipiga muziki wakiimba nyimbo nyingi za marehemu na tungo zao nyingine. Kasaloo Kyanga alipanda jukwaani na kuimba nyimbo ambazo walipiga pamoja na marehemu walipokuwa Matimila.

Kadesi mpiga bezi wa zamani wa OSS

Kasaloo Kyanga

Watu wakicheza kumkumbuka marehemu

Mafumu Bilali Bombenga'Super Sax' akipiga Conga

Elly  Chinyama Chiyaza

Mwema Mudjanga, Nkulu Wabangoi, na Kabeya Badu

Makassy Jnr with Mzee Mwema

Mzee Kungubaya

Bushoke Jnr alikuwepo

Mafumu

Malu Stonch

Siku ya mazishi

 Mwili wa Dr Remmy  uliletwa kwenye viwanja vya Biafra kwa gari hili lililosindikizwa na pikipiki mbili za polisi.

Dr Remmy's Coffin

 Mwili ulipofikishwa Biafra, sanduku liliwekwa katika jukwaa maalumu lililokuwa chini ya hema jeupe. Bendi zikaanza kupiga kuomboleza ikiwemo bendi ya Walemavu. Hatimae bendi maalumu ya wanamuziki wa Injili ilipiga wimbo maalumu wa kumlilia Dr Remmy

Watoto na wajukuu wa Dr Remmy

 Kati ya waliohudhuriwa alikuwemo Wazir wa Habari Michezo na Utamaduni Dr Nchimbi, Wabunge wa Kinondoni na Ubungo, Waheshimiwa Iddi Azan na John Mnyika. alikuwepo pia Jaji John Mkwawa, wawakilishi wa BASATA, COSOTA na SHIWATA na wasanii wengi sana,Jambo lililowatoa machozi watu wengi ni pale wimbo alioimba marehemu ulioitwa Siku ya kifo ulipopigwa.

Baada ya hotuba ya Waziri Dr Nchimbi kwa niaba ya serikali na Cosmas Chidumule kwa niaba ya wanamuziki, mamia ya watu walipita mbele ya jeneza kumuaga mpendwa wao.

 Saa nane mwili ukahamia ukumbi wa Kwa Mgiriki, Sinza kwa Remmy ambapo majirani wa marehemu nao walipata nafasi ya kumuaga kabla ya mwili kupelekwa makaburini.

Mazishi

Mke wa Remmy akisindikizwa baada ya mazishi

Kama ilivyopangwa, saa kumi jioni mwili wa DR Remmy ulizikwa Sinza Makaburini. Yakatimia maneno ya wimbo wake wa Siku ya kifo, kuwa <BINADAMU NI NYAMA YA UDONGO>