Three Kilos of Coffee: An Autobiography - Softcover

Dibango, Manu; Rouard, Danielle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226144909 ISBN 13: 9780226144900

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1994

Synopsis

In 1948, at the age of fifteen, Manu Dibango left Africa for France, bearing three kilos of coffee for his adopted family and little else. This book chronicles Manu Dibango's remarkable rise from his birth in Douala, Cameroon, to his worldwide success—with Soul Makossa in 1972—as the first African musician ever to record a top 40s hit.

Composer, producer, performer, film score writer and humanitarian for the poor, Manu Dibango defines the "African sound" of modern world music. He has worked with and influenced such artists as Art Blakey, Don Cherry, Herbie Hancock, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and Johnny Clegg. In Africa, he has helped younger musicians, performed benefit concerts, and transcribed for the first time the scores and lyrics of African musicians.

The product of a "mixed marriage" (of different tribes and religions) who owes allegiances to both Africa and Europe, Dibango has always been aware of the ambiguities of his identity. This awareness has informed all of the important events of his life, from his marriage to a white Frenchwoman in 1957, to his creation of an "Afro-music" which joyfully blends blues, jazz, reggae, traditional European and African serenades, highlife, Caribbean and Arabic music. This music addresses the meaning of "Africanness" and what it means to be a Black artist and citizen of the world.

This lively and thoughtful memoir is based on an extensive set of interviews in 1989 with French journalist Danielle Rouard. Richly illustrated with photographs, this book will be a must for readers of jazz biographies, students of African music and ethnomusicology, and all those who are lovers of Manu Dibango's unique artistry and accomplishments.

About this title

About the Authors

Born in Cameroon, Manu Dibango (1933–2020) was a trailblazing saxophonist who long lived in Paris with his family.

Danielle Rouard is a journalist who has written for Le Monde.

From the Back Cover

The French publisher had given me carte blanche; with some ignorance, I chose to write Manu Dibango's biography in the first person. Much later, when the book can out Manu commented, 'When we worked on that book, it was like Danielle raped me.' Over months of collaboration, 'I' became a reflected image, a hybrid creature. A plump little whit journalist relived the life of a great saxophonist and composer in the avant garde of world music, who she'd never met before. She saw with the eyes of an African, heard with his long ears, laughed and suffered with his heart of a black man.

Reviews

Popular African jazz saxophonist Dibango (Soul Makossa; Electric Africa) details his life in the musical sportlight, beginning with his 1948 emigration from Cameroon to France, at age 15. Young Dibango picked up jazz and blues music quickly-learning piano as well as saxophone-but lost his traditional family's approval when word got back to Cameroon of his success as a working musician. Despite his eventual climb to international fame, familial and tribal conflict haunted Dibango, who could not help but see himself as both African and European, a tension that was further exacerbated by his racially mixed marriage. That Dibango beat these formidable odds to make a career out of his music is a testament to his strong spirit, one which permeates this autobiography. If there is a failing, it is in the confusing number of bands, clubs, and performances referred to in the book's limited pages. "In music there's no past and no future, just the present," Dibango notes and that is how he has chosen to tell his life story. Twenty-three pages of personal photos and a discography complete the book.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dibango was born in 1933 in the port city of Douala, Cameroon, to parents from two antagonistic ethnic groups, which helps explain his lifelong blending of seemingly disparate musical styles. He was raised until age 15 according to traditional tribal custom but was then sent to a Paris boarding school, his first term paid for with three kilos of coffee. In school he was exposed to musicians such as Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. Dibango's love of American jazz, combined with his multicultural background, enabled him to become one of the earliest exponents of world music. In 1973 his third album's title song, "Soul Makossa" reached the American top 40, making him one of the first African musicians to have an international hit, a success that led to an extended engagement at the Apollo Theater. Today, he remains an influential figure with a new album featuring not only an all-star African lineup but popular European artists such as Peter Gabriel and Sinead O'Connor. Dibango's staying power and influence recommend his autobiography for music collections in all libraries.
Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226144909
• ISBN 13: 9780226144900
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 158