Lokua Kanza
Lokua Kanza is a singer-songwriter who performs in French, Swahili, Lingala,
Portuguese and English. Noted for songs that cause audiences to reflect rather
than get up and dance, the artist draws on the musical heritage of his homeland
known formerly as Zaire. Born in an eastern province of what is now the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kanza grew up in Kinshasa where he learned to play
the guitar as he took part-time jobs to help support his family after his sailor
father died at sea. He studied at the Kinshasa Music Conservatory and played and
sang in local bar bands before he m...
