It is my pleasure to introduce the internet to the music of the late Baluba poet and singer Daniel Kulusutu--I didn't find any of his recordings, mp3s, or even youtube videos, on our worldwide web. He was from the town of Kazumba in the Tshisumba region of the former Kasaï Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in 2015 the province was split into the Kasaï-Central and Kasaï provinces). He was born Tshibwabwa Daniel and gave himself the name Kulusutu, of unknown origin; according to one of his acquaintances, Daniel said the name referred to an 'eastern' diety. Kulusutu was known for his mastery of Tshiluba proverbs
Daniel Kulusutu rose to regional fame in the late 1990s, becoming one of the most popular singers in and around the provincial capital of Kananga. His music provided philosophical and spiritual guidance and inspired a generation of singers, like Kadiata wa Mukala. His songs were recorded, straight to a boombox, on dozens of cassettes, and the cassettes sold in market stalls throughout the region. Kulusutu died in 2003, just as he was starting his studies at the Institut Superieur Pedagogique de Kananga.
The story goes that he was the victim of a Kansonda, a mystic bullet shot by Chief Mwandame. A Kansonda is a mystic bullet shot at someone who is considered to have committed a 'social crime' (adultery, robbery, rape). The Kansonda is shot by a nganga, or master witchdoctor, commissioned to level the blow. The victim feels a violent blow, an invisible bullet lodges in his body, and he dies within days. Modern medicine is powerless.
Download Daniel Kulusutu - 1998
This cassette, recorded in 1998, is one of Kulusutu's first. Kulusutu is accompanied by a single guitar, a glass bottle, and several singers. I have tried to clean up the audio files but there is still some fuzz and occasional dropouts. (This is another one of the cassettes that I purchased in Kananga, back in 2011.)
Enjoy!
For more information on the mystical weapons of the Kasai read this article.
Daniel Kulusutu rose to regional fame in the late 1990s, becoming one of the most popular singers in and around the provincial capital of Kananga. His music provided philosophical and spiritual guidance and inspired a generation of singers, like Kadiata wa Mukala. His songs were recorded, straight to a boombox, on dozens of cassettes, and the cassettes sold in market stalls throughout the region. Kulusutu died in 2003, just as he was starting his studies at the Institut Superieur Pedagogique de Kananga.
Clouds over Kananga
The story goes that he was the victim of a Kansonda, a mystic bullet shot by Chief Mwandame. A Kansonda is a mystic bullet shot at someone who is considered to have committed a 'social crime' (adultery, robbery, rape). The Kansonda is shot by a nganga, or master witchdoctor, commissioned to level the blow. The victim feels a violent blow, an invisible bullet lodges in his body, and he dies within days. Modern medicine is powerless.
Download Daniel Kulusutu - 1998
This cassette, recorded in 1998, is one of Kulusutu's first. Kulusutu is accompanied by a single guitar, a glass bottle, and several singers. I have tried to clean up the audio files but there is still some fuzz and occasional dropouts. (This is another one of the cassettes that I purchased in Kananga, back in 2011.)
Enjoy!
For more information on the mystical weapons of the Kasai read this article.
beautiful. thanks so much for sharing. it's really comforting to find that intimate tapes like this existed so late as the late 90s. i find that (at least in many of the regions i've researched from youtube and a few select blogs) that music like this was extremely difficult to come across. i truly appreciate you sharing these. finding recordings like this is so difficult.
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