In 1948, at the age of fifteen, Manu Dibango arrived in Strasbourg, France, bearing three kilos of coffee for his adopted family and little else. This lively and deeply thoughtful memoir chronicles Manu Dibango's remarkable rise from his humble birth in Douala, Cameroon, to his inauspicious arrival in France, to this 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. His work has included helping younger musicians, performing benefit concerts, and transcribing for the first time the scores and lyrics of African musicians' music.

The product of a "mixed marriage" (his father and mother were of different tribes and religions) he owes allegiances to both Africa and Europe, Dibango has always been aware of the ambiguities of his identity. This awareness informed his creation of "Afro-Music", a music which joyfully blends blues, jazz, reggae, traditional European and African serenades, highlife, Caribbean, and Arabic music. This remarkable music addresses the meaning of "Africanness" and what it means to be a black artist and citizen of the world. Richly illustrated with photographs, this book will be a must for all those who are lovers of African music and of Manu Dibango's unique artistry and accomplishments.

With a foreword by Danielle Rouard, a journalist for Le Monde.

CONTENTS: Nimele Bolo; Really the Blues; "Independance Cha-Cha; African Jazz; The Tam-Tam of Leopoldville; Neighborhood Business; Soul Party; I'd Like to be A Black Man; "Idiba"; "Soul Makossa"; Agouti and Foutou: Of Field Rats & Fufu; "Doulala Serenade; "Tam-Tam pour L'Ethiopie"; Black Resonance; "Sonacotra Blues"; Discography.

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