Gabonese Afro-Zouk Singer Oliver N'Goma - "Adia" (Part I - information & lyrics in its original languages, in English, & in French)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Adia" performed by Gabonese (Central Africa) Afro-Zouk singer and composer Oliver N'Goma (also given as Oliver Ngoma; Oliver N'goma).

Part I of this series presents information about Gabon and information about Oliver N'Goma. Part I of this series also showcase a sound file of the song as well as three versions of this song's lyrics (in its original language from Gabon+ French; in English, and in French).

UPDATE: July 11, 2018- Part I also includes an excerpt about Afro-Zouk music.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-global-reach-of-gabonese-afro-zouk.html for Part II of this series. Part I showcases a sound file of Oliver N'Goma performing "Adia". Part I also presents selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread, with a particular focus on comments from a number of African nations as well as comments from some other nations worldwide.

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The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Oliver N'Goma for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. And thanks to the producer of this video and thanks to the publisher of this song file on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT OLIVER N'GOMA
Excerpt #1
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_N%2527Goma&prev=search [translated from French to English]
"Oliver N'goma , says Noli , born on March 23 , 1959 at Mayumba and died on June 7 , 2010 , is a Gabonese singer and guitarist of Afro - zouk

Biography
Oliver Ngoma was born in Mayumba, southwest Gabon, on March 23, 1959. His father, a harmonium player, introduced him to music at the age of eight.

In 1971 , his family left Mayumba for Libreville . Oliver studied accounting at the Technical High School in Libreville, where he became a guitarist for Capo Sound, the high school orchestra. Accounting studies do not excite him, Oliver prefers to devote himself to his two passions that are cinema and music. Thus, he will begin by collecting musical instruments, and tinkering a small home studio . In parallel, he is engaged as a cameraman by the second Gabonese television channel (RTG 2).

In 1988 , during an internship in Paris , he met Manu Lima , a director / producer of the African scene in Paris, ex-leader of Cabo Verde Show . Manu takes care of the artistic direction of Oliver's first album, BANE .

In 1990 , the album BANE where is included Bané , goes out without provoking a first outcry. But its constant broadcast on Africa No. 1 and RFI radios, is resumed in force in discotheques in France, as in Africa. Bané became a hit in 1990 throughout Africa and France. From the album BANE will be extracted tracks like Icole and Lusa , which will also know the success.

In 1995 , he released the album ADIA again in collaboration with Manu Lima. The album will be as successful as the first one.

In 2001 , he released his third album SEVA made without Manu Lima, which will have a mixed success.

In 2006 , he released his fourth album SAGA . On this occasion, he returns to the producer Manu Lima.

He died June 7, 2010 of a renal failure in the hospital of Libreville, Gabon 1 ."...

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Excerpt #2
From a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017
"This is Olivier N'Goma. A product of Capeverdean Music and Gabonese Music.

Oliver’s accountancy lessons did not interest him much. He preferred to concentrate on his two great passions: films and music. Beginning to collect musical instruments, he put together a little home studio and entertained secret hopes of becoming a professional musician. However, when an opportunity arose, it was in the shape of his other love, the camera. He went to work for Gabon’s second TV channel as a cameraman, travelling to Paris for training in 1988. During the long winter he spent in the French capital, Oliver worked on his home demos.

Then he met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.
BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.
On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor.

Oliver refused to get carried away by this massive success, realising he would have to live up to his new status. As he calmly got back to work, he knew that his second album would come under close scrutiny on its release.
He continued his partnership with Manu Lima, with the same capeverdean ancestors of Cesária Évora, from Mindelo and the two started recording sessions together in the late summer of 1995. The album, ADIA, appeared in mid-December of the same year. Combining sophistication with a proliferation of beats, ADIA proved that Oliver was no one-hit wonder. In 2001, he made SÉVA without Manu Lima, but then got back together with the French-Cape Verdean producer whose skill had been so crucial in shaping his first 2 albums. The result, SAGA, was released in May 2006.

Manu’s trademark skills successfully pervade SAGA, which is primarily a dance record of African-style zouk. Apart from title track SAGA, the record includes several other excellent songs, such as NOLI, a kind of rumba-zouk with featured vocalists and Congolese guitars."
-snip-
"Noli" is Oliver Ngoma's nickname. It was created by combining the "N" in his last name "Ngoma" with the letters "oli" from his name "Oliver".

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INFORMATION ABOUT AFRO-ZOUK
UPDATE: July 12, 2018: Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/excerpts-about-zouk-music-from-1990.html for Part I of a pancocojams post entitled Excerpts About The Roots Of Zouk Music From The 1990 Book "African Rock: The Pop Music Of A Continent", Part I. The link for Part II is found in that post. Part II provides additional information about Kassav (band) as well as information about Zouk in Africa (up to 1987).

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There's very little information online that describes "Afro-Zouk", a genre (or sub-genre) of music which is much less often called "African Zouk".

Here's the complete Wikipedia article about Afro-Zouk which is translated to English from French. A small portion of this article served as the source for the English language translated Wikipedia article on this music genre:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-zouk&prev=search
"The Afro-zouk
Styles | Origin: 1980
Zouk is a West Indian musical movement initiated in the late 1970s by the Kassav 'group, under the leadership of Pierre-Édouard Decimus and Jacob Desvarieux. It is immediately adopted in Guyana, in the Indian Ocean and in Africa where it is merged with national styles to give afro-zouk.

The text above is under a free license (CC-BY-SA)

Until the early 1980s, the zouk concrete or "chiré", an ephemeral style dancing alone, was fashionable. Very rhythmic and sung in Creole, zouk concrete is a fusion of gwo ka, biguine, calypso, cadence, compass and African rhythms. With the appearance of the band Kassav ', this musical genre disappears in the 1980s.

Having lived for a long time in Senegal where he frequented the capverdian milieu amateur of coladeira (popular musical genre in the archipelago), Jacob Desvarieux had the idea, with the members of the group, of creating a fusion between West Indian music (cadence, biguine, "Mas a sinjan" (mask of Saint-Jean), rhythm of the carnival), the Haitian compass and African sounds (coladeira, Cameroonian makossa brought by Mbida Douglas, one of the musicians of the group), with whirling guitar riffs Congolese soukouss and rock, salsa brass lines and funk keyboard notes.

The release in 1980 of Kassav's first album, "Love and Ka Dance", thus marks the birth of this new musical genre that immediately seduces the Afro-Caribbean community. But it is their title "Zouk The medikaman nou ni se se" which will largely contribute to the sustainability of the zouk. This new musical Caribbean is then adopted in Guyana.

Several derivatives will be derived from zouk: zouk love (very throbbing, slow genre), R & B-zouk, soul-zouk, rap-zouk, reggae-zouk, ragga-zouk.

In addition to the initiating group Kassav 'and its members who release solo albums (Jocelyne Béroard, the brothers Pierre-Édouard Georges Decimus, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Claude Naimrod, Patrick Saint-Eloi), several other formations and artists will report on the international scene in the 1980s / 1990s: Zouk Machine, Dédé Saint-Prix, the late Edith Lefel, Experience 7, Francky Vincent, Joëlle Ursull, Ralph Tamar, Ronald Rubinel, Tanya St-Val, Souskay ...

In Africa and the Indian Ocean it is merged with national styles, giving Kizomba, afro zouk, sega zouk, maloya zouk, comorian zouk, makossa / zouk, zouglou / zook, soukouss / zouk (soukou- zouk), coladeira / zouk (cola-zouk) ...

Among the following: Mpongo Love, Gadji Celi, Awa Maiga, Monique Seka, Oliver NGoma, Mathey, Africa Maestro, Galvao, Vivick, Yvon Paris, Stacy, Roger, Philippe Monteiro, Mobass, Elaisa, Roger Gobea, Pierrette Adams, Kaysha, Patience Dabany, Chantal Taïba, Kino, Jorge Neto, Chamsia Sagaf, Naima, Jerry, Don Kikas and many others ...

by Nago Seck July 14, 2008 - © Afrisson"
-snip-
Based on comments about Oliver N'goma's music, it occurs to me that one feature of Afro-Zouk vocal music might be singing in traditional African languages and/or African Creole languages. Afro-Zouk singers might also combine these languages with French.

Also note this excerpt from a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017. This excerpt refers to Gabonese singer/composer Oliver N'goma's first album having "a Zouk-style beat":
"Then he [Gabonese singer Oliver N'goma] met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.

BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.

On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor."...

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Oliver Ngoma...ADIA



jennithony, Published on Apr 19, 2008

this is a nice african song,from Gabon, I love this song

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LYRICS FOR OLIVER NGOMA'S SONG "ADIA"
Each of these transcriptions are from the discussion thread for the sound file that is embedded in this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0

Lyrics #1:
[posted by LOVESTAR HIGH, 2015]

Chérie
Vumissio wa murim'agu
Ni skia mune
Oh...Adia
murim'ami n'agu u li
Oh ...n'agu buandi
Ah
Nge ni va tsole

Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami

Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie

Florence
Ngambo bi biva u si
Murime ndzungu
Oh chéri
Ngambo yetu kue tu li
mo murim'agu
Ah....
Murime ufitse
Suze otima
we ma abaraga
mognu'ami
a ngeyu

nge buandi
U li mo
Murim'ami
Bébé

Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami

Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie
Ah... Yo yo yo
Bi uva lile Adia
Duniru duami
Ni va lile Bébé

Duniru a duagu
guagu veke Adia

Chérie Ah...Eh..
Ngulu wandi bébé

Florence...
u ya be lile mama

Chérie...
Uya du gabile

Florence
uya regembe wandi

Adia
Ngukuobu
Bébé
Ngeyu a minu
Bébé
Ka lembu
Biyogu
Biva bandissi
Bébé... Biyogu Musson-
gu... bébé ...
-snip-
Here's a comment exchange about the language that Oliver N'goma used for the song "Adia":
Jean Marie Bafouta, 2017
"Arsene Tchiama
Hello I would like to know Oliver Ngoma sang in what language of Gabon?

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REPLY
Arsene Tchiama, 2017
"Jean marie Bafouta
bjr. Il chantait en Lumbu. une langue du Sud du Gabon. plus précisément une des 2 langues parlées à Mayumba. Mayumba qui était sa ville natale."
-snip-
bjr. He sang in Lumbu. a language of southern Gabon. more precisely one of the 2 languages spoken in Mayumba. Mayumba who was his hometown. "

In the same discussion thread another commenter, Marie Manomba wrote "it's gabonese and it's my dialect which is ypunu...if you reacts to the answer, i translate for you. best wishes!!!"
-snip-
I don't know if "ypunu" is a dialect of or another name for "Lumbu". I didn't see any translation from this commenter in that discussion thread as of the date of this blog post.

Also, note that Delcia Mwind, a commenter in the discussion thread for Oliver N'Goma's song "Bane" also indicated that "Lumbu" was the language that N'Goma used for that song.
-snip-
Oliver N'Goma also included the French words "Chérie" and "Bébé" in the song "Adia".

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Lyric #2 [English translation]

[posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]

Adia ( my love )

Calm your heart
I am not anymore in it
Oh... my love.
My heart is yours.
Oh... only to you

Ah...
It's you that i love
That road is a old road
It is you my life baby
You are mine
I am yours for life

Florence
Say me what you are doing
Pain in the heart
Oh darling
Say me how many are we
In your heart

Ah...

What a pain in the heart

Suzy Otima
It's to you i think
My life is you
Only you is in my heart
Baby
That road
It's a old road
It is you my life
Baby
You are mine
I am yours for life

Ah...yo yo yo
What are you crying

This body is yours
Only yours

Florence
Don't cry mama

Darling
Don't tremble
My love listen me
Baby
You are mine
Baby
Let the lamentations
Those make you lose weight
Baby... lamentations are source of diseases...Baby.
-snip-
For clarification purposes, according to several commenters, the word "Adia" means "my love". One commenter interpreted that word as "darling".

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Lyric #3: in French, posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]

chérie
Calme ton coeur
Je ne suis plus dedans
Oh...Amour
C'est avec toi que mon coeur est
Oh...avec toi seulement

Ah...

C'est toi que j'aime

Cette route là
C'est une vieille route
C'est toi mon amour
Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie

Florence
Dis moi ce qui te fait mal au coeur
Oh chéri
Dis moi combien sommes nous
Dans ton coeur

Ah...

j'ai le coeur noir

Suzy Otima
ne suis pas ca
Ma vie
C'est toi
Toi seule
Est dans mon coeur
Bébé

Cette voie
Est une vieille route
C'est toi
Ma vie

Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie
Ah...yo yo yo
Que pleures tu Amour
C'est mon corps que je pleure Bébé

Ce corps est tien
A toi uniquement

Chérie ah...eh...
Écoutes moi bébé

Florence. ...
Ne pleures plus maman

Chérie. ...
Ne le partage pas

Florence. ...
Ne paniques pas

Amour
Écoutes
Bébé
Toi c'est moi
Bébé
Donc arrêtes ces lamentations
Qui te font maigrir
Bébé. ..les lamentations sont source de maladies
Bébé ...

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

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