Various Meanings Of the Word "Bongo" & Forms Of That Word (such as "Mbongo" and "Ubongo")

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This pancocojams post presents various meanings of the word "bongo" and forms of that word such as "Mbongo" and "Ubongo".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights of this content remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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These entries are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

ENTRY #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_drum
"Bongos (Spanish: bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes.[1] The pair consists of the larger hembra (lit. 'female') and the smaller macho (lit. 'male'), which are joined by a wooden bridge. They are played with both hands and usually held between the legs, although in some cases, as in classical music, they may be played with sticks or mounted on stands.

Bongos are mainly employed in the rhythm section of son cubano and salsa ensembles, often alongside other drums such as the larger congas and the stick-struck timbales. In these groups, the bongo player is known as bongosero and often plays a continuous eight-stroke pattern called martillo (lit. 'hammer') as well as more rhythmically free parts, providing improvisatory flourishes and rhythmic counterpoint.[2]

Bongos originated in eastern Cuba at the end of the 19th century, possibly from a pair of larger drums such as the bokú. These older, larger bongos are known as bongó del monte and played in changüí. The smaller bongos used in son cubano were popular across Cuba by the 1910s and reached the concert halls of the eastern United States in the 1930s. By the 1940s, bongos and congas were sharing the stage as son ensembles grew in size and Latin music began to cross-pollinate with jazz and other genres. During the second half of the 20th century, bongos began to be played in a wide variety of genres, from bachata to Latin rock.[3]

[…]

Origin and etymology

The origin of the bongo is largely unclear. Its use was first documented in the eastern region of Cuba, the Oriente Province, during the late 19th century, where it was employed in music styles such as nengón, changüí, and their descendant, the son cubano.[3] According to Fernando Ortiz, the word bongó derived from the Bantu words mgombo or ngoma, meaning drum.[12] He hypothesizes that the word evolved through metathesis and by similarity with another Bantu word, mbongo.[12] According to Ortiz's early 20th century informants, the large bongó del monte (mountain bongo) used in changüí was the ancestor of the smaller bongó used in son cubano and salsa.[7]."...

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ENTRY #2
From  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_Flava
"Bongo Flava (or Bongo flavor) is a nickname for Tanzanian music.[1] The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, with additional influences from reggae, R&B, and afrobeats, to form a unique style of music.[2] Lyrics are usually in Swahili or English, although increasingly from mid 2000s there has been limited use of words from Sub-Saharan African music traditions due to the influence of Afrobeats and Kwaito with their dynamics usage of West African Pidgin English, Nigerian Pidgin or other Creole language.

Etymology

The name "Bongo" of Bongo Flava comes from Kiswahili usually meaning brains, intelligence, cleverness but can also mean mentally deranged.[3] Bongo is the augmentative form of Ubongo, Kiswahili for Brainland.[4] Flava is kiswahili for Flavour.[4] Ubongo is a term originally use, and in Tanzania still used, for the city of Dar es Salaam.[3] Outside Tanzania, Ubongo is often referring to Tanzania.[4] Ubongo as a term originated from a speech by President Nyerere in the late 70's during a very difficult time following both the global fuel shocks of the 70's and the Kagera war against Uganda. Mwalimu Nyerere spoke that only a nation using brains (using Kiswahili Ubongo for Brainland) could, and would, overcome the difficult challenges Tanzania was facing. Unfortunately things became even worse for Tanzania, and by the early 1980s Dar es Salaam was calling itself mostly by the name Jua Kali (hot sun/world is spinning/dizzy) but also Ubongo. The term Ubongo was being used as a clever way to say both, survival in Dar es Salaam required brains and intelligence, but was also full of mentally deranged people.

[…]

Characteristics

While "Bongo Flava" is clearly related to American hip hop, it is also clearly distinguished from its Western counterpart. …. Recently, with the increase in popularity of Afrobeats in East Africa most Bongo flava songs have adopted the sound especially the 3+2 or 2+3 drum pattern of afrobeats but retaining the arabesque melodies of taarab thus resulting to a reduction of hiphop influence in the genre.

[…]

Following the tradition of western hip hop (as represented by the pioneering hip hop group Afrika Bambaataa), bongo flava lyrics usually tackle social and political issues such as poverty, political corruption, superstition, and HIV/AIDS, often with a more or less explicit educational intent, an approach that is sometimes referred to as "edutainment".[17] …. However, this has changed in recent years and increasingly many commercial Bongo Flava songs deal with topics such as love, heartbreak, success and hardship. This change in topic remains a point of contention between the earlier generation who saw the rise of Bongo Flava, and the new generation who tend to prefer catchy and club ready songs. Whether this is due to globalisation and western influence or due to a change in listener's taste, is the question at the centre of the debate….

ENTRY #3
From https://udadisi.com/diamond-platnumz-and-moralism-in/ "DIAMOND PLATNUMZ AND MORALISM IN TANZANIA"  By Muhidin J. Shangwe, Published On: November 19, 2018
...."Bongo, i.e. brain, stands for Tanzania when it is parochially used, but it can also mean Africa if stretched to the pan-Africanist discourse. Mbongo, i.e. someone who uses his/her brain to survives, is a Tanzanian, but can also mean an African. Bongo Fleva, thus, means the flavor of Bongo, musically."...
-snip-

Many of the YouTube discussion thread comments for sound files of old school Bongo mixed tapes are very critical of "new school"/contemporary Bongo music (after 2015). 

Here are two comments from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yso4qCfM-0

1. Natasha Kathryn, 2021
"The people who have disliked this beautiful mix, they definitely don't know why bongo exists not only bongo this kind of old schooll bongo...this mix has been on repeat mode thrice am almost being kicked out of my own house😂"

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2.  james misaro, 2022
"14 years back I was in my high school and the this song's were my greatest hits. When I always listen to them I heal and my soul feels good.my favorite artists of all time.Kidum,Ali kiba,matonya,mr.blue,2berry,q chills, Mb dog and many more"

-snip-
Here are two more comments from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOq0dn5hypg

1. Paul Soita, 2017
"Before the WASAFI virus came and destroyed the authenticity of Tanzanian music"

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Reply
2. Burna Boy Fan, 2017
"very true, in Kenya Bongo music ruled, but wasafi has messed that up now Nigerian music took over. Everybody in wasafi sings the same thing"
-snip-
These comments refer to Tanzania singer/businessman Diamond Platnumz's "Wasafi" record label. Here's an excerpt from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Platnumz : ..."Diamond Platnumz [is] a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Wasafi Bet and Wasafi Media. Diamond has gained a massive following in East and Central Africa.[2] He became the first Africa-based artist to reach a combined total of one billion views on YouTube.[3]

After signing a record deal with Universal Music in 2017, Platnumz released his third studio album, A Boy from Tandale (2018). In 2021, Diamond together with his record label WCB Wasafi[4] entered into a 360 Partnership with Warner Music Group.[5][6"

[...]

Platnumz has frequently collaborated with videographer Director Kenny for his music videos. The music video for "Waah", directed by Kenny, was nominated for "Best African Video" at the 2021 All Africa Music Awards.[10][11] In 2022, he released his 10 tracks extended playlist known as First Of All (FOA) where he featured top artists like Zuchu, Adekunle Gold, Focalistic and many other top African artists.[12]

First Of All has been described as a blend of R&B, Bongo Flava and Afrobeats [13] and to promote the EP, Diamond Platnumz for the first time in Tanzania premiered all music videos from the FOA EP at the cinema [14]"...

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ENTRY #4
From https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-23600129 The other meaning of Bongoland [complete reprint], Published 7 August 2013, Magazine Monitor, A collection of cultural artefacts

"A UK Independence Party MEP has been criticised for using the term Bongo Bongo Land. But to some people in Tanzania the term has an innocuous meaning, writes Clare Spencer.

MEP Godfrey Bloom has been recorded in footage obtained by the Guardian saying:

"How we can possibly be giving £1bn a month, when we're in this sort of debt, to Bongo Bongo Land is completely beyond me."

Bloom told the BBC Bongo Bongo Land was "a figment of people's imagination. It's like Ruritania or the Third World".

That didn't cut it with Laura Pidcock, from campaign group Show Racism the Red Card. She said that "these crude stereotypes that see Britain as a civilised place and overseas as tribal" were "incredibly damaging". UKIP have also asked him not to use the phrase again, warning that people abroad might find it "disparaging".

This may all be news to people from Tanzania where the shorter word Bongoland means the polar opposite to uncivilised. Instead it means a place where people have to be savvy and have their wits about them.

That place is the large city Dar es Salaam. It comes from an amalgamation of the Kiswahili word Ubongo - meaning brain - and the English word land.

BBC Swahili reporter Aboubakar Famau explains. "Dar es Salaam is a place where people have to use their brain. You could be a conman or just a businessman but they have to work out how to make money."

It's a relatively new term - Famau estimates it at about 15 years old. His dad wouldn't use it and, he muses, it's probably only known by people under 35-years-old. But it is widespread enough to be the title of a 2003 film about a Tanzanian moving to the US, and its sequel, Bongoland II.

What's more, using the term may get you kudos - not criticism - in Tanzania. "Young people think they sound sophisticated when they use the term," Famau says.

That explanation might have helped Bloom avoid controversy.”

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ENTRY #5
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbongo#:~:text=Mbongo%20(also%20called%20Mbengo%2C%20Nam
" The Mbongo (also known as Mbengo, Nambongo, and Nembongo) is the common ancestor of the Sawa people of Cameroon according to their oral traditions. Sawa genealogies usually place Mbongo at the head of the lineage Mbongo, lived at Piti on the Dibamba River. From there, Mbongo's grandsons migrated south to the coast to find the various Sawa ethnic groups .

Mbongo does not seem to be an historical figure. Rather, he is a symbol of the ancient past and an inhabitant of a mythological age. Edwin Ardener calls him a "shadowy" figure and ascribes him to a "proto-tradition" of the coastal peoples. Edwin Ardener and Shirley Ardener place Mbongo in the "legendary or mythical stratum" of Sawa oral histories.The Sawa highly esteem descent from Mbongo as a marker of ethnic inclusion.

A Bakweri honorific, mokpel'anembongo, translates as "free-born and descended from Mbongo". Edwin Ardener proposes that the names of many of Cameroon's coastal ethnic groups historically derived from the name Mbongo. For example, in 1668, a Dutch writer named O. Dapper, drawing from the records of Samuel Blommaert, described a people called the Kalbongos at the Rio del Rey: "The people who live higher up the river [from a coastal trading settlement], by them called Kalbongos, are bold men, but villainous rogues." Dapper also recorded names such as Kalbanges, which may also derive from some form of Mbongo's name. A later writer, John Barbot, wrote, The name of Old Calabar, known as Calborch to the Dutch, may also derive from Calbongo, and ultimately Mbongo.
-snip-
Here's some information about the Duala (or Sawa) people 
From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duala_people#:~:text=The%20Duala%20(or%20Sawa)%20are,German%20and%20French%20colon
ial%20policies.
"The Duala (or Sawa) are a Bantu ethnic group of Cameroon. They primarily inhabit the littoral and southwest region of Cameroon and form a portion of the Sawabantu or "coastal people" of Cameroon. The Dualas readily welcomed German and French colonial policies. 
The number of German-speaking Africans increased in central African German colonies prior to 1914. The Duala leadership in 1884 placed the tribe under German rule. Most converted to Protestantism and were schooled along German lines. Colonial officials and businessmen preferred them as inexpensive clerks to German government offices and firms in Africa.[1] They have historically played a highly influential role in Cameroon due to their long contact with Europeans, high rate of education, and wealth gained over centuries as slave traders and landowners."…

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ENTRY #6
From https://dic.lingala.be/en/mbongo#:~:text=mbongo%2C%20pl.,money
"Mbongo: Lingala meaning:

money, pl. money (class 9/10 (2) : - / - (ba-) : invariable plural from context (or informal/modern ba-)) money"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingala
"Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: Lingála) is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in Angola, the Central African Republic and southern South Sudan. Lingala has 25–30 million native speakers and about 35 million second-language speakers, for a total of 60-65 million speakers."

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ENTRY #7
From  https://glosbe.com/ln/en/Mbongo
"Translation of "Mbongo" into English

Translation of "Money" into English. Sample translated sentence: "Mbongo ezali lokola mbeli wana oyo epeli."= "Money is like that sharp knife "

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ENTRY #8
from https://forebears.io/surnames/mbongo Surname Mbongo
"Where Does The Last Name Mbongo Come From? nationality or country of origin

[…]

"Mbongo (1,006) may also be a first name.

The surname Mbongo occurs in The DR Congo more than any other country or territory. It may also be found as:. For other potential spellings of this last name click here. https://forebears.io/surnames/mbongo#similar [Pancocojams Editor: That website lists names including "M'Bongo" and "Mbongho".].

How Common Is The Last Name Mbongo? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 10,816th most numerous family name worldwide, borne by approximately 1 in 140,399 people. This surname is predominantly found in Africa, where 99 percent of Mbongo are found; 90 percent are found in Central Africa and 89 percent are found in Central Bantu Africa. It is also the 253,646th most commonly occurring first name on earth It is held by 1,006 people.

 It is most prevalent in The DR Congo, where it is held by 26,378 people, or 1 in 2,801. Excluding The DR Congo this surname occurs in 42 countries. It is also found in The Congo, where 28 percent reside and Cameroon, where 8 percent reside."...
-snip-
Here's the only response to the question "What does the name "Mbongo" mean?
from https://www.names.org/n/mbongo/about
"A user from the United Kingdom says the name Mbongo means "The meaning in English is money/ currency".

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ENTRY #9
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Bongo_Man
"Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda;[1] 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician.[2].

Kanda Bongo Man was born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973,[3] developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley.[4] His solo career only started to take off after he moved in 1979 to Paris, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant zouk music popularized by Kassav (originating in the French West Indies).[3] His first solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits.[3]

He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous music. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one guitar solo at the end of the song. Kanda Bongo Man revolutionized soukous by encouraging guitar solos after every verse and even sometimes at the beginning of the song. His form of soukous gave birth to the kwassa kwassa dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips."...
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Based on the information that is given in Entries #6, #7, & #8, my guess is that the name "Bongo" that was given to Kanda Banda Man at birth means something like "someone who brings wealth".

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ENTRY #10
From https://dsae.co.za/entry/mbongo/e04648 Dictionary of South African English

"Bongo

money, noun

Forms:   so, m'bonga

Origin:   IsiZulu, IsiXhosa

colloquial

1. rare. the poet sense 1 .

1875 ‘P.’ in A.M.L. Robinson Sel. Articles from Cape Monthly Mag. (1978) 198

1982 Argus 22 Oct. 14The high-and-the-mighty and minor pooh-bahs alike move around with Mbongos (Zulu praise-singers) preceding them with out-bursts of toadying sycophancy.

2. transferred sense. Often derisive. A representative, or an enthusiastic supporter, of a political group; a political ‘yes-man’. See also jabroer.
1911 E. Prov. Herald 12 Oct.Ministerial ’mbongo talks at Grahamstown. Professor Fremantle addressed a fairly large gathering of citizens this evening in the Town Hall.

1945 Cape Times 29 MayMunicipal mbongo...The Mayor made quite a good case for the appointment of an official who would be a sort of professional praiser.

1948 Cape Argus 16 Sept. 7Government supporters have danced around their Ministers like dutiful, adoring and disciplined mbongos.

1957 Cape Argus 15 June 1They were..a lot of mbongos to hymn the praises of the incompetent Nationalist hierarchy.

1959 Hansard 14 Apr. 3883Mr Raw: It is typical of the contempt with which they regard the problems of those who do not travel round in luxury as the stooges, the M’Bongos...Mr Speaker: Order! The hon. member must withdraw the word M’Bongos.

1976 M. Van Biljon in Sunday Times 3 Oct. (Mag. Sect.) 4A fair sample of expressions which have been disallowed in the House of Assembly including ‘he has a yellow streak’, ‘agitator’, ‘gangster’, ‘stooge’, ‘mbongo’, ‘khaki pest’, ‘fat-head’.

1989 Sunday Times 3 Sept. 29Windhoek advocate and long-time Swapo mbongo Mr Anton Lubowski has visited South Africa to reassure businessmen that a future Namibia will be a good place to invest. "

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ENTRY #11
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_pepper
"Alligator pepper (also known as mbongo spice or hepper pepper) is a West African spice made from the seeds and seed pods of Aframomum danielli, A. citratum or A. exscapum. It is a close relative of grains of paradise, obtained from the closely related species, Aframomum melegueta or "grains of paradise".[1] Unlike grains of paradise, which are generally sold as only the seeds of the plant, alligator pepper is sold as the entire pod containing the seeds (in the same manner to another close relative, black cardamom).

 The plants which provide alligator pepper are herbaceous perennial flowering plants of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Once the pod is open and the seeds are revealed, the reason for this spice's common English name becomes apparent as the seeds have a papery skin enclosing them and the bumps of the seeds within this skin is reminiscent of an alligator's back.

 As mbongo spice, the seeds of alligator pepper are often sold as the grains isolated from the pod and with the outer skin removed. Mbongo spice is most commonly either A. danielli or A. citratum, and has a more floral aroma than A. exscapum (which is the commonest source of the entire pod).

It is a common ingredient in West African cuisine, where it imparts both pungency and a spicy aroma to soups and stews

[...]

When babies are born in Yoruba culture, they are given a small taste of alligator pepper (atare) shortly after birth as part of the routine baby-welcoming process, and it is also used as an ingredient at traditional meet-and-greets.

In Igboland, alligator pepper, ósè ọ́jị́ with kola nuts are used in naming ceremonies, as presentation to visiting guests, and for other social events with the kola nut rite. The Igbo present and eat the alligator pepper together with kola nuts. In virtually every Igbo ceremony, alligator peppers and kola nuts are presented to guests at the top of the agenda and prior to any other food or entertainment. Prayers and libations are made together with kola nuts and alligator pepper.[3]"...

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ENTRY #12
From https://www.preciouscore.com/mbongo-tchobi-cameroonian-black-stew/
"Mbongo Tchobi is a spicy black stew typically eaten by the Bassa people of Cameroon. Its deliciousness has made it gain popularity in other parts of the country. The key ingredient is the intensely aromatic mbongo spice, from which the stew derives its name. It is burnt then ground before cooked into a sauce, hence the black colour.

The already ground black spice is widely sold in Cameroon and colloquially called, "mbongo spice" or "epice mbongo" in French.

 In other parts of the world, it can be gotten from select African shops. Other ingredients used in the stew include tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper and a nutty seed called njangsa in Cameroon, typically used in making peppersoup."...

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