Three Kilos of Coffee: An Autobiography

by Manu Dibango, Manu Dibango, Danielle Rouard

In 1948, at the age of fifteen, Manu Dibango left Africa for France, bearing three kilos of coffee for his adopted family and little else. This book chronicles Manu Dibango's remarkable rise from his birth in Douala, Cameroon, to his 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. In Africa, he has helped younger musicians, performed benefit concerts, and transcribed for the first time the scores and lyrics of African musicians.

The product of a "mixed marriage" (of different tribes and religions) who owes allegiances to both Africa and Europe, Dibango has always been aware of the ambiguities of his identity. This awareness has informed all of the important events of his life, from his marriage to a white Frenchwoman in 1957, to his creation of an "Afro-music" which joyfully blends blues, jazz, reggae, traditional European and African serenades, highlife, Caribbean and Arabic music. This music addresses the meaning of "Africanness" and what it means to be a Black artist and citizen of the world.

This lively and thoughtful memoir is based on an extensive set of interviews in 1989 with French journalist Danielle Rouard. Richly illustrated with photographs, this book will be a must for readers of jazz biographies, students of African music and ethnomusicology, and all those who are lovers of Manu Dibango's unique artistry and accomplishments.

158 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 1994

About the author

Emmanuel N'Djoké Dibango (born 12 December 1933) is a Cameroonian musician and song-writer who plays saxophone and vibraphone. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. His father was a member of the Yabassi ethnic group, though his mother was a Duala. He is best known for his 1972 single "Soul Makossa".

Reviews

[Samb Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of the man's music, I was intrigued to read his autobiography. It is of note that it was translated from French by Beth G. Raps, from a text essentially co-written by Danielle Rouard. All this stems from the fact that Dibango is from Cameroon and he, his manager and the publishing company felt it best if he had help since French was not his first language.
I quite liked the book, but must add that I'm biased from his music. I imagine your average reader would find it a bit dry and dull, in that it's not an exploitation of his fame; but rather than explanation of it. So, when he meets or plays with a famous person, there's no grand detail or blow by blow of their interaction. In fact he gives more analysis to African presidents and cultural ministers than most people, while the lion's share of insight goes into him discovering things about himself. In a way it resembles a condensation of tour diaries, with explanations of the life lessons learned. While not a particularly compelling read, I've read it twice now. For anyone interested in what becoming an international music star from Africa might be like, insight into the politics of an African nation struggling to find itself might be, or details on why Michael Jackson was able to steal his "Mama sey, mama sah, makou, makoussa" lyric - this is your book.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating autobiography of Cameroon's most famous musician, who straddled three worlds (Africa, Europe, America) creating music from the blend.