Kanda Bongo Man – The King of Kwassa Kwassa at Soul Mama – London, United Kingdom

See Kanda Bongo Man – The King of Kwassa Kwassa Live in London on Thursday, February 26, 2026, Doors Open at 6:30 PM

Doors 6.30pm | Performance 8pm & 8.30pm on Fridays | Event Calendar CLICK HERE
The Soul Mama Menu offers a delightful blend of African, Caribbean, and South American cuisine. Soul Mama was listed in the “top restaurants to look forward to in 2024 list” by the Evening Standard. Please take a moment to explore our menu.

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Toleka Events presents a special After Valentine’s Day Rumba and Soukous Dance with Congolese music icon Kanda Bongo Man. An original superstar of the Congolese rumba and soukous golden era, Kanda Bongo Man is a founding pioneer of the internationally recognised Kwassa Kwassa rhythm that took the world by storm.

Performing live with a full band, this rare London appearance promises infectious guitar lines, driving rhythms, and a curated selection of Kanda Bongo Man’s greatest classics, rarely performed live in recent years. The set includes rumba favourites such as “Sweet Elizabeth”, alongside golden-era soukous concert favourites including Inde Monie and other signature works from his prestigious catalogue.

This elegant evening brings together live African music and dance, with fine dining available, alongside a line-up of next generation artists and a DJ delivering a high-energy mix of Congolese music, Afrobeats, and Southern African music.

This is a night not to be missed. Join us for live Congolese rumba and soukous on the dancefloor. Expect to dance. Come dressed to impress. One night only at Soul Mama, presented by Toleka Events.

“If Kanda Bongo Man doesn’t make you want to dance, call an ambulance — you’re dead.”

— The Guardian

Artist Biography

Kanda Bongo Man is a Congolese music legend and one of the key pioneers of Congolese Soukous music. Born in 1955 in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, he is one of the pillars of the generation that defined the golden era of Soukous. He began his career as a vocalist with Orchestre Belle Mambo before relocating to Paris in 1979, where he launched a highly influential solo career and emerged as one of the biggest African superstars of his era.

In Paris, his sound remained grounded in the smooth, sensual contemporary sound of Congolese rumba, with complementing French Antillean genres such as zouk, reflecting the musical relationship between African and Caribbean sounds. During this period, and later following his move to the UK, Kanda Bongo Man played a decisive role in taking Congolese rumba and soukous to international audiences.

He introduced the world to Kwassa Kwassa — both a rhythm and a dance — harnessing its infectious hip movements and working closely with guitarist Diblo Dibala and the late Nene Tchakou to define a sound that transformed dance floors across Africa, Europe, and the diaspora, with Dally Kimoko as a fundamental collaborator in his band and recordings.

His recordings placed the guitar at the centre of Soukous, with extended, interlocking guitar lines driving rhythm, movement, and energy in both recordings and live performance. Albums such as Kwassa Kwassa and Amour Fou, alongside these key collaborations, defined an era, with music that remains instantly recognisable to audiences worldwide, including Inde Monie, one of the biggest African hits of the soukous era and a track that remains a classic today.

He has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, including a landmark concert at Nyayo National Stadium in Kenya in 1991, drawing crowds well in excess of 40,000 and attracting one of the largest audiences in the venue’s history. His international profile also includes a major recorded concert in New York’s Central Park, released as the live album Soukous in Central Park, reflecting his international stature.

Over four decades into his career, Kanda Bongo Man remains a defining figure in Congolese popular music — a foundational artist who established Congolese rumba and soukous as global sounds and whose legacy continues to resonate on dance floors worldwide. In 2025, he was honoured in the UK with a Lifetime Achievement MTM Award in recognition of his contribution to African music and culture, cementing his legacy as one of the most renowned African artists of his generation.

Kanda Bongo Man – Inde Monie (Official Audio)

Kanda Bongo Man – Tika Kolela (Live)

“The mesmerising guitars and hip-swinging rhythms of Congolese soukous have captivated Western dance floors more than any other African music — with Kanda Bongo Man at the forefront.”

— The Independent

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