Ramazani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala (10 February 1947 – 13 December 2010)[1] was a Tanzanian guitarist and singer.
Later with his own band, Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the businessman who owned the band's instruments),[3] he helped to transmit the soukous style to the Tanzanian musical subculture often called Ubongo, the Swahili word for brain.
[4] Ubongo is usually perceived by artists and listeners alike as "conscious" music, a style that actively contributes socio-political commentary to the Tanzanian soundscape.
Believing in the abolition of racism and social injustice, Ongala infused his lyrics with these messages.
Following the end of British colonial rule in 1961, Julius Nyerere preached the value of Ujamaa, or familyhood, as a basic constituent of Tanzanian nationalism, placing an emphasis on equality and justice.