[3] He was born on 21 February 1945 in then Leopoldville, now Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the largest city in that country.
[4] Mangwana made his professional debut in 1963 with the Congo-Kinshasa rumba band, African Fiesta, owned and led by Tabu Ley Rochereau.
Mangwana moved across the Congo River to Brazzaville where he formed a short-lived group called Los Batchichas.
He then crossed back to Kinshasa where he joined Tabu Ley, whose band was now known as African Fiesta National.
Maria Tebbo (1980) with remnants of the All Stars, Coopération (1982) with Franco, Canta Moçambique (1983) with Mandjeku, and albums with saxophonist Empompo Loway under the names Tiers Monde Coopération and Tiers Monde Révolution were highlights of his career in the 1980s.