Mbilia Bel returns to Kenya, heads to the Indian Ocean Coast of Mombasa, still swimming in old Tabuley songs

Congolese female singer, Mbilia Bel is returning to Kenya this August, exactly a year after she left the country after performing for politicians during the General Elections Campaigns in Nairobi.

This time however, the belle goes to the coastal city of Mombasa where she is expected to perform from August 19, 2023.

The ‘Boyaye,’ singer is still relying on old hits that were penned by her former husband, Pascal Tabuley Rochereau during the duo’s popular outing with the Afrisa International band.

And sure enough, Mbilia Bel is currently using the song ‘Nakei Nairobi,’ on social media to promote her forthcoming shows in Mombasa.

It is yet to be know how long the Belle will be performing in Mombasa or which venues will see her making her saucy dancing moves.

But what is to be expected is for the patrons to be treated to the tried and tested hit songs from old Afrisa’s catalogue, including the usual ‘Nakei Nairobi,’ of 1982, Eswiyo Wapi (1983), Boyaye (1985) and Nadina.

The Belle from DR Congo, whose real names are Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka, left Tabuley’s Afrisa International some 35 years ago.

She went solo and released the mildly popular album Phenomene which included the hit ‘Manzil Manzil,’ a song suspected to have been aimed at her former husband and partner, accusing him of stifling her financial advancement.

But afterwards Mbilia Bel’s fame slowly but surely started to plummet.

While she hasn’t been able to release her own new works, Mbilia Bel is still a good dancer and has retained the melodious voice which captivated people in the 80s and early 90s.

And while Mbilia is mostly known for what she did during her career with Afrisa International, Bel was already a singer and dancer long before the two forged partnership.

Mbilia started out as part of the musical team of the late Abeti Masikini and even worked with Sam Mangwana before joining Rochereau team in 1981.

When she left Afrisa in early 1988, Tabuley used the other female vocalist in the band, Therese Kishila Ngoyi, popularly known as Faya Tess to fill her position.

Previously, Mbilia Bel and Faya Tess had shared vocals in the wildly popular album, Nadina released in 1987.

Faya Tess emerged with ‘Camarade O,’ in 1988 before topping charts with hits like ‘Le Monde a I;Envers,’ ‘Allo Paris,’ and ‘C’est La Verite,’

In 1989 Tabuley added another female singer in the lead vocals’ department, Béatrice Modjoy Efomi who would be later known as ‘Beyou Ciel,’ and shone in numbers such as ‘Marina,’ ‘Eboroumounke,’ and ‘Fous Moi La Paix.’

While Mbilia still depends on the Tabuley stock of songs, Faya Tess has moved on to release a number of cover versions of old popular hits from Zaire days.