Au Japon – Zaïko Langa Langa, 1986

🇨🇩 🎸 🎤 🌏 🔥 In 1986, at the height of their fame, Zaïko Langa Langa was invited to perform in Japan. The group closely followed in the footsteps of Papa Wemba, who had visited earlier that same year. Zaïko performed in Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo on prestigious stages, receiving a warm welcome. Upon returning to Congo, the idea was to capitalise on this success by releasing an album of medleys, blending older hits with newer tracks while retaining the energy of their live performances. The album Nippon Banzai was released later that year—a non-stop, 36-minute fiery mix of soukous and rumba, fuelled by the unforgettable synth jingles that have remained etched in memory. It features tracks like Sandra Lina, a hit from Bimi Ombale, Sentiment Awa, and Muvaro, making it one of the group’s most iconic albums. Nippon Banzai even opened the doors to TF1 for one of the first performances by a Congolese orchestra on French television.