African Celebrities: Oliver Ngoma

Oliver Ngoma was a Gabonese Afro - zouk and reggae singer and guitarist. Nicknamed "Noli", he was born in Mayumba in South - west Gabon on 23 March 1959 and died on 7 June, 2010 from renal failure at Omar Bongo Hospital in Libreville, Gabon.

Oliver Ngoma is best known for his 1989 song Bane. He was first exposed to music by his father, a teacher and harmonium player. He took his first music lessons when he was eight years old, and he began performing for audiences after moving to Libreville to attend school. While taking classes in accounting, he joined the Capo sound, the school band, where he learned to play guitar.

Oliver Ngoma was a poor student, devoting himself to music and cinema instead of his classwork. His love of film lead to a job with Gabon TV, who sent him to France in 1988 where he was trained as cameraman. While spending a winter in Paris, he finished work on music he'd written in Gabon. He shared his music with Manu Lima a well known record producer for African music who was impressed with his work, and handled the artistic direction of Oliver Ngoma's first record Bane. He released his second album, Adia in 1995, again working with Manu Lima.