This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
August 8, 2019
Congolese singer General Defao Matumona has ended his 18-year self-imposed exile in Nairobi, returning to Kinshasa last Sunday.
Defao fled Kinshasa in 2002, the year President Joseph Kabila came to power, but has now returned following the change of government in Congo DR, with the new President Felix Tshisekedi welcoming him back.
Defao, who was invited back by President Tshisekedi, had been living in Nairobi for nearly two decades, during which time he continued to perform and record music.
He was received by top fellow artistes, including former Empire Bakuba Band guitarist Lofombo Gode and his former Big Stars Band vocalist Montana Kamenga, upon his arrival in Kinshasa.
Defao plans to stage a series of comeback shows in the Congolese capital, where he had an illustrious singing career with groups such as the star-studded Choc Stars band in the 1980s.
