Opika
| Opika | |
|---|---|
| Gegründet | 1949 |
| Gründer | Gabriel Moussa Benetar and Joseph Benetar |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | African music |
| Country of origin | Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
| Standort | Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) |
Opika was an early record label in the Congo, which recorded and promoted African pop, guitar, and rumba - not only from the Congo, but from Cameroon and Ghana as well. It should be noted that the label also recognized the value of ethnographic recordings, which were featured on a number of their releases. Started by Gabriel Moussa Benetar and Joseph Benetar, from the Greek island of Rhodes, Opika was a prodigious producer of 78 rpm shellac recordings through the late 1950's.[1] The name “Opika” came from “opika pende” in Lingala, a phrase meaning “stand firm”.[2] The label was the first to sign Joseph Kabaselle who, along with other Opika session players Nico and Déchaud formed the band African Jazz, which contributed heavily to the evolving Latin-style Congolese rumba. The label also gave rise to the careers of many early rumba stars in the Congo such as Jhimmy and Paul Mwanga.[3]