Passion or Profession: musician

Period: 1943–

Born Jose Adelino Barcelo de Carvalho, Bonga was a track and soccer star as a young man. He was exiled to Europe (first the Netherlands, later France) for his opposition to the Portuguese colonial authorities and began recording music there in the 1970s. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Bonga has since become one of Angola’s best-known performers. Much of his work incorporates the samba rhythm, related to the samba of Brazil. His albums include Paz em Angola (1991) and Mulemba Xangola (2001).