For two decades, she was known as Josephine Bongo, the revered First Lady of the Republic of Gabon. Then in 1986, she and President Omar Bongo divorced. Josephine moved to Los Angeles and reinvented herself as a musician under the name Patience Dabany, collaborating along the way with the likes of Quincy Jones and James Brown.
Here is the former First Lady and mother of Ali Bongo, Omar's heir apparent, singing "C'est pour la vie”, one of her most popular songs which is a throwback to the golden era of Zairo-Congolese music of Pongo Love, Mbilia Bell, Abeti Masikini and others.
For more on Patience Dabany see her Wikipedia page and this RFI interview.
Wow! I had never heard of Patience Dabany! I always assumed that Omar Bongo married Edith Nguesso after Josephine Bongo died! Thanks for another revelatory piece (at least to me).
BTW, this is a magical song and the solo guitar simply tugs at my heart strings. I makes me feel nostalgic and a little sad even though I haven't the fainstest clue what she is singing about. I have been playing it over and over and over....
Posted by: Linda | June 12, 2009 at 12:12 PM
I don't want to be crass but it seems as if this Bongo man specialized only in "big big" women. Check out this other video with the Late Edith Mbongo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od43e9okJx8
Posted by: ATT | June 12, 2009 at 04:24 PM
Bongo had a third wife, Zainad Peeroo from the Island of Mauritius with whom he had 2 sons. That story is available here: http://www.lexpress.mu/Services/archive_82041_HISTOIRE-D-AMOUR
A storied personal life indeed...
Posted by: Pedro Mwal | June 12, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Bongo liked big big women, because he was a little little man, but she makes the sweetest Beti music ever. God bless her.
Posted by: Father Sona | June 15, 2009 at 04:04 PM
There are no "Beti" in Gabon, only in Cameroon. However, the Beti are part of a transnational ethnic group called the FANG who spread across Cameroun, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Josephine Bongo is a member of that group. check out this link for details.
http://www.africanethnicart.com/africanethnicgroup.aspx?ethnicgroup=FANG
Posted by: Ambe Johnson | June 16, 2009 at 08:03 AM
I have lived in Malabo and Libreville for over 3 years,and it was the music of Patience Dabany, Jocelyn Beroard [Kassav],Alex Ngoma in particular,and Soukous music in general that kept me going in those cities.It is high time Patience Dabany be awarded in Africa for her genre.Her music is fantastic.
Posted by: brandon i walson | July 01, 2009 at 10:25 AM
nope!nope!nope! patience dabany is not Fang...u have to get your facts right mr or mrs johnson..she is originally from the tribe called " Teke" or bateke,who are coming from Congo...her native dialect is very far from Fang, but as an artist she has the ability to learn most of the Gabonese dialectes to make sure that she can have a very diversified public...but i repeat she is not Fang at all..
Posted by: miss Gabon | February 18, 2010 at 07:41 PM
am from ghana nd lately falling inlove wit dis woman,s music preaty awesome go mamma xxxx
Posted by: gideon | February 10, 2011 at 04:36 AM
Iam so in love with my africa,originally from congo ,I can't sleep without thinking of my continent,the people ,the culture,we are so rich.iam a fan of this wonderfull and talented woman,her music goes deep into my soul.I was looking for more info of her and thanks to all of you I got it now.Stay blessed.Viva africa!
Posted by: Colombe Adunagow | March 04, 2012 at 11:25 PM