Asukulu Mulengwa

His name is ASUKULU MULENGWA ’Yúnu Mukalay Charles Mas 2. He was born on May 12th, 1957 (but by a Civil Administration mistake, born on May 15th!) at Mukungu, Belgian Congo. With his twin brother, MMUNGA MULENGWA Mwenebúlongo Mulongoy Pierre Mas 1, he sings in their duo group called, LES MAS. Native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (ex Zaire, ex Belgian Congo), he is now Belgian. The artistic denomination, LES MAS, is made of the French masculine plural article “LES” (“THE”) and the contraction of Mmúnga (= the first born of twins, in the Bembe or Ébembe language) and Asúkúlú (= the second born of twins). Since his childhood, he sings. Early at age 7, he learned to play the guitar and at 10, he wrote his first song. Ever since, together with his twin brother whose story is the same, they have more than 600 songs in 9 languages: Ébembe, Swahili, Mashi, Lingala, French, English, Dutch, German and Sweedish (1). Their songs carry about life in this world, considered in various aspects: spiritual, moral, social (humanitarian works, love and marriage…), entertainment… Also, a bunch of their religious songs have been interpreted by many choirs in Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda … The first album of his singing group LES MAS (a 45 T disc) has been made in Congo (Zaire), where he got well kwon through radio broadcastings and television shows, concerts and music teachings. With his brother, he makes a lot of music tours in European countries (eastern and western), Africa, United States of America and Canada. Their song O SIFUNI MUNGU / All Creatures of Our God and King (written together with the American group First Call) was proclaimed the best in 1988 in the U.S.A. Nine years later, with their song Inamona (I shall see), they got the first prize of the category “group” and that of all categories in the TV contest called ‘Pour la gloire’ (For the glory), on R.T.B.F. (2) / 1997. Their song Ils sont là (There They Are) ranked them second after Mélanie Cohl at the National Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. With his duo group, Asukulu participated along with other artists on a direct TV show for fund raising on behalf of Kosovo Refugees. Together with Toots THIELEMANS and Claude MAURANE, LES MAS have been elected Representatives of Belgium Music Multi Culture at the European Interparliamentary Conference. Then, Asukulu flew with Mmunga to Washington to sing for fund raising on behalf of Congolese Refugees in Tanzania.
Asukulu is not only singer. He is also a teacher. He has taught in all grades of primary and secondary schools. Having graduated as Teacher of English and African Culture, not only did he teach English in Congo, but also in the Bible Institute of Belgium. He is owner of a Masters Degree in Theology. He occupied the chair of Assistant Teacher in the Evangelical University of Africa where he taught biblical English and some theological courses. Since 1997, he is Pastor in the Congregation named United Protestant Church of Belgium (Église Protestante Unie de Belgique), in the parish of Jumet (Charleroi). Now he is pasturing a second Church which runs short of Shepherd.
Asukulu is also Overseas Board member of Christian Artist Seminar, in the Nederland.
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(1) As concerns the aforementioned African languages, “languages” are not “dialects”! Each of these languages embodies a number of dialects. For example, within the Ébembe language, there are five dialects.
(2) That is the name of the French speaking Belgian Radio and Television, ‘Radio Télévision Belge Francophone’. The contest took place on television program.

Contact:
Charles Asukulu Yunu Mukalay MULENGWA Mas 2
Phone: Home: +32 (0)71 32 35 89 ; Mobile: +32 (0)498 56 92 57
E-mail: charles.mulengwa@swing.be