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June 20, 2003

Malonga Casquelord, international legendary artist, passes on

Alice Arts Center may be renamed Malonga Casquelord Arts Center

by N’soroma James and Kehinde Apara

Oakland – Early Sunday morning, at 2:07 a.m., the Bay Area and the world lost an international giant, Malonga Casquelord, in a fatal car accident. Malonga was driving down a one way street on the 1700 block of Lakeshore Avenue when a drunken driver going the wrong way hit Malonga’s car in a head-on collision.
Malonga Casquelord is the director and founder of Fua Dia Conga, established in 1977. Malonga has trained novice-turned-professional dancers and drummers longing to embrace Congolese culture for over 30 years. Fua Dia Congo has earned international acclaim for dynamic and authentic Congolese performances.
Under Malonga’s tutelage, Fua Dia Congo has graced the stage and delighted audiences at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, the Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C., the Harambee Pan African Festival in Houston, Texas, the Bicentennial in Los Angeles, the Zellerbach in Berkeley, numerous performances at San Francisco’s Ethnic Dance Festival and a myriad of shows at community festival throughout the years. On June 21 and 22, Fua Dia Congo will be performing once again at the 25th anniversary of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. A performance that will definitely be a “give it all you got” in tribute to Malonga Casquelord!

Malonga has been a professor of Congolese music and dance and African studies at San Francisco State University for many years and has taught both youth and adults at the Alice Arts Center since 1989. Malonga’s love manifested itself also in the formation of Diata Diata, a strong and beautiful women’s drumming group, and Les Ballets Kizingu, a youth dance company that displays energetic and thunderous performances.

Recently, Malonga played a leading role as the Alice Arts Center community united and organized protests to save the center’s artists and residents from being evicted to make way for Jerry Brown’s Oakland School for the Arts.

Malonga Casquelord is an icon to the Oakland community. In honoring him, we honor a man who was constantly giving a joke or prank, a story about African history and the lesson to all to strive to do your best and be happy. Malonga was a loving and generous person, who, as a member of Diata Diata said, gave us a “home and a people.” He was a strong father figure for many, many community youth who are without fathers.

Malonga was a great father and raised four beautiful and dynamic children. He departs physically, but not spiritually, from his elder son, Kiazi Malonga, at Stanford University, his elder daughter, Muisi Maloga, at Santa Clara University, his younger daughter, Lungusu Malonga, at Santa Clara University and his younger son, Boueta Malonga, who is 6 years old, and countless relatives and friends who will miss him more deeply than any words can convey.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 19, 5 p.m., at the Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Following the service, in Congolese tradition, friends and family are planning a drumming event to honor his passing. The public is invited to bring their instruments and join in.

A resolution has been suggested in the community that the Alice Arts Center be renamed the Malonga Casquelord Arts Center in reverence to this awesome human being who brought so much light, love and music to all of our lives. Any donations will be appreciated, and checks can be made out to the Malonga Casquelord Trust Fund, 1008 103rd Ave., Oakland CA 94605.