Jose Ikotela

José Ikotela is a bassist, Guitarist, and singer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In search of a better life and more opportunity, he relocated to South Africa in 2005 where he performs regularly and is also an artistic director.

How we met:

Our first night in Cape Town we went to eat supper at a restaurant called Mama Africa on Long Street in the center of town. Throughout our meal we heard vibrant sounds of African music coming from the other room and were seduced. During the band's set break we introduced ourselves and talked with Mermans, the band's leader, about our project and he immediately was in unison with us. We set a time to meet the next day to film and record their music. The band was Afro Fiesta in which José was a bass player and vocalist.