Awilo Longomba Ignites CAF Awards 2025

The scene in Rabat was electric. As Africa’s football elite gathered for the 2025 CAF Awards, an unexpected star all but stole the show. Awilo Longomba, the Congolese soukous legend behind 90s anthems like “Karolina” and “Coupé Bibamba”, wasn’t just a musical guest he was the night’s cultural MVP.

The moment Awilo hit the stage, a formal awards gala transformed into a pan-African dance party. Dressed in his flamboyant style and armed with that infectious smile, the 63-year-old icon had diplomats, strikers and dignitaries alike on their feet, revisiting hip-swaying moves they hadn’t busted out in years. It’s not every day you see a Ballon d’Or contender attempting ndombolo footwork in a tuxedo but such is the power of Awilo’s groove.

Awilo’s set came after a Moroccan pop opener and before Ghana’s afrobeats star Fuse ODG closed a billing that symbolized a convergence of generations. When the Congolese maestro finally took his turn under the lights, you could feel the energy rippling across Mohammed VI Polytechnic’s auditorium. Backed by a full band, he launched into classic soukous rhythms with driving percussion and joyful dance breaks, true to his hallmark mix of unstoppable rhythm and generous stagecraft.

Within seconds, the audience caught the vibe. Camera pans showed football legends like Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi nodding along, while others couldn’t resist standing to wriggle their shoulders and hips.

Why did this moment feel so big? 

For one, Awilo Longomba is a bona fide African icon whose music transcends eras. Two decades ago, he dominated dance floors from Kinshasa to Kampala with a new hybrid of techno-infused soukous. His 1998 hit “Coupé Bibamba” wasn’t just a catchy tune it became a pan-African classic, blasting from nightclubs in Lagos and minibuses in Nairobi.

At the turn of the millennium, Awilo’s popularity was so colossal that he became the first artist ever to sell out Lagos’s 45,000-capacity National Stadium three nights in a row.

(Yes, you read that right a Congolese singer had tens of thousands of Nigerian fans packing a football stadium, three consecutive days. The man is legend.) Even now, mention his name and any Afro-pop lover of a certain age will likely break into the “Coupe Bibamba” chorus on cue. Having Awilo grace the CAF Awards was more than a nostalgia trip it was a reminder that African music legends still reign in our collective memory.

What made Awilo’s appearance especially meaningful was the cultural bridge it created with the world of sport. Here were Africa’s top footballers being crowned the Salahs, Osimhens and Ajibades yet the loudest cheers weren’t just for the golden trophies but for the golden oldies lighting up the stage. Awilo himself felt the synergy.

Backstage, brimming with pride, he reflected that the night was serendipitous: