Formed in the mid-1960s at a Boy Scout camp, Super Mama Djombo is a Guinea Bissau group founded when the members were only children. A few years after their formation, they made their debut as a large group playing weddings, birthdays, and baptisms. Their musical style incorporated a myriad of influences including jazz, Latin, Cuban, and traditional music from their homeland. Over the course of several years, they built up a fervent local following. Super Mama Djombo were troubled by the political struggles and military repression brought upon them by the Portuguese government and chose to make a statement and sing in Guinea-Bissau Creole. In 1974, Adriano Atchutchi, a politically conscious singer/songwriter, joined the band and they became immensely popular. They released their debut album, Na Cambança, in 1978, which was very successful. Super Mama Djombo traveled to Cuba in 1978 to perform, but their 1980 visit to Lisbon led to six hours of recorded material. The album Festival was released in 1980, followed by three albums in 1983: Mandjuana, Sol Maior Para Comandante, and A Memória de N’Famara Mané. A change in political parties in 1980 took attention off of the band and without support and with fewer opportunities, they split up in 1986. Seven years later, Adriano Atchutchi and members of Super Mama Djombo recorded the soundtrack to the film Udju Azul di Yonta (1993). The group – featuring some original members and new additions – returned to action and toured Europe in 2012. They released the album Super Mama Djombo in 2015.
