Shemeji/Orchestra Maquis Original OMACO Ltd

The band was founded in 1970 in Lubumbashi (then Zaire, now DR Congo) by a group of musicians from soukous band "Super Teo". In 1972 they were invited to play in Kampala, Uganda, and on the way there performed a few gigs in Tanzania. This experience triggered their decision to relocate to Kinondoni, a district of Dar es Salaam. As most Tanzanian bands of the time, Orchestra Maquis Original was sponsored by the Tanzanian government and, from a commercial point of view, was managed as a cooperative; the cooperative actually had other businesses besides music (e.g., it owned a farm). The leader of the band was also president of the cooperative. The first leader/president of Orchestra Maquis was saxophonist Chinyama Chianza, who served in both roles until his death in 1985. In the 1970s the band became very popular with its mtindo (style) kamanyola bila jasho, which roughly translates to "dance kamanyola without sweating".