Zacharie Elenga

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Zacharie Elenga

| image =

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| birth_name = Zacharie Elenga

| native_name =

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| alias = Jhimmy

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Brazzaville

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| genre = Soukous
Rumba

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| instrument = Guitar

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| associated_acts = Cuban Jazz Orchestra
Group Jhimmy na Mwanga

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}}

Zacharie Elenga was a virtuoso guitarist and one of the founding fathers of modern Congolese music. His unique style of playing led him to be popularly known as Jhimmy the Hawaiian, or simply Jhimmy.

Born in Brazzaville to a Congolese father and a mother from the Ubangi-Shari territory of Central African Republic, Zacharie Elenga initially had plans for the priesthood, but it is said that he had a fiery temperament and he was likely expelled from seminary by the priests.{{cite book|last=Stewart|first=Gary|title=Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos|date=November 17, 2003|publisher=Verso|isbn=1859843689|page=35}}{{Cite web |last=Bemba |first=Audifax |date=21 October 2023 |title=Le guitariste Zacharie ÉLENGA alias Jhimmy L'hawaïenne: un baobab au milieu du village |trans-title=Guitarist Zacharie ÉLENGA aka Jhimmy L'Hawaïenne: a baobab in the middle of the village |url=https://www.congopage.com/le-guitariste-zacharie-elenga-alias-jhimmy-l-hawaienne-un-baobab-au-milieu-du-village |access-date=31 August 2024 |website=Congopage |language=fr}} Subsequently he found employment, as a stenographer with the firm Solbena, a workshop that manufactured shirts, and was owned by Greek brothers Gabriel and Moussa Benathar.{{cite book|last= Nzonga |first= Jean-Pierre François Nimy |title= Dictionnaire des immortels de la musique congolaise modern|date= 2010 |publisher= ACADEMIA|isbn=978-2872099771|pages=98–99}} The Benathar brothers were proprietors of a number of businesses in the Belgian Congo and fortuitously they decided to launch the Opika recording company in challenge to the monopolistic Ngoma record label.{{Cite web |last=Ossinondé |first=Clément |date=6 August 2010 |title=Le duo mémorable Jhimmy na Mwanga |trans-title=The memorable duo Jhimmy na Mwanga |url=https://www.congopage.com/Le-duo-memorable-Jhimmy-na-Mwanga |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=Congopage |language=fr}}

In 1947, Elenga had been living in the Usoke Street area near Leopoldville’s city center, and it was there that he met Paul Mwanga. The two formed a musical collaboration named, “Groupe Jhimmy na Mwanga” (The Jhimmy and Mwanga Group),{{cite web|title=Le duo mémorable Jhimmy na Mwanga à l'origine d'innovations historiques, by Clément Ossinonde|url=http://www.afriquechos.ch/spip.php?article4677}} with Elenga playing rhythm guitar and Mwanga contributing vocals. The Benathar brothers had found ready stars in the Zacharie Elenga and Paul Mwanga duo, and they were signed almost as soon as Opika’s doors opened in 1949. Elenga had a unique way of stringing his guitar, choosing to replace the D string with a second E string, and picking the notes with his thumb and forefinger in a style that he called, “Hawaiian.” Further, Zacharie Elenga named himself after American country legend Jimmy Rodgers, who he admired,{{cite web|title=Worldservice Website of African and Latin Music|url= http://wrldsrv.blogspot.com/search?q=jhimmy

}} but spelling Jhimmy with an “h.” Hence he came to be known amongst his fans as Jhimmy the Hawaiian.

While at Opika, Jhimmy joined a quintet including Paul Mwanga on vocals, Georges Doula, Albert Yamba-Yamba, and Francois ‘Gobi’ Boyimbo on guitars, and Etienne ‘Baskis’ Diluvila on percussion. In his first recording at Opika, “Ondruwe,” Jhimmy introduced the foxtrot to the Congolese public.{{cite web|title=Le duo mémorable Jhimmy na Mwanga à l'origine d'innovations historiques, by Clément Ossinonde|url=http://www.afriquechos.ch/spip.php?article4677}} This record with the song “Henriette” on the reverse side, featured Paul Mwana’s fine voice singing solo, but it was Jhimmy’s innovative playing style and advanced, harmonious composition that had substantial influence on other performers of the time. Between the years of 1950 and 1952 Jhimmy saw great success in his musical career, with popular fame reaching as far west as Gabon. He was even featured in a short film of the time, which was shown in Europe, called Jhimmy Chante (Jhimmy sings).{{cite book|last=Stewart|first=Gary|title=Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos|date=November 17, 2003|publisher=Verso|isbn=1859843689|page=36}} In 1952, Jhimmy collaborated on some recordings with another Opika performer named Joseph Kabaselle, but these were to be the swan songs of his career and shortly after this he slipped into obscurity, never to record again.