Background
Dabany grew up in a musical family and began to sing at an early age to her father"s accordion accompaniment, while her brother played guitar.
Dabany grew up in a musical family and began to sing at an early age to her father"s accordion accompaniment, while her brother played guitar.
Dabany served as the First Lady of Gabon from 1967 to 1988. After their divorce, she successfully pursued a career in music She is the mother of the current President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Born as Marie Joséphine Kama in Brazzaville, Congo, Dabany"s parents originated from the Bateke people in Haut-Ogooué region in what is now southeastern Gabon.
From there her path led to the church choir in Brazzaville and on to traditional song performances. Her mother was a traditional singer.
In 1958, she met Albert-Bernard Bongo, a young Gabonese student. Marie Josephine Kama, later known as Josephine Bongo, was the first lady of Gabon.
She and her then-husband founded the Gabonese Democratic Party.
She became involved in many social projects, including the promotion of women"s rights, charities for children, et cetera Working with culture he created the musical group dedicated to the Gabonese Democratic Party, Kounabeli (Superstars), where she performed as lead singer. In 1986 Joséphine and Albert Bongo divorced.
Marie embarked on a career as a professional artist, under her new name, Patience Dabany.
Her first album was Levekisha. In 1997, she released the album Nouvelle Attitude.
The same year Dabany returned to her motherland and reestablished herself in Libreville. In 2001 she released Article 106.
Her 2004 world music album Obomiyia allowed her to tour with James Brown in Europe.
Patience Dabany collaborated with many artists such as El DeBarge, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Tshala Muana. She is also the president of the Association of Gabonese Merchants and works in the field of charity. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of music in Los Los Angeles
She has composed music for feature films.
Having performed at Paris Olympia in 2001, Patience Dabany is one of the most prolific musical ambassadors of Gabon.