Born in Modena (Italy) in 1973. In Mbube, 2005, Roberto Cuoghi investigates the transformations and irremediable misunderstandings inherent to encounters between different economic powers.

The artist used his voice and a series of makeshift tools to improvise an interpretation of a song, which he chose as his “material” because of the way its travels around the world tell a significant story of its own. While the song, in fact, is an extremely familiar piece of popular music, recognized throughout the world, its story is less well-known. Written in the 1940s by Solomon Linda, a Zulu singer and songwriter, Mbube was an immediate success in its author’s homeland of South Africa.

In the 1950s, the rights to the song were acquired by a United States record company, and in the States the song was frequently interpreted and modified by others. Beginning in the 1960s, with the title The Lion Sleeps Tonight, it became a worldwide hit. Linda earned 10 shillings for the sale of the song and died with 25 dollars in his bank account. It is estimated that over the years the song has generated over 55 million dollars for the American recording industry. MB