…And a mighty African musician falls

One of Papa Wemba’s most famous songs is titled ‘Longembo’, which means bat in Lingala language. The song says Africa is like a bat; neither a mammal nor a bird, and blind – not knowing where to go. The reason for all of these is the loss of traditions that must be recovered.
Such was the sexagenarian’s wisdom and love for his continent that he waxed many a pan-African song until his death last Sunday on the stage doing what he loves best. For that, he will be remembered.
The influential Congolese musician and Africa’s ‘King of Rhumba Rock’ died aged 66 after collapsing during the FEMUA urban music festival on Sunday, April 24, 2016.
Video from the show in Cote d’Iviore showed him slump on stage behind a group of dancers, before they rushed to his aid. He reportedly died before he could be brought to hospital.
Born in 1949, Wemba, whose real name was Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, began his singing career in church choirs.
He helped modernise Congolese rumba music, with the genre that emerged – soukous – influencing music across Africa.
Together with his bands – Zaiko Langa, Isifi and Viva La Musica – he racked up hit after hit, including ‘L’Esclave’ and ‘Le Voyageur’.
He appeared in two feature films, Life Is Beautiful (1987) and Wild Games (1997).
Also one of Africa’s most flamboyant musicians, he was the driving force behind the cultural movement, the Sapeurs, whose advocates spend fortunes on designer clothes. The Sapeur cult promoted high standards of personal hygiene and smart dress, to a whole generation of youths across Zaire.
He was quoted to have said that his parents getting dressed up on Sundays inspired him to look good. “Always well put together, always looking very smart,” Wemba had said.
Papa Wemba’s road to fame began when he joined the music group, Zaiko Langa Langa. This was followed by his success as a founding member both of Isifi Lokole and then Yoka Lokole. But Wemba gained international success with his band, Viva La Musica.
He was one of the first musicians to join the influential soukous band, Zaiko Langa Langa, after it was created in December 1969 in Kinshasa, along with many well-known Congolese musicians, including Nyoka Longo Jossart and Bimi Ombale.
Then known as Jules Presley Shungu Wembadio, he helped contribute to the success of Zaiko Langa Langa, so that, by 1973, it was one of the successful Congolese groups with one of the busiest touring schedules. Soon its shows and concerts featured a string of their popular hits, including many that were written by Papa Wemba. The latter included ‘Pauline’, ‘C’est La Verite’, ‘Chouchouna’ and ‘Liwa Ya Somo’.
In December 1974, at the pinnacle of their fame (and just a month after the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa), Shungu Wembadio (Papa Wemba), along with Evoloko Lay Lay, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana (who had joined the group a year earlier), left Zaiko Langa Langa to establish their own musical ensemble Isifi Lokole.
In November 1975, Papa Wemba, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana abandoned Isifi Lokole to create the group, Yoka Lokole (also known as The Kinshasa’s Wa Fania All-Stars). Yoka Lokole wasn’t as popular as Isifi Lokole, but contributed to the African pop music wave with its hit songs including ‘Matembele Bangui’, ‘Lisuma ya Zazu’ (Papa Wemba), ‘Mavuela Sala Keba’, and ‘Bana Kin’ (Mavuela Somo).
At the height of his success in 1977, Papa Wemba established a kind of commune for musicians. To accomplish this, he used his family home (on Kanda-Kanda Street) as a place for Matonge youths to gather “a la mode” (to be cool). It was named ‘Village Molokai’. Papa Wemba assumed the moniker “Chef Coutumier” (Chief) of the Village of Molokai. That village in the heart of Matonge included the following streets whose first letters were used to form the acronym: M-O-LO-KA-I (Masimanimba-Oshwe-LOkolama-KAnda-kanda-Inzia).
His body has since returned to Congo where the authorities said his death was a “great loss”, with Congolese President Joseph Kabila expressing his condolences.
Congolese Culture Minister Baudouin Banza Mukalay called his death a “great loss for the country and all of Africa”.
Music fans across Africa are mourning Wemba’s death.
Stars have been paying tribute to a man whose music influenced artistes across Africa.
Angelique Kidjo said she is sad and has been struggling “since the death of Prince and now we have the passing of Papa Wemba and I’m wondering what this is all about”.
Koffi Olomide said the death is a catastrophe. “Congolese music has been decimated, it’s been blown apart. I don’t know what to say,” he said, adding that he refused to believe it when a government official told him.
Femi Kuti was quite shocked “because we were just getting over Prince’s death, and then hearing this was sad”.
He said the late musician performed in a period of people like his father (Fela Kuti), Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela, Manu Dibango – “the African greats who have always opened doors for people like me”.
The International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), has also joined in mourning Papa Wemba.
Reacting to the death of Wemba, President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, said: “At AFRIMA, we feel a sense of humongous loss since the announcement of the death of Papa Wemba. This is the time we at AFRIMA and Africa at large need him the most. He was one of the African music legends that had shown interest in attending AFRIMA 3.0 in November this year. He was a voice of Africa, an icon of African music and epitome of Africanness. His pride and commitment to African music and sense of dressing were part of the narratives of African culture. These are the African narratives we shared and are propagating across the world.”
Dada said further that the International Committee of AFRIMA recognises the role of African legends, dead or alive, in music, culture and entertainment. “In 2014, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was honoured with a Posthumous Legendary award for his contribution to the narratives of Africa, while Ladysmith Black Mambazo from South Africa won the award at the 2015 edition in Lagos, which coincided with the group’s 55th anniversary of telling the African story worldwide.”
In partnership with the AUC, AFRIMA is a project developed to celebrate, reward and showcase the rich musical culture of Africa, stimulate conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the world about the great potentials and values of African culture and artistic heritage, for the purpose of creating jobs, reducing poverty, and calling attention of world leaders to Africa as well as promoting the positive image of Africa to the world.