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Papa Wemba | |
|---|---|
 Papa Wemba in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (1949-06-14)14 June 1949 |
| Died | 24 April 2016(2016-04-24) (aged 66) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1969–2016 |
| Website | www |
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba[1]ONH (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016), known professionally asPapa Wemba (French pronunciation:[papawɛmba]), was a Congolese singer and musician who playedCongolese rumba,soukous, andndombolo.[2] Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock",[1] he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role inworld music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized theSape look and style through his musical groupViva la Musica,[3][4][5][6] with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.[7]
Papa Wemba's road to fame and prominence began when he joined the music groupZaiko Langa Langa in 1969. This was followed by his success as a founding member both ofIsifi Lokole and thenYoka Lokole,[n 1] along with a short stint as a member ofAfrisa International for a few months.[8] During these early stages of his career, he was establishing a style that included traditional Congolese rumba and soukous, infused with traditional African sounds, Caribbean rhythms, rock andsoul.[7] But Wemba gained international success and status with his bandViva La Musica, especially after he took them toParis, France in the early 1980s. It was there that Wemba was able to achieve more of an "eclectic sound" in his work,[9] influenced by western popular music that reflected a European flavor and style, referred to as "Europop."[10] Wemba spoke about this transition in his music during a 2004 interview:
"When I started singing pop music, I left religious music completely. But there was always the influence of religious music on my voice because, with religious music, the minor key always recurs. When I compose songs, I often use the minor key".[7]
On 23 December 1969 Wemba, who was accompanying one of the Mitshio brothers to visit their aunt inKinshasa, found the band Bel Guide National rehearsing in the backyard. He asked them if he could perform a song for them. He sang an original composition "Désespoir Jules"[11] and impressed the band’s administrators.[12] The next day, Bel Guide National was dissolved by its administration which decided to form (with Wemba as a singer) what-became the influential rock-rumba[8] bandZaïko Langa Langa (ZLL)[13] keeping just two Bel Guide National members:Jossart N'Yoka Longo andFélix Manuaku Waku. He remained with the group for four years.[13]
Papa Wemba (then known as Jules Presley Shungu Wembadio) helped contribute to the success ofZaiko Langa Langa so that, by 1973, it was one of the more successful Congolese groups. By that time, ZLL's shows and performances featured a string of their popular hits, some of them written by Wemba. The latter included "Pauline", "C'est La Vérité", "Chouchouna", and "Liwa Ya Somo".[13]
Zaiko Langa Langa had gained a strong and popular following even in a Congolese musical world that, in those days, was already dominated by various musical acts includingFranco Luambo and his bandTPOK Jazz, orTabu Ley Rochereau's various ensembles.[1] ZLL was also vying for an audience with other (at the time) new musical acts such asBella-Bella andEmpire Bakuba.[14]
In December 1974, at the pinnacle of their fame (and just a month after theRumble in the Jungle betweenMuhammad Ali andGeorge Foreman in Kinshasa),[1] Papa Wemba (usually called 'Shungu Wembadio' at this point in his career) along with Evoloko Lay Lay, Mavuela Somo andBozi Boziana,[14] left Zaiko Langa Langa to establish their own musical ensembleIsifi Lokole.[1] Wemba later claimed that ISIFI was anacronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles," a claim that has still not been given total credence. In July 1975, Shungu Wembadio officially adopted the soon-to-be-well-known-worldwide namePapa Wemba. The "Papa" (father) part of his name had already been given to him as a traditional and cultural rite because he was his mother's first-born son.[14] But in assuming a new name and public persona, "Papa" was now re-emphasized as an allusion to the demanding family responsibilities that Wemba assumed at very young age, since both parents were now deceased: Wemba's father in 1966, followed by his mother in 1973.[14]Isifi Lokole would only last a year together as a group, with the single "Amazone" (a Wemba composition) as its biggest commercial "hit" record.
In November 1975, Papa Wemba, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana leftIsifi Lokole to create the groupYoka Lokole[13][14] (also known as The Kinshasa's Wa Fania All-Stars).[14]Yoka Lokole contributed to the African pop music wave with their hit songs including "Matembele Bangui", "Lisuma ya Zazu" (Papa Wemba), "Mavuela Sala Keba", and "Bana Kin" (Mavuela Somo).[14]
LikeIsifi Lokole, the electronic-instrument-drivenYoka Lokole would not last much longer than a year.[8] After a year of modest success, controversies withinYoka Lokole over money and prestige were also complicated by Wemba's arrest and brief incarceration in Kinshasa Central prison in December 1976[15] when he was suspected of having a relationship with army general's daughter.[15] The band continued to tour without Papa Wemba. For whatever reason (or reasons), whether it was personal or professional (with one source speculating that he was perhaps feeling diminished in the public's eye),[14] by 1977 Wemba had formed a new group, and called itViva la Musica.[14][13]
In 1977–78, back home now in theMatonge neighborhood of Kinshasa, Papa Wemba set out to create his groupViva la Musica. This new band's name was suggested to him in 1974, when he attended a concert in Kinshasa that featured the New York-based Latinos,Fania All-Stars. During the concert, one of the singers would shout to the audience "Viva La Musica!" to an enthusiastic response.[2] Wemba's vision was to structureViva la Musica around young, talented but largely unknown artists, including the singers Prince Espérant, Jadot "le Cambodgien" Sombele,Debaba el Shabab, Pepe Bipoli and Petit Aziza, and various guitarists such asRigo Star, Syriana, and Bongo Wende.[16] The new group included the traditional instrumentlokole. There was also an associated dance, themukonyonyo, as well as a fashion style.[8]
The band achieved immediate success and, during their first year performing together, the Kinshasa newspaperElima named the band "best orchestra" and their single, "Mère Supérieure," best song.[13] During the following three years,Viva la Musica built on these initial accolades with more hit songs including "Moku Nyon Nyon", "Nyekesse Migue'l", and "Cou Cou Dindon".[13] As time went by, it was revealed that Antoine Agbepa was the unknown writer of many of these songs, when Papa Wemba said, "Ooh! l'homme idée" (Oh! the idea-man!), thereby on-the-spot renaming the impressive young singer-songwriterKoffi Olomide – and the name stuck.[17]
After his success already with three influential groups, 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 fashionable gathering place for Matonge youths. He named it "Village Molokai" and declared himself to be itstribal chief (chef coutumier).[16]
Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wemba (both by himself and with Viva la Musica) started traveling to Paris,[9] believing there was a potentially wider audience for the music he had been helping to create during the preceding decade. As Wemba biographer Craig Harris put it:
"Determined to capture a European following, Wemba and Viva La Musica guitaristRigo Star took a six-month sabbatical from the band in 1979 to join Tabu Ley Rochereau's group, Afrisa International. Relocating to Paris in the early '80s, Wemba formed a second version of Viva la Musica."[13]
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wemba's style was more readily identifiable even as it had become an amalgamation of rumba, soukous and ndombolo, Latin and rock, melded to a European-oriented pop style.[10] But still wanting to expand their musical horizons, and move in new musical directions,[10]Viva la Musica took on a dual-identity. Wemba now maintained one group in Kinshasa (called at times "Nouvelle Ecriture", "Nouvel Ecrita" and then again "Viva la Musica") and another one in Paris ("Nouvelle Generation," "La Cour des Grands" and now "Viva Tendance"). The group consistently maintained a high profile in world music with hits like "Le Voyageur" (1992),[10] "Emotion" (1995),[1] and "Pole Position" (1996).[14] In 2000, Papa Wemba and Nouvelle Écriture issued the albumÀ La Une under Rigo Makengo Productions in France. The following year, he released three additional projects:Hiroshima with Viva La Musica through Afrisong Records in France;Mokili Compliqué with Franck Issekya under the French label Sono of theSonoDisc group; and100% Star Bakala Dia Kuba via the independent French label Next Music from the Musisoft group.[18]100% Star Bakala Dia Kuba performed exceptionally well in Paris and Kinshasa. On 31 December 2001, he performed at thePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, where he was joined onstage byWendo Kolosoy. This performance formed part of a European tour that included France, Belgium, England, andSwitzerland, before the band returned home at the end of February 2002 after a stop inWest Africa.[18][19]
By this time, Wemba's use of African, Cuban and Western influences was not only one of Africa's most popular music styles,[20] it was crossing cultural boundaries and attracting a more diverse audience outside of Africa. In 1993, Wemba joined withPeter Gabriel for the latter'sSecret World Tour,[21] and this drew attention to Wemba's unique style and groundbreaking sound.[22] The aforementionedEmotion album, released in 1995, showed that he was achieving a global following.[1] This album appeared under Peter Gabriel's Real World record label, and sold more than 100,000 copies.[1]
In February 2003, Wemba was suspected of being involved in a network that had allegedly assisted hundreds of people in illegally immigrating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Europe.[23][24] At that point he was arrested in Paris[25] and held while awaiting a trial. He then spent three-and-a-half months in prison until a €30,000 bail was posted (some reports claimed it was paid by the Congolese government).[26] In June 2003 Wemba was released from prison which was an experience that, upon his release, he declared had had a profound psychological effect on him. The singer claimed to have undergone a spiritual conversion in jail[23] and even recounted this episode on his albumSomo Trop (released in October 2003). On the song "Numéro d'écrou", he recalled the day "God" paid a visit to his cell.[27] In 2004, he was convicted in France, fined, and given a suspended prison sentence.[28] Wemba returned to the Congo in 2006.[8]
Papa Wemba's impact on the culture is also reflected by his influence on a new generation of musicians and performers. For example, Priyan Weerappuli (leader of the Sri Lankan group Pahan Silu) referred to Wemba as being among his greatest musical influences.[29] Weerappuli claims that he was first introduced to Wemba's music in 2004 and was "deeply inspired by the free rhythms demonstrated by Wemba's Soukous style" and, from that point, "began experimenting with these rhythms in his own compositions."[29]
Many others paid tribute to Papa Wemba's legacy after his death in April 2016. Some of them included not only Koffi Olomide and Manu Dibango (both mentioned previously), but musicians King Kikii andFemi Kuti, along with soccer starSamuel Eto'o (among others) gave testimony to his lasting influence on them.[30]
In 1979, Papa Wemba became the unofficial leader ofLa Sape (Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes d'Élégance, literally translated as the "Society of Atmosphere-setters and Elegant People") which he promoted as ayouth subculture in Zaire.[4][31] Their style was influenced by the fashion centres of Paris andMilan.[10] Wemba said:
The Sapeur cult promoted high standards of personal cleanliness, hygiene and smart dress, to a whole generation of youth across Zaire. When I say well groomed, well shaved, well perfumed, it's a characteristic that I am insisting on among the young. I don't care about their education, since education always comes first of all from the family.[32]
After Wemba's death, Cameroonian saxophonistManu Dibango told the BBC during an interview:
"His whole attitude about dressing well was part of the narrative that we Africans have been denied our humanity for so long. People have always had stereotypes about us, and he was saying dressing well is not just a matter of money, not just something for Westerners, but that we Africans also have elegance. It was all about defining ourselves and refusing to be stripped of our humanity."[28]
Papa Wemba got some attention as a movie actor, primarily because he played the male lead role in a very successful Zairean filmLa Vie est Belle (Life is Beautiful) [1987] by Belgian directorBenoît Lamy and Congolese producer-directorNgangura Mweze.[33] Wemba made another kind of contribution to cinema, thanks to his work on the soundtracks forChildren of Men,Besieged, andBlack Mic Mac. Wemba is also credited as "composer" of the scores for the filmsIdentity Pieces,Macadam tribu, along withLife is Beautiful..[34]
During his life, Wemba acted in a few more successful films, although he played only minor roles. As recently as 2012, he had a cameo role in the Belgian drama filmKinshasa Kids.[35] Beyond the impact of his important role inLife is Beautiful, there are his many music videos and recorded band performances. Also, Wemba is featured (as himself) in many documentary films which were generally well received including;The Importance of Being Elegant,The Real World of Peter Gabriel andThe African Rock 'n' Roll Years (all television) documentaries).[34]
Wemba died at the age of 66 aftercollapsing on stage inAbidjan,Côte d'Ivoire, during the FEMUA urban music festival on Sunday 24 April 2016.[3] On Monday 25 April it was reported that his widow, Mama-Marie Luzolo Amazone, flew to Abidjan "accompanied by family members and government officials."[36] In Wemba's hometown of Kinshasa, both fellow musicians and fans gathered together as a tribute to his legacy. Similar tributes also took place in Paris, London, Brussels and Nairobi.[36] He was posthumously awarded the Grand Officer of theOrder of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba at thePalais du Peuple in Kinshasa.[37][38][39]
He dressed his band, Viva La Musica, in the style, and fans across Africa soon followed suit.
Media related toPapa Wemba at Wikimedia Commons
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