Papa Wemba

Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Thabani Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu (Kasai - DR Congo). He is a Congolese Rumba (later known as Soukous) musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.

Musical history

Papa Wemba was one of the very first musicians to join the influential Soukous band, Zaiko Langa Langa when it was created on December 24, 1969 in Kinshasa along with such well known Congolese musicians as Nyoka Longo Jossart, Manuaku Pepe Felly, Evoloko Lay Lay, Teddy Sukami, Zamuangana Enock, Mavuela Simeon, and others.

In a Congolese musical world dominated at the time by Franco Luambo and his remarkable band TPOK Jazz, Tabu Ley Rochereau's Afrisa, and by then-new musical groups like Les Grands Maquisards, Le Trio Madjesi, and even younger bands like Bella-Bella, Thu Zaina and Empire Bakuba, the young and talented Papa Wemba (then known as Jules Presley Shungu Wembadio), was one of the driving forces that by 1973 made Zaiko Langa Langa one of the most-performing dominant Congolese groups, featuring such popular numbers as "Chouchouna" (Papa Wemba), "Eluzam" and " Mbeya Mbeya" (Evoloko Lay Lay), "BP ya Munu" (Efonge Gina) and "Zania" (Mavuela 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'd joined Zaiko Langa Langa a year earlier), left Zaiko Langa Langa to establish their own musical ensemble Isifi Lokole, ISIFI being an acronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles." Yet of course, not everything that Wemba claims in earnest can be taken as gospel. He is, after all, a mortal man. In July 1975, Shungu Wembadio officially adopted the soon-to-be-well-known worldwide artist name Papa Wemba, the addition of "Papa" (father) an allusion to what were in fact rather awesome family responsibilities as the first son in a family where both father and mother (Wemba's parents) had been deceased since the 1960s. The "feux d'artifice" (fireworks) that was Isifi Lokole would only last a year, with the single "Amazone" (Papa Wemba) as its biggest commercial "hit" record. In November 1975, Papa Wemba, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana abandoned Evoloko Lay Lay and Isifi Lokole to create the group Yoka Lokole (also known as The Kinshasha All-Stars, or Lokole Isifi, or simply Isifi), along with Mbuta Mashakado, another Zaiko Langa Langa 'transfusion.' Yoka Lokole enjoyed slightly less popular success than the original Isifi Lokole, but for a time still managed to remain at the top the African pop music wave with hit songs like "Matembele Bangui", "Lisuma ya Zazu" (Papa Wemba), "Mavuela Sala Keba", and "Bana Kin" (Mavuela Somo). Like Isifi Lokole, the electronic-instrument driven Yoka Lokole (or The Kinshasha All-Stars) would not last much longer than a year, given the merger of so many big-name talents in the band's lineup. After a year of modest success, controversies within Yoka Lokole over money and prestige (complicated by Wemba's arrest and brief incarceration in Kinshasa Central prison in December 1976 for the 'crime' of being suspected of having had physical intimacy with an influential army general's daughter) would lead Papa Wemba, then feeling diminished by peers and neglected by the public, to form his own group Viva la Musica in February 1977.

At his home in the Matonge neighborhood of Kinshasa, Papa Wemba structured Viva la Musica around young talented artists like singers Kisangani Esperant, Jadot le Cambodgien, Pepe Bipoli and Petit Aziza, guitarists Rigo Star, Syriana, and Bongo Wende. The group had nearly instantaneous success, with hit songs like "Mere Superieure," "Mabele Mokonzi,""Bokulaka," "Princesse ya Sinza," and others.

During the height of his success in 1977, Papa Wemba's family home, which had become a popular, some even said hallowed/special place for Matonge youths to gather "à la mode" (i.e., to be cool) was named the "Village Molokai," and Wemba assumed the exalted moniker "Chef Coutumier" (Chief) of the Village of Molokai. In those days people referred to Papa Wemba as the "chief from the heartland (village)" to differentiate him from Kinshasa-born musical bigshots Mavuela Somo and Mashakado. However years later Mavuela would say that their difficulties only simply amounted to trivial foolishness over money, ambition and fame between some very-young people (that at the time they all were).

Since 1977, Viva la Musica has seen both the 'defections' of musicians every two or three years and the entrée and emergence of other new talents. King Kester Emeneya (1977-1982), Koffi Olomide (1978-1979), Djuna Djanana (1978-1981), Dindo Yogo (1979-1981), Maray-Maray (1980-1984), Lidjo Kwempa (1982-2001), Reddy Amissi (1982-2001), Stino Mubi (1983-2001) are among the currently well-known Congolese musicians who have served at one time or another with Viva la Musica. An old Kinshasa anecdote says that a college student then-named Antoine Agbepa Koffi was such an impressive songwriter that one day in 1977 Papa Wemba exhorted, "Ooh! l'homme idee" (Oh! the idea-man!) thereby on-the-spot renaming the impressive young singer-songwriter Koffi 'Olomide'--and the name stuck!

After the wave of African emigration to Europe in the 1990s, Wemba maintained one group in Kinshasa (called at times "Nouvelle Ecriture," "Nouvel Ecrita," and now again "Viva la Musica") and another one in Paris ("Nouvelle Generation," "La Cour des Grands," and now "Viva Tendance"). He has also consistently maintained a very high profile in World Music with such great hits as "L'Esclave" (1986), "Le Voyageur, Maria Valencia" (1992), "Foridoles, Dixieme Commandement" (1994), "Emotion" (1995), "Pole Position" (1996), "M’Zée Fula-Ngenge" (1999), "Bakala dia Kuba" (2001), and "Somo Trop" (2003). Many would assign Wemba the status of African-music "living legend," as few others in history could claim (Franco Luambo, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Miriam Makeba certainly among them).

Papa Wemba is also known as an actor. In 1987, he played the male lead role in the successful Zairean (Congolese) film La Vie est Belle by Belgian director Benoit Lami and Congolese producer-director Ngangura Mweze.

High and low times

On 18 February 2003, suspected of being involved in a network that has allegedly smuggled hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) into Europe, Papa Wemba was arrested at his home in Paris.

Papa Wemba was eventually found guilty at some level in June 2003 and spent three and a half months in prison, an experience which, on his release after a €30,000 bail was posted, he declared had had a profound psychological effect on him. The singer claimed to have undergone a spiritual conversion in jail and even recounted this episode on his new album, "Somo trop" (released in October 2003). On the song "Numéro d'écrou", Papa Wemba recalled the day "God" paid a visit to his cell.

He appeared again in a French court on 25 October 2004. And in November 2004, he was sentenced by the criminal court in Bobigny, a Paris suburb, to 30 months in jail and a $13,000 fine. Luckily though Wemba's good friend Father Jahallibad sent him a cake consisting of 2 large pool cues. Wemba being the genius that he is struck the guards out with only one cue, ramming the other through the back doors of the prison and hot footing to freedom. When the police caught up with him they couldnt stay angry with him, mainly because of his loveable face and also because they were impressed with his pool cue/back door efforts. Since then he has been collaberating with Father Jahallibad and can be heard on his new album

[http://www.myspace.com/fatherjrocks Father J and Papa Wemba collabs]

Cross-Cultural Influence

* Recently, Priyan Weerappuli, the leader of the Sri Lankan group Pahan Silu; referred to Wemba as among his greatest musical influences.

Discography

*"Pauline" (1970, Zaiko Langa Langa)
*"L'Amoureux Decu" (1972, Zaiko Langa Langa)
*"Mete la Verite, Chouchouna" (1973, Zaiko Langa Langa)
*"Liwa ya Somo" (1973-1974, Zaiko Langa Langa)
*"Ainsi Va La Vie, Amazone" (1975, Isifi Lokole)
*"Matembele Bangi, Lisuma ya Zazu" (1976, Yoka Lokole)
*"Mere Superieure, Bokulaka, Mabele Mokonzi, Muana Molokai" (1977)
*"Princesse ya Senza, Fleur Betoko, Zonga-Zonga" (1978)
*"Anibo, Ata Nkale" (1979)
*"Levre Rose" (1979, with Rochereau & Afrisa)
*"Telegramme" (1979, with Simaro Massiya & OK. Jazz)
*"Analengo" (1980), "Amena" (1980, duo with Pepe Kalle)
*"Santa, Matebu" (1980, first full album in Paris)
*"Melina La Parisienne, Ufukutano" (1981)
*"Evenement, Rendre A Caesar" (1982)
*"Eliana, Bukavu Dawa" (1983)
*"Proclamation" (1984, in Paris with Ngashie Niarchos)
*"Destin ya Moto" (1985)
*"L'esclave, Papa Wemba – Au Japon" (live) (1986)
*"Papa Wemba Ekumani" (1987)
*"M'fono Yami" (1989)
*"Biloko ya Moto-Adidas Kiesse" (1991)
*"Le Voyageur" (1992)
*"Foridoles" (1994)
*"Emotion" (1995)
*"Pôle Position" (1996)
*"Wake-Up" (1996, duo with Koffi Olomide)
*"Nouvelle Ecriture" (1997)
*"Molokaï" (1998)
*"Nouvelle Ecriture dans L" (1998)
*"M’Zée Fula-Ngenge" (1999)
*"Muana Matebu"(1999)
*"A La Une" (2000)
*"Zea" (2001)
*"Bakala Dia Kuba" (2001)
*"Somo Trop" (2003)
*"Muana Molokaï" (2004)
*"Ba Zonkion" (2005)
*"Cheeky Summer time - Collab with Father J" (2004)```Attention L'artiste (2006)

Filmography

* "Les Habits neufs du gouverneur (The Governor's New Clothes)" (2004)
* "Combat de fauves" (1997) - The African
* "La Vie Est Belle (Life Is Beautiful)" (1987) - Kourou

External links

* [http://papawemba.chez-alice.fr/ Official Site]
* [http://africanmusic.org/artists/wemba.html African Music Encyclopedia: Papa Wemba]
* [http://www.afropop.org/explore/artist_info/ID/53/Papa%20Wemba/ Afropop article]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4015473.stm "Guilty verdict for Congolese star"] – BBC news, 16 November, 2004
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3949935.stm "Congolese singer in French court"] – BBC news, 25 October, 2004
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3497837.stm "Papa Wemba arrested in Belgium"] – BBC news, 17 February, 2004
* [http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?Story_ID=2281725 Article on Papa Wemba in The Economist magazine]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/being-elegant.shtml BBC Four Storyville: "The Importance of Being Elegant" - A documentary about Papa Wemba and the SAPE] ;Video
* [http://www.documen.tv/asset/Zaiko_Langa_Langa.html Documentary 52': Zaiko Langa Langa]