21 Facts About Papa Wemba

Papa Wemba was a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.

On 23 December 1969 Papa Wemba, who was accompanying one of the Mitshio brothers to visit their aunt in Kinshasa, found the band Bel Guide National rehearsing in the backyard.

Papa Wemba asked them if he could perform a song for them.

Papa Wemba sang "Adios Thethe" by Tabu Ley Rochereau and impressed the band's administrators.

Papa Wemba helped contribute to the success of Zaiko Langa Langa so that, by 1973, it was one of the more successful Congolese groups.

Papa Wemba later claimed that ISIFI was an acronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles," a claim that has still not been given total credence.

The "Papa Wemba" 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.

For whatever reason, whether it was personal or professional, by 1977 Papa Wemba had formed a new group, and called it Viva la Musica.

Papa Wemba's vision was to structure Viva la Musica around young, talented but largely unknown artists, including the singers Prince Esperant, Jadot "le Cambodgien" Sombele, Debaba el Shabab, Pepe Bipoli and Petit Aziza, and various guitarists such as Rigo Star, Syriana, and Bongo Wende.

Papa Wemba named it "Village Molokai" and declared himself to be its tribal chief.

Papa Wemba now maintained one group in Kinshasa and another one in Paris.

In 1993, Papa Wemba joined with Peter Gabriel for the latter's Secret World Tour, and this drew attention to Papa Wemba's unique style and groundbreaking sound.

In February 2003, Papa 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.

In June 2003 Papa Wemba was released from prison which was an experience that, upon his release, he declared had had a profound psychological effect on him.

For example, Priyan Weerappuli referred to Papa Wemba as being among his greatest musical influences.

In 1979, Papa Wemba became the unofficial leader of La Sape which he promoted as a youth subculture in Zaire.

Papa Wemba got some attention as a movie actor, primarily because he played the male lead role in a very successful Zairean film La Vie est Belle [1987] by Belgian director Benoit Lamy and Congolese producer-director Ngangura Mweze.

Papa Wemba made another kind of contribution to cinema, thanks to his work on the soundtracks for Children of Men, Besieged, and Black Mic Mac.

Papa Wemba is credited as "composer" of the scores for the films Identity Pieces, Macadam tribu, along with Life is Beautiful.

Papa Wemba died at the age of 66 after collapsing on stage in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, during the FEMUA urban music festival on Sunday 24 April 2016.

Papa Wemba was posthumously awarded the Grand Officer of the Order of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba at the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.