Congo Vibes
Music => Congolese Music => Topic started by: Mfumu Vata on March 12, 2025, 18:07
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIEespciwaU
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Papa Wemba received journalist Bolowa Bonzakwa at his home in Binza, which he nicknamed Rhode Saint Genese, which is a municipality in Belgium, where many rich people live. Bolowa Bonzakwa was asking about Papa Wemba age, if he was really born in 1949 and if he didn't lower his age (like many people used to claim that he was born 1947), but Wemba confirming that he was born in 1949. He talked about his childhood, how he left Lubefu at a young age for Kinshasa and how they moved to the quarter of Matongé, after his dad got a home there. Wemba also said that his mother learned him singing, the way he started music, about how he taught Lita Bembo singing and the way Zaiko got founded. Bolowa made Wemba also talk about the old donors/families that used to support Viva la Musica back in the 1970s.
There's a point where late Bolowa asked him, if Wemba wouldn't stop with music, leaving it with honours, because of the way he's putting his voice in the albums of Stino and Reddy (back in the days, people said that Wemba was existing because of the fame of his singers, who were releasing their solo-albums and that he should just stop with music). Wemba said that he will work on two albums in 1994 (one with Viva and the other for the white audience). Bolowa Bonzakwa also joked about if he did extend the contract with his witchdoctor to 20 years of fame, as reference to an interview he did with journalist Mbamba Toko in 1977, shortly after the birth of Viva la Musica, where he said he would have Kinshasa in his hands for 5 years and people thinking and rumors that he had a signed 5 year-contract with a witchdoctor.