Today, it’s 25 years ago that Werrason performed at Bercy, which is today known as AccorHotels Arena. Werrason’s concert at Bercy on September 16, 2000, stands as one of the biggest Congolese events in Europe. Following the success of the album Solola Bien, Werrason faced the challenge of taking his next big step. Under pressure from fans, he chose the prestigious Bercy arena in Paris.

The road to this concert was anything but smooth. There were internal tensions within Wenge Maison Mère, rumors of defecting musicians and organizational obstacles and the relentless media campaign surrounding the rivalry with JB Mpiana. Yet, with the support of a loyal fan base, influential donors and the Congolese diaspora in Europe, Werrason managed to deliver a show that would prove to the world that he was among the leaders of the 4th Congolese music-generation.

The concert itself became a spectacle of music, dance and cultural pride, but on the other side it was seen as a source of division with notable incidents and moments that are still discussed to this day

Background;

After the successful Europe–North America tour in 1999 and the hit album Solola Bien reaching number one in the music charts of both Kinshasa and Brazzaville, Werrason was wondering where to perform for his next European tour. Olympia was still on his mind, due to the missed opportunity in 1999, the pressure fans kept putting on him because of performing at Palais des Sports instead of Olympia, as well  as the frustration of JB having performed there before him. The press used to hype JB’s show at Olympia for weeks on TV.




Just before performing at Stade des Martyrs in 2000, he decided to hold a public vote for his fans at Zamba Playa, asking them to choose between Olympia, Zénith, and Bercy. The majority voted for Bercy. In reality, Werrason was somewhat hesitant about performing at Bercy. Despite the huge success of Solola Bien!, he wondered whether he would be able to sell out the venue. In the meantime, he made a short trip to Europe (London, Paris, Brussels) to give press conferences promoting the event and soon after, fan clubs started mobilizing people. During the same period, Werrason gave successful concerts in Gabon, Angola, Pointe-Noire, and several shows in Kinshasa. His triumphant arrival in Luanda (Angola) surprised him, making him realize that his success was not limited to only the two Congos. He would later sing about this triumphal moment in Luanda in the song Kibuisa Mpimpa.







Although the Bercy concert was being planned for June 2000, there was no concert promoter yet until Monsieur Yann, who had already worked with other Congolese artists, contacted Hugues Luvelela. Like the late Jean Pierre Saah (JPS Production), Monsieur Yann was impressed by the VHS of Werrason performing at Palais du Peuple. He initially wanted Werrason to perform at Forest National in Brussels, but since Maison Mère was looking for a producer for their Bercy performance, Hugues suggested it would be better to plan the concert there. They then met Werrason and set a date. It was first scheduled for July and then moved to September 16th. The date changes created rumors that Werrason’s former manager, Claude Maluma, was trying to block the concert, as he was in conflict with both Werrason and JPS Production.




During the period when Werrason went to Europe for a series of press conferences promoting his Bercy show, rumors circulated in Kinshasa about Fi Carré and Burkina Faso joining WMM. Apparently, WMM donors tried to convince them to join Wenge Maison Mère, after hearing that they were unhappy about JB leaving them behind for a short trip meant for the final recordings and mixing of TH, preferring to bring ngulu’s in their place. Werrason claimed in the interviews that he was not aware about these rumors. However, Burkina Faso ended up joining Wenge Maison Mère after accepting the offer, being promised a Mercedes, a car that he was meant to receive from during the short trip for TH. In return Burkina Faso requested toplay the générique of Kibuisam Mpimpa. Burkina Faso joining Wenge Maison Mère created alot of “polemique” because of his past in Wenge BCBG and disappointed many BCBG fans, as he was their main solist and second bandmember after Patient Kusangila to join Maison Mère. However, Burkina Faso would not last long.



The rivalry of JB against Werrason was in 2000 at his highest point and producers like Damien Dimoneke decided to make comedy-movies about it (Ngai JB to Werra)



In the months between the release of Solola Bien and the Bercy concert, there were several clashes between Maison Mère and BCBG on television, which increased even more after the release of TH. To confront JB Mpiana’s TH, Maison Mère supported Adricha Tipo Tipo, who released his album HT (Haute Tension). Backed by Wenge Maison Mère, the album featured several guest appearances, including Werrason, King Kester Emeneya, Tabu Ley, and Manda Chante. The album-title created alot of polemique, because of the abbreviation almost being the same as that of JB Mpiana’s album (TH).


Before the release of HT, Bill and Celeo prepared several attacks against BCBG in their cris, including one directed at Tutu Calugi. Just before the release of TH, Calugi had stated in an interview with Zacharie Bababaswe that he had stopped doing animation and officially become a singer. These declarations led Bill and Celeo to claim that they had "finished" Calugi, creating the cri: “Mavondo azalaka lolendo kasi Kalonji Didier asukisa ye, mavondo azalaka kasi Kalonji Mac Donald asukisa ye. Ami benga benga number one….”




The animations would end in the remix album of Intervention Rapide (Terrain Eza Miné) along with famous “Bana bazo Lia te” that had huge succes in concerts. In the same album, Bill also made a cri against TH, claiming that the album was a big flop, by remixing 1er Gaou line. “Qui rira le premier, rira le dernier ooh ya. Avant Kibuisa et Bercy ecouter Remix ooh. Ce a qui la faute soki disque na bino etuli ooh aah. Kasi biso to ningisaka !!! Ningana, ningana. Olandi nga na Tshiluba, na changer le coté ooh haa”. When JB Mpiana released TH, musicians and spokesmen would often appear on TV claiming that their album failed, also making signs with their hands that the album was nothing. Fans would also make the same signs, when TH was played in bars and nightclubs. The remix album Terrain Eza Mine itself would get released towards the end of 2000, but could not equal the succes of Solola Bien nor fight TH.



Two months before the concert at Bercy, Aimelia Lias, who had just released his solo album Constat and was about to record videoclips to promote it, was approached by donor Didi Kinuani to join Wenge Maison Mère. At first, he refused, but after a long conversation and big propositions, he accepted the offer. He confirmed his integration to the press in Europe, later a VHS was released featuring Werrason performing at a festival in Antwerp in 1999 as promotion for the Bercy show, with a bonus segment of Aimelia with his son in a park, talking about joining Wenge Maison Mère. Meanwhile, in Kinshasa, Werrason publicly asked Ferre Gola and Adjani during concerts for their opinions on Aimelia’s recruitment. Both openly stated they were against it. Ferre still had bad memories of how Aimelia was treating him Wenge 4x4. As the concert date approached, rumors started spreading that he was about to rejoin Wenge BCBG. Aimelia denied this when questioned by several journalists. Years later, he admitted that he had accepted the offer and was indeed close to rejoining, but was unhappy with the conditions set by the BCBG camp, who insisted that he had first to speak with Titina and Alain Mpela before meeting JB Mpiana, when they came to Europe for LSC. Compared to Patient Kusangila at Palais des Sports, Aimelia Lias would not receive a whole ceremony at Bercy.




During Aimelia’s presentation at Bercy, an incident occurred. After performing the hit song Vita-Vita, Ferre Gola instructed all the singers not to give the microphone to Aimelia, who was about to be introduced by Werrason to the public as a new band member. When Werrason asked for a microphone, Lacoste eventually handed it over, which was seen by the other singers—who sided with Ferre—as an act of betrayal. Aimelia had a hard time during his first months in Maison Mère, with only Lacoste and Celeo supporting him.



Preparation;
The Bercy show was prepared at La Colline in Joli Parc (Ngaliema) at the same time as Werrason’s solo album Kibuisa Mpimpa. To promote the show through posters, Werrason contacted the late Shakakongo to photograph the band members and dancers posing with raffias, traditional clothes, and the old six-star flag of Congo. Werrason also wanted to perform in traditional attire at Bercy to represent Congolese culture. However, once in Europe, sapeur Youla Bols refused this idea, insisting that he should appear in expensive clothing. He brought Werrason and Adolphe Dominguez to the Jitrois shop in Bercy, where they designed a jacket with fish skeletons on the back, along with pants that had the same skeleton design on the sides.
Having noticed how Koffi Olomidé was criticized for not properly showcasing Congolese culture during his own Bercy concert (which was broadcast live on RTNC), Werrason decided to invite Le Pende to the Bercy show to highlight the traditions of the Pende ethnicity, accompanied by a special choreography created for the dancers.

A few months earlier, Werrason had performed alongside Papa Wemba in Pointe-Noire for the opening of the Celtel telephone company. It was there that choreographer Lambio Lambio  met Werrason and, with a few fioti fioti dancers, provided him with a choreography that Werrason’s dancers would later perform at Bercy and throughout the European tour that followed.

 



In the months leading up to the event, there were several rumors about tensions between Adolphe Dominguez and Werrason. Speculation spread that Adolphe would soon leave Wenge Maison Mère with different band members reportedly ready to follow him.There were also rumors that Adolphe wanted to record his own album. However, Adolphe Dominguez denied all these claims in various interviews. It’s only when Adolphe left, that he confirmed that the planning was indeed to record an album within Wenge Maison Mère next to Kibuisa Mpimpa but that the occasion was not given to him. There were also tensions between Adolphe Dominguez and influential figures around Werrason (Godard Motemona, André Kimbuta, the late Mvumbi Bamba aka’PDG MVB, etc.), who were unhappy with Adolphe making frequent appearances in the press and publicly showcasing his private life, including donations he was giving to orphanages. In their view, Adolphe was trying to challenge Werrason’s leadership within Wenge Maison Mère



The majority of the Congolese diaspora was in favor for Werrason’s event at Bercy. Which was next to the succes of Solola Bien, due to the images they saw of Werrason’s work in helping shegues (street children) was highlighted in the VHS of his concert at Stade des Martyrs and other videos, showing how he set up his foundation, which received support from UNICEF. Just as in 1999, he received a triumphal welcome in Paris. Château Rouge was on fire with excitement when he arrived for his Bercy show. He also gained support from people who had previously backed JB Mpiana in 1999 (Mère Malou, Mère Eve, and Pépé Akundji), who now joined the Maison Mère camp. They were disappointed with the way JB Mpiana treated them during his short trip to Europe to finalize TH, when he instructed his staff that anyone wanting to meet him had to go through Alain Mpela and Titina first. To Mère Malou, Mère Evelyne Ngongolo and Pépé Akundji, this was a massive sign of disrespect, as they considered themselves important in helping artists build their reputations in Europe. This led them to turn their backs on JB and side with Wenge Maison Mère.




Just days before the Bercy event, Werrason was officially presented in Kinshasa as a UNESCO Peace Ambassador, in recognition of his efforts to help street children (shegues). However, the trip from Kinshasa to Paris via Brazzaville would be full of drama. Adolphe Dominguez’s wife, Guy-Guy Kuyena, who was supposed to travel with the group, was left behind in Brazzaville. Her passport had been given to a ngulu who traveled to Europe in her place, which left Adolphe furious.
Patient Kusangila, who was still struggling with health issues, was also left behind in Brazzaville. A few months earlier, he had toured Angola with Maison Mère. After performing in Luanda, the band traveled to Dundo in the Lunda region, where he suffered a stroke when being on stage. Upon returning to Kinshasa, pro-BCBG newspapers spread rumors that Werrason wanted to sacrifice Patient Kusangila for the Bercy show. Despite these allegations, Kusangila managed to recover and play guitar again, even giving an interview to journalist Popol Mukelenge during his rehabilitation. He thought the group would take him to Europe to complete his recovery. But when he arrived at Beach Ngobila, he discovered his effect pedals for guitar had been stolen and in Brazzaville he realized the next day that the band had traveled without him, while his passeport was given to a ngulu. This left him devastated and betrayed. His frustration grew when he finally got his passport back and saw that his photo was put back. Weeks later, he managed to travel to Europe on his own and performed once with Maison Mère at La Madeleine in Brussels, only to leave the band the next day.
Alongside Patient Kusangila and Adolphe’s wife, guitarist Papy Kaniamy, who used to be Patient Kusangila back-up and later served as the main rhythm guitarist, was also left behind. He had expected to travel with the band, since Japonais and Flamme Kapaya shared the solo guitar role (later joined by Burkina Faso), but instead, he remained in Kinshasa. Two dancers were also left behind with rumors circulating that they were excluded because they refused to comply with inappropriate demands.


Fara-Fara (LSC vs Bercy);
When Werrason performed at Bercy, his rival JB also performed, not forgetting how Werra tried to mess his show previous year at Zénith up, by planning the a concert the same day. JB wanted to seek for revenge and set an event at LSC the same day. It created polemic. People first thought that it was just to create buzz and they would end up by cancelling it later. But the BCBG-camp was serious and they arrived in Europe to do the concert. When coming to the concert, journalists were not allowed to film during the concert and only to interview the musicians before the show. Zacharie Bababaswe who was there for Werra’s show would manage to interview the musicians shortly before the show and also film the soundcheck. He sended both the soundcheck of LSC and parts of Werra’s Bercy to Kinshasa and people who saw the sound check claimed that JB did mpiaka at LSC. JB would have been mocked for weeks about it until that the VHS got released but it was already to late. The Maison Mere-camp itself spread rumors about the hall being empty and people starting believe it because of the hype around Bercy and journalists and websites like Digitalcongo writing articles that JB Mpiana failed and not being able to equal Academia’s succes at LSC who performed there earlier that year.

The Event;
The event at Bercy ended up being a huge success. People came from everywhere (UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, etc.). Some even claimed that “even the dead attended the concert.” The venue was completely packed and many confirmed that Werrason did better than Koffi. In the years that followed, Werrason would often exaggerate about his concert at Bercy, claiming he set a record-attendance at Bercy and was entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
Devout Christians, however, said that Werrason had been possessed by spirits during the performance and kept talking about it for weeks after the VHS was released, pointing especially to the Pende statues that were displayed on stage. Koffi Olomidé would later make jokes about those statues, which reached Werrason through mutual friends, leaving him displeased.
During the show, Werrason made a spectacular entrance, rising from underground like Michael Jackson in his concerts and later even appeared with a horse. The event was presented by journalists Christian Lusakueno and Zacharie Bababaswe. Among the guest performers was the late Manu Dibango, who joined them on stage to perform La Paix Universelle in support of peace in Africa.

Before the show, it had been announced that Manda Chante and Blaise Bula would appear as Werrason’s guests, but they ultimately did not travel with Wenge Maison Mère. The public also expected Werrason to receive a gold record for Solola Bien, as it had been the biggest success of the first semester of 2000, similar to when Koffi received gold for Attentat at Bercy and JB Mpiana for Feux de l’Amour at l’Olympia. But this did not happen, leaving many fans surprised. It even created suspicions about the authenticity of Koffi’s gold record, since the succes of the album wasn’t that big and for many seen as a flop with alot confirming the theory that Koffi’s gold record for Attentat was fake. In the months that followed, articles suggested that Werrason didn’t receive the gold record because of Didier Masela being absent and that the award had to be handed jointly to all three co-founders of Maison Mère (Masela, Adolphe, and Werrason). Eventually, Werrason did receive it during his “Double Zénith” event.
Despite the success, the concert was also marked by several incidents. Before singing Chantal Switserland, Adolphe introduced Werrason and the song by repeating four times, “Chan-tal-euh, Chan-tal-euh…,” with the public responding the same way. When Werrason finally entered with a horse, Adolphe suddenly splashed water with Werrason to replying, “Mayi te, mayi te” (“No water, no water”). After the concert, staff members claimed this was done intentionally by Adolphe to make Werrason fall, claiming that Adolphe knew that horses don’t like water.

Another incident occurred just singing the song Chantal Switzerland, when Werrason started talking to the audience and mistakenly asked, “Y’a un Chantal ici ?” instead of “Y’a une Chantal ici ?” When the VHS came out, “intellectuals” and the BCBG camp mocked him, calling it shameful for a bandleader to make such a basic language mistake at such a prestigious event. After leaving Maison Mère, Adolphe would later parody this moment at the beginning of the generique Complot, saying, “Sia, erreur grave, y’a un Francoise ici !” followed by loud laughter.


Toward the end of the concert, another incident took place during the choreography for Solola Bien. Adolphe was left lying alone on the floor while all the other singers suddenly ran away. Unlike at typical Congolese shows, donors and fans were forbidden to enter the stage during the performance and were only allowed to do so at the very end of Solola Bien. Werrason personally welcomed the major donors and fans on stage, while Adolphe remained on the ground, confused and isolated until the end of the concert. The audience who witnessed this assumed that he would leave Maison Mère after the incident, but he ended up staying in the band. There were also rumors spread about Adolphe having been locked up in the locker room and that one of his outfits was stolen.

Aftermath;
Outside of his staff, donors, and influential fans, Werrason also received congratulations from King Kester Emeneya, who was like his mentor, as well as from artists such as Meiway, Youssou N’Dour, and Manu Dibango, all of whom agreed to participate as guests on his album Kibuisa Mpimpa.
After the success of Bercy, Werrason’s staff wanted, just like Koffi, to organize a concert at Parc des Princes, and they had already begun talking about it. Unlike Koffi Olomidé, however, no French TV channel or newspaper reported on Werrason’s event at Bercy. In Kinshasa, Werrason even told people to turn on their TVs the next day, assuring them that the French media would talk about the concert, but nothing happened.
While Koffi and JB’s atalaku singers loudly celebrated their success at Bercy, Zénith, and Olympia in their albums (TH, Attentat, and Force de Frappe), Bill Clinton and Celeo Scram did not do the same on Werrason’s album Kibuisa Mpimpa.

After the show, Werrason visited Vatican in October 2000, being invited by the Pope Jean Paul II to participate to a messe. The tour would continue in november with the first show being at La Madeleine in Brusssel (november 4th), followed by another show in Laussane in the followed week.

 In meantime rumors were spread about Wenge Maison Mère to explode and that Adolphe was about to create a band called Verta Musica with names of Shora Mbonda, Japonais Maladi, Burkina Faso, Adjani, Serge Mabiala, Didier Lacoste and Celeo being cited about to follow him and a donor called Rami Amisi being accused to put his money to split the band. The would only grew, when Wenge Maison Mère went to South Africa for the Kora Awards and some musicians staying  in Europe (Didier Lacoste, Serge Mabiala, Adjani and Burkina Faso).

During their stay in Brussels, Adolphe Dominguez and musicians such as Didier Lacoste, Serge Mabiala, and Burkina Faso took the opportunity to record a Nzong-Nzing album after being approached by producer Jacko Sayala, who had long dreamed of recording an album with the vocal section of Wenge Maison Mère. Ferre Gola, Adjani, Celeo and Japonais Maladi were also contacted before the trip to South Africa but declined the offer. The album was recorded with the support of Patient Kusangila, Volvo Lukebuka, Malage de Lugendo and Theo Mbala. When it was released in early 2001, it was regarded as a preview of the upcoming Affaire Tonya Tonya album, coinciding with Adolphe Dominguez’s departure from Wenge Maison Mère. In the Kuma Kukiele-album Adolphe threw some shots at Werrason and also hints to his upcoming project.

As a show at Parc des Princes was seen as impossible for the next tour, just before the release of Kibuisa Mpimpa, Werrason started talk in interview about a triple event at Zénith de Paris as next big show in Paris. However, this was later seen as too ambitious by himself and during the release month of Kibuisa Mpimpa it was changed into a triple event at Olympia, only to be changed a few months later into a double event at Zénith.

In October 2000, the official VHS of the Bercy concert was released. It sold extremely well, but many fans also began criticizing the sound (drums, bass, etc.), saying it was poor quality and that the instruments were not on the same level as the Bercy performance. Because Werrason did not have a professional stage setup like Koffi, critics claimed that Bercy was not as full as he claimed, pointing to empty chairs behind the stage. They did not understand the European concert concept, where audience members generally do not sit behind the stage, unlike stadium concerts in Congo.

Different newspapers were reporting about the conflict between Adolphe and Werrason. Seeing that it could affect the succes of Bercy and the stability of the band, fan clubs, influential members and even family members tried to mediate between Werrason and Adolphe. Although tensions remained, Adolphe stayed in the band. During the mediation, Adolphe would often complained about the lack of respect shown to him by other members such as Bill Clinton, Baby Ndombe and Ferre Gola. He was also frustrated that Ferre received more money from the Bercy show even though Adolphe was officially the No. 2 of Wenge Maison Mère and that many of his singing parts at Bercy had been cut from the VHS. His solo dance-act during Héritier Itele was also cut off.
To calm Adolphe down, a Volume 2 of the Bercy show was released in November 2000.

However, the many attempts at mediation were not enough. During a performance in Strasbourg, Adolphe discovered that someone had put chewing gum on his jacket and many pointed fingers at Adjani. This was the breaking point for Adolphe, who was already frustrated by repeated incidents, disrespect from band members and insults from people surrounding Werrason accusing him of plotting to split Wenge Maison Mère.
When the group returned to Paris, Adolphe made the difficult decision to leave Wenge Maison Mère. He called his staff in Kinshasa to start recruiting musicians and gave an interview to journalist Yves Kambala to announce his departure, which shocked many. In Paris, he visited well-known nightclubs and restaurants telling people that he had been forced out of Maison Mère by Werrason, something he said he never wanted and that he now found himself unemployed. He also started doing playback shows in Paris, Brussels and Lausanne, slowly gained sympathy from the public. He was soon joined by Photo Joel Mbetenge, who had fallen out with Werrason after feeling not credited for his role in mobilizing fans for the Bercy concert and getting logistics such as renting a horse.

As tensions grew, fans in Europe became divided with some supporting Adolphe and others siding with Werrason. Adolphe eventually returned to Kinshasa via Brazzaville, where he received a triumphant welcome in both cities and launched a successful concert series in Kinshasa, beginning with a show at YMCA. Three months later, he returned to Europe to perform at Le Bataclan alongside Bozi Boziana’s Anti Choc and Z1 International of Durrel Loemba and the late Regis Touba. While in Europe, Adolphe was joined by Didier Lacoste, who had been fired after greeting him. Lacoste was told he could only return to Maison Mère if he attacked Adolphe on television, which he refused to do.


Wenge Maison Mère continued their tour, after Adolphe’s departure, but it was not easy. Audiences would sometimes openly express their disappointment over Adolphe’s departure and at one point a concert at Cirque Royal was disrupted by New Jack gang members who supported Adolphe. To win back their fans in both Europe and Kinshasa, many of whom were unsure whether to side with Adolphe or Werrason and to react to the many interviews Adolphe was making against them, the group released a VHS tape titled Mise au Point, hosted by Zacharie Bababswe, to clarify the situation."



End-May 2001, Werrason wanted to return back to Kinshasa. However, he was unsure whether people still liked him, since much of the press that once supported him had sided with Adolphe and there were stories that his fan base was divided. To test his popularity, he first sent Sankara de Kunta along with the dancers Dona Beija, Bete Sauvage and Bebe Bercy back to Kinshasa, to see if they would receive a triumphant welcome. Upon their arrival, they were indeed greeted with big crowd, as fans believed that Werrason himself had returned. Sankara would for years brag that he had received a bigger triumphal reception than any bandleader.
This reassured Werrason and he followed the week after. When he finally returned, he was given an even more spectacular welcome than during the previous tour, something that he had not expected. There were, however, rumors that some musicians had run away. The following week, Adjani, Flamme Kapaya and Japonais also returned with only Shora Mbonda remaining in Europe.



Soon after, a highly successful concert was held at Stade des Martyrs on June 9th, highlighted by Werrason donating three buses to the football clubs AS Vita, CS Imana, and Bilima. This generous gesture earned him a great deal of sympathy and admiration from the public. On June 26th, his long awaited solo-album Kibuisa Mpimpa finally got released.

Itś crazy that Werrason never performed at Bercy again while he did Zenith several times.

Itś crazy that Werrason never performed at Bercy again while he did Zenith several times.

You could say the same about Koffi too both never went back to Bercy but did Zenith multiple times, whilst JB has only done ask three of the big halls once lol.

haha he should have accepted that 2003 offer of zenith with les pipiyu it would have created a positive "counter" to the ban of the kin's group but i guess with his divorce and all that he did not feel in the mood to have such a serious concert
it then took 10 years to convince him again to go for a zenith
and now its taking a lot to convince him to go for the "arenas" because he does not want to "do like others"
hahahahaha that scene where hey bless adolphe in the name "of the Pope" always kills me nsone is looking at tata like he wants to eat him alive

I may be in the minority but I don't consider this Bercy as a Werrason concert. I look at it as more of a Werra & Adolphe concert, Adolphe can easily say he performed at Bercy and I wouldn't find a problem with that statement, because its not like he was a normal musician he was the number 2.