Author Topic: Can anyone translate this Papa Wemba interview from 1999 ?  (Read 985 times)

arielwossa on: November 17, 2022, 00:21

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Mfumu Vata #1 on: November 17, 2022, 02:37

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It was a conference de presse presented by Damien Dimoneke back in february 1999 before his first Zenith. It was uploaded 3/2 years ago by Igwejunior1030, but dissapeared when his channel got closed because of copyrights and its back now since some months after  igwejunior1030 re-opened his channel.

In short, If I remember well Wemba attacked Stino Mubi and Reddy Amisi openly for using atalaku's on their albums (Invitation & Etoile)and that he would never forgive them for doing that. Reddy defending himself that the albums of Viva La Musica aren't played anymore in the nightclubs of Paris, Brussels and London which why he invited the atalaku's of Quartier Latin to get their music played more in nightclubs. Papa Wemba then saying that he's wrong because his album flopped and that he must follow the example of Nouvelle Ecriture which is a band that is based and performs in Kinshasa, but doesn't have an atalaku.

He was also asked by Damien Dimoneke if its true if he just performed at Zenith because of Koffi having performed there last year. Him saying no and he just received a call from a music-promoter in dec' 1998 to perform there when he was about to return to Kinshasa to have concerts there with Nouvelle Ecriture, adding that it's for the third time that he would perform there. The first time being 1992, doing the first part of an artist (I don't remember the name) and giving also another year  for which he did the first part of the artist. To react to the question he threw a little shot by saying  what Koffi did was good, doing ndombolo at Zenith but that he's a real artist and showing skills as artist and not being there to defend ndombolo.

Later on he also said that it would be the first time for the Congolese public who would come to Zenith to discover the world-music he was doing for years for the European public, seeing it live. (Wemba's first part of Zenith 1999 was performed by his world-music band Molokai and himself, second part Nouvelle Ecriture, third part Le Quatro Langa Langa and the last part Viva La Musica "Cour des Grand" but volume 1 of that Zenith isn't on youtube anymore and volume 2 got never uploaded since that that VHS is very rare).

I can't remember the rest of the press-conference anymore. Just that he was asked a few questions in private by his fans through a television and him replying to a fan from Ivory Coast that he loves women alot. Also that a singer called Luciana Demingongo who used to sing for him and being mad, asking why his band was using the name Nouvelle Ecriture, while their band has the name Nouvelle Generation, wondering if it wasn't a way of provocation despite being close to him and often for advice. Back then their band was already down after that Awilo Longomba and Lidjo Kwempa left years ago and the rivality between Viva La Musica and Nouvelle Generation not existing anymore.

Towards the end of the press-conference, Papa Akan asked if he could join Wemba's staff to help with some tactics to promote Zenith. Him showing an old picture of the 80s with Wemba, to prove that he knew Wemba well and that he used to be close to him. He did that to justify, because everybody knew that he was a pro-Koffi and maybe being there as a spy.

In the video, I don't remember which part, Lidjo Kwempa who was about to rehearsal, was attacked by Damien Dimonekene for why he returned to Viva La Musica after having dissed Papa Wemba in the song Monimambu when being in Nouvelle Generation. Lidjo Kwempa then trying to escape the question.


arielwossa #2 on: November 17, 2022, 15:33

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Thanks i knew it had something to do with wemba being upset about the two using animations it's sad wemba did all this to them despite everything they did for him.