25 years of Academia's Concert de Confirmation
This week marks 25 years since Academia performed at LSC. It was their second performance there that year, the first having taken place on 5 February 2000 and the second on 25 November 2000. The event was one of the biggest of the years 2000, despite not being held in a mythic venue such as Olympia Bruno Coquatrix, Zénith de Paris, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy or Palais des Sports.
The show introduced the new formula of Academia, featuring musicians recruited in Kinshasa (Tshe-Tshe le Balle, Pitshou Concorde, Blaise Belo Musika-Sika, Eric Menthe, Tonton Lay, and Eric Bamba) and the dancers; Laura Mombili, Kaddy la Japonaise, Franc Congolais, Riz au Lait and Flore 'Taille Olympique', collectively known as "Ba Phrase Correcte", who finally made it to Europe after different announcements through the year. Alongside them, new members recruited in Europe also participate; Abilissi ‘Ba Beauté’, former singer of Extra Musica Zangul, introduced by sapeur Chaleur, singer Mustapha Nkori El Hadji, coming from Quartier Latin International, bass player Clovis Nguma Silawuka, also from Quartier Latin International.The event also marked the return of Beniko Popolipo to Europe, who was left behind by Koffi Olomide in Kinshasa for the Bercy-show.
Background;
After several successful shows at LSC & La Madeleine and performances in Kinshasa, Pointe-Noire and Abidjan, rumors continued to circulate about internal conflicts within Quartier Latin Academia. However, these rumors were consistently denied by Sam Tshintu, Bouro Mpela, Somono, and Mboshi in every press appearance they made.
Then suddenly, in August 2000, news dropped like a bomb: the departure of Bouro Mpela from Academia, just as Sam Tshintu was in Kinshasa to gather the musicians they recruited the previous year. Not long after, it was announced that Bouro Mpela was returning to Quartier Latin International. This immediately created speculation about if this marked the end of Academia and whether Modogo, Lebou, Pathy and co. would slowly return one by one to Quartier Latin.
Sam Tshintu insisted in interviews that everything was fine, that this was only the beginning of the battle and he would go hard against his former boss Koffi Olomide. Shortly after, it was announced that Beniko Popolipo had joined Quartier Latin Academia and would travel with them to Europe. The following month, posters appeared across Brussels and Paris announcing Academia’s performance at LSC, with Beniko Popolipo listed as the main guest. The poster used was one of the photos from the Sanction booklet with Bouro Mpela’s face removed and replaced by Popolipo’s.
In the same month, a VHS tape titled “Quitte Quartier Latin Academia et Retourne à sa Maison Natale”, produced by Ricardo Elumbu, who at the time was known for releasing cassettes that caused alot of polemique, hit the market. In it, Bouro Mpela explained the reasons behind his departure from Academia. Bouro’s return to Quartier Latin led many to stop taking him seriously, while at the same time giving Sam Tshintu the reputation of being an egocentric figure.
In October 2000, the musicians from Kinshasa finally arrived in Europe. To prepare the European public for the upcoming LSC show, a videotape titled Nzungu Ekotoko, produced by Benedikta Production, was released on the market.
Just as the cancelled June 2000 London event had been promoted alongside Aimelia’s album Constat in movies such as Kombi Ewuti Poto of Siatula’s group Swabala and the original group Simba featuring actors Elombe, Bodo, Mindondo, and Visa, the cassette was promoted through advertisements of movies from drama group Les Princes des Rires.
The cassette 'Nzungu Ekotoko' gave people renewed hope and a different perspective, as Academia showed that the group was still going strong. At the same time, however, rumors continued to circulate about ongoing conflicts within Academia. Meanwhile, the group performed in Toulouse and Geneva.
In the weeks leading up to the event, new rumors spread that Mboshi Lipassa, Lebou Kabuya, Modogo and Suzuki were about returning to Quartier Latin, who were preparing to celebrate their14th anniversary. Koffi Olomide further created speculation by claiming in the press-conference that took place after Academia's show at LSC, that some of his former musicians had contacted him about rejoining Quartier Latin and that he was considering their cases.
D-day;
On November 25th, 2000, Academia finally performed at LSC. The hall was packed and many people were unable to enter. This a few of the musicians who had come from Kinshasa, as they had not expected such a turnout after their disastrous show in Toulouse. Surprisingly, there were also people close to Koffi Olomide in the audience, such as Ize Bola. Academia's succes at LSC would silence people who claimed that Academia was finished after Bouro Mpela’s departure. However during the show, the absence of Suzuki and Lebou Kabuya was noticeable, which only intensified the rumors that they had left Academia.
The success of the LSC show created a wave of euphoria among the band members and fans, who claimed that the next step would be Zénith de Paris. This ambition was even announced on the event’s VHS-cover, which featured the message: ‘Flash – Zénith de Paris – Avril 2001.’ The concert was regarded as the moment that confirmed Academia Quartier Latin’s status among the major bands, as groups that succeeded in bringing Kinshasa-recruited musicians to Europe and achieving success after proving themselves in Kinshasa, used to earn significant respect from the public
The LSC performance was later released on the market as ‘Quartier Latin Academia – Concert de Confirmation’, produced by Photo Joël Mbetenge
Aftermath;
After the LSC show, photographer/concert promoter/producer/shopowner Joel Photo Mbetenge approached Academia, not only to purchase the footage of their performance and release it, but wanting to perform once again at LSC. However, this would not be an ordinary show. It was scheduled on the same day as Werrason’s event at Espace Jean Monnet in the Paris suburb of Rungis.
Joel Photo Mbetenge, who had previously been close to Werrason, had fallen out with him after a conflict following the Bercy concert. He would get publicly humiliated in Lausanne, as Werrason started considering him pro-Adolphe, after not exactly following the tasks he assigned him to confront Adolphe. Rumor has it that Mbetenge even tried to join JB Mpiana’s circle to organize a show at LSC, but people around JB not wanting him, seeing him as a spy because of his past and the incidents that happened around the fara-fara's in Paris in 1999 and 2000 and his Yaka-ethnicithy background as well.
At first, Academia was reluctant to sign the contract. Sam Tshintu feared that they might not succeed in filling LSC again, considering Werrason’s popularity, even though Academia had won the fara-fara against him in Brazzaville the previous year. They also worried that a failure could damage the momentum of their Europe tour, which had only just begun.
However, after Mbetenge insisted, they eventually agreed to the proposal, adding a clause stating that he would be paying financial reparations in the case the 30 December LSC event failed. Once the contracts were signed, Academia recorded an advertisement with Mbetenge and Jeannot Petrol to promote the show. This promo later appeared in the intro of the Concert de Confirmation cassette.
