Mariama

Papa Wemba
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba was born in Zaire in 1949. When he was twenty, he joined the legendary group Zaiko Langa Langa, initially under the name Shungu Wembadio. In 1975, he started a new group, Viva La Musica, and took on the alias of Papa Wemba. In the following years, he grew into one of the most famous Congolese Rumba performers and became a flamboyant personality.
He is not only a musician but also the spiritual father and uncrowned king of the Sapeurs, a society that has risen fashion and expensive design clothing to the status of religion. The many musicians and singers of Congo followed, and still follow, his dressing style, which turns many a Congolese concert into one big fashion show.
In 2003, Papa Wemba got himself talked about and ended up in jail because he was suspected of bringing Africans to France illegally. Since then, he performed little and only released new music sporadically. With his new CD ‘Wembadio’, which will be released soon, he is working on a comeback and then he will be seen on world music podiums once again. In tonight’s Mariama, an anthology of his rich musical oeuvre.

1. La vie est belle – Papa Wemba
   LP: La vie est belle (Soundtrack): STERNS 1028 (1988)
2. Mukaji Wanyi
   CD: Papa Wemba-Papa Wemba; EMI 7914482 (1988)
3. Sango Pamba
   CD: Viva la Musica 13th Anniversaire; Gefraco GKP 2855 (1990)
4. Ba Venants
   CD: Statue de la Liberté – Modogo Gian Franco Ferre et l’orchestre Viva la Musica; Sonodisc 8485 (1991)
5. Nani Témoin
6. Endena
   CD: Pole Position-Viva la Musica & Papa Wemba Sonodisc 8815 (1995)
7. Oldies are goodies
8. Aladji-Djamo 
9. Moyi
   CD: For Idoles-Papa Wemba & Viva la Musica (1994)