The King of Congolese Rumba was laid to rest at a funeral on Wednesday (4 May). Over 17 000 people were in attendance at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Kinshasa - 15 000 outside and 2 000 inside. Papa Wemba died on Sunday (24 April) after collapsing on stage during a live performance in Abijan, Ivory Coast. He was 66.
"For three days, as one man, the Congolese people, Africa and the world mourn the man who came to be known as the father of Congolese rumba," said Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo at the service.Local celebrities, bishops, priests, family members and officials all gathered around his coffin covered draped in a Congolese flag before heading to his final burial site about 60 kilometers away.
The rain came pouring down soon after the funeral which is seen as a sign of blessing in the country."I salute the master of art, a man of talent and genius," Kinshasa mayor Andre Kimbuta said. He also announced that a mausoleum will be built in his honuor. The country’s cultural minister said a theatre would be built in memory of him too.
On Monday, he was honoured with the Grand Officer of the National Order title by President Joseph Kabila.Papa Wemba shot to superstardom in the 70s with the band Zaiko Langa Langa.
By the 80s, he’d moved to Paris where he was critical in popularising Congolese music. In the 90s, he embarked on a tour with Peter Gabriel.
