Papa Wemba Begins Final Journey Home

H****undreds of mourners yesterday welcomed the body of Papa Wemba, one Africa’s best known singers, back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was flown into the capital, Kinshasa, from Ivory Coast, where he died on Sunday after collapsing on stage in Abidjan. Ivorian fans attended an all-night concert held in his honour in the city. He is due to be buried on Tuesday after lying in state in a stadium in Kinshasa, on Monday. After Papa Wemba’s coffin left the airport it was taken to a morgue, reports the BBC’s Poly Muzalia from Kinshasa. File: Papa Wemba on stage Papa Wemba, who died at 66, was considered one of Africa’s most influential musicians of his generation. He pioneered modern Congolese soukous music, which spread through the continent. Many of Africa’s top musicians have paid tribute to Papa Wemba, including Cameroon’s Manu Dibango, who described him as the “voice of Africa”. Ivory Coast’s Culture Minister Maurice Bandaman stated at a memorial service before the body left that “an artist never dies… Papa Wemba is dead, and now (he is) even greater than before,” reports stated. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA,has described the late singer as “a voice of Africa, an icon of African music and epitome of Africanness. “His pride and commitment to African music and sense of dressing were part of the narratives of African culture. These are the African narratives we shared and are propagating across the world.” .....Vanguard