(b Lubefu, Kasai Occidental Province, Belgian Congo [Democratic Republic of the Congo], 14 June 1949). Congolese singer and songwriter. Wemba's career began in 1970 in the group Zaïko Langa Langa. Zaïko was the most prominent of groupes des jeunes, youth bands that emerged in the late 1960s and early 70s as an alternative to older Congolese rumba bands. Personnel splits took Wemba to new groups, Lokole Isifi (1974), Yoka Lokole (1976) and his own Viva La Musica (1977).
Wemba sings in a strong, clear tenor voice, sometimes ascending to falsetto. His Mère Supérieure won best song honours in a 1977 poll of Kinshasa writers; Analengo (1981) and Evénement (1982) also earned acclaim. A 1986 album, L'Esclave (the slave), departed from the usual musings on love and relationships to attack the exploitation of Africa. Wemba starred in La vie est belle (1987), a film based on Kinshasa life. His penchant for sartorial splendour helped produce the phenomenon of la sape, a fad for designer fashion among Congo youth in the 1980s.
In 1987 Wemba dissolved Viva la Musica to embark on a solo career. Papa Wemba (1988), Le Voyageur (1991) and Emotion (1995), all solo albums, produced a more international sound not recognizable as Congolese rumba. To appeal to fans of his Congolese music, Wemba resurrected Viva La Musica for the albums Foridoles (1994) and Pôle Position (1995).
B. Baruti: Papa Wemba: Viva la Musica (Kinshasa, 1987)
T. Cheyney: ‘The Extraordinary Papa Wemba’, The Beat, viii/6 (1989), 30–32
Y. Sangaré: ‘Papa Wemba: vers la World Music’, Bingo 446 (1990), 39
B. Eyre: ‘Papa Needs a Brand New Bag’, Option 44 (1992), 62–5
GARY STEWART