The 80s were the great Papa Wemba decade. Ten years earlier, he was one of the founders of Zaïko Langa Langa, before forming his own group, Viva La Musica. A pillar of Congolese rumba and king of the Sape, Papa Wemba has also used his fame to get across political and societal messages, as on l’Esclave, released in 1986, where he denounces both the ravages of slavery and apartheid. On the B-side, he delves into the more traditional rhythms of Zaire, and his music should not be reduced to dancefloor soukous (even though it clearly got more than a few people hyped!!). Three of the tracks on this album would be covered two years later in a version rearranged by Martin Meissonnier on the album soberly called Papa Wemba. In the early 90s, it was Peter Gabriel who revived Papa Wemba’s career, producing his album “Le Voyageur” on his Real World label. Sadly, Papa Wemba is one of those artists who died on stage, five years ago, in April 2016, at FEMUA9 in Abidjan.
L’Esclave – Papa Wemba, 1986
