Once more death has hit Africa, the motherland of the song, taking away one of her most accomplished sons: the singer and song-writer King Kester Emeneya. He passed on in Paris, on the 13th of February 2014. His musical career is so marking that the singer is viewed by many chroniclers of the black continent’s music as the African artist-musician of the 1980-1990 decade and the godfather of the fourth generation of the Congolese rumba. Who is King Kester Emeneya?
He is born Jean Emeneya Mubiala Kwamambu, on the 23rd of November 1956, in Kikwit, Bandundu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, then Belgian Congo. He shall be remembered as the regent of the African rumba. By regent we mean a person of royal lineage that takes over the throne following the king’s death or physical incapacity, pending that the crown prince reaches the required maturity to assume the kingship. Kester is the regent; Rochereau Tabu Ley is the king, the legitimate heir in the dynasty that was founded by Joseph Kabasele Tshiamala, aka the Grand Kalle; the crown prince is Wenge Musica band, whose rise to musical scene marked the birth of the fourth generation of the Congolese modern music. Henceforth, whereas King Ley was languishing in the twilight of his glory, by then evolving as a hero but under M’Bilia Bel’s shadow, Emeneya acceded to the throne of African rumba in order to groom the princes of Wenge Musica to the rein by 1989. However, pending Wenge’s maturity, the regent awesomely governs the kingdom: while observing the tradition of this music style, he brought in innovations that will shatter the last vestiges of the Kingdom’s ghetto and widely open it to the concert of musical kingdoms (better, styles). Yet, ironically, King Kester Emeneya had never integrated Rochereau’s Afrisa International.
He commenced his amateur music in Les Anges Noirs (Black Angels) band of the University of Lubumbashi, where he was undergraduate student in political and administrative sciences. The scope of his leadership without delay became so dazzling that he attracted the attention of music lovers during concerts. Which is why, during his 1976 summer holidays in Kinshasa, he got invited for a test in Evoloko Joker’s ISIFI Lokolé. As expected the test was positive, and the young student integrated the acclaimed band. He then spent his time alternately, between his studies and the Anges Noirs in Lubumbashi and the ISIFI concerts in Kinshasa. Nonetheless, though adored by fans in North Yolo (then the most popular borough of Kinshasa and ISIFI Headquarters), Emeneya admitted that this musical group failed to conclude with him a permanent contract because of the jealousy of Evoloko, who had figured out that he was a great potential competitor. Indeed, the ISIFI boss was then the best music star in the DRC (then Zaire) to the point that musicians (including the young Kester) and music lovers used to affectionately call him “Abrahama” (the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, in Lingala), the father of the faith in the Congolese music. Thus, in 1977, Emeneya laid a milestone to his young adult life by launching his professional music career through his integrating Papa Wemba’s newly-born Viva La Musica band. The height of his talent, his high sense of leadership, and his professionalism enabled Viva La Musica to conquer the hegemony over the music of the youths, to the point that the epicenter of popular entertainment ceased to be North Yolo and became the “Molokai Village” of the borough of Matonge. To his credit music lovers relished hits such as Milena (1977), Teint de bronze and Fleur d’été (1978), Ndaku ya Ndele and Ngonda (1979), Dikando, Ata Nkale and La Runda (1980), and Dembele (1981).
In 1982, after a highly successful music tour in Europe, and following underpayment and non-delivery of bonuses at the expense of the band’s employees by a Papa Wemba increasingly “ungrateful and stingy”, Kwamambu ran a revolt, taking away with him almost all the manpower of Viva La Musica, and founded Victoria Election band. Without delay, Kester Emeneya, self-proclaimed “Jesus”, the leader of the band of “twelve apostles”, got propelled to the pinnacle of the Congolese music in particular, and Africa’s in general, thanks to a breathtaking, sustainable success. The latter was generated by the debut, triumphal album Naya (1982), which contains songs such as Ngabelo, Naya, Livre d’Or, Ma Nzumba and Benedictions. Then followed Surmenage (1983), Kimpiatu (1984), Okosi nga Mfumu and Sango mabala commission (1985), Willo Mondo (1986), Nzizi, Deux temps and Ata Mpiaka (1987), Elanga nalona and Dembele Remix (1988) and Mokusa (1989). He condemned Papa Wemba and Lita Bembo into exile in Europe; he lowered other elders of the Zaiko Langa Langa clan (such as Evoloko Joker and his Langa Langa Stars, Manuaku Waku and his Grand Zaiko Wawa, Ben Nyamabo and his Choc Stars, and later Bozi Boziana and his Anti-Choc Stars) to the rank of the second best or third best, according to the season. He had no other competitors in terms of popularity and success sustainability than TP OK Jazz, Zaiko Langa Langa and Empre Bakuba; however the latter were renowned as orchestras rather than individual stars.
His eclipse occurred in 1990 with the rise of Wenge Musica, which marked the birth of the fourth generation of the Congolese modern music, and to which he handed over the throne of the African rumba. Nevertheless, it was a mere temporary eclipse. He triumphantly reappeared in 1994 with Everybody, though always in exile in London, Britain, just to relapse into obscurity two years later with Succès fou. In 1998, he sealed in comeback to the fatherland with two high deeds: the historic concert of the Martyrs Stadium of Kinshasa (he was the first musician to pack to rafters this infrastructure of the 80 000 people capacity) and the release of his success album Mboka Mboka. He rose up again to the firmament of his glory in year 2000 with Longue Histoire, an album that realized the impossible: topping the local chart and imposing to the music lovers Tshaku Libondanse (voted by plebiscite the dance of the year 2000) in a musical field mined by the rivalry of the two summits of the Wenge clan: JB Mpiana and Werrason. It’s after this that his decline became irreversible.
Withal one question deserves to be raised: why is Kester Emeneya the regent of African rumba? Enlightened by the abovementioned definition, the answer is simple: Emeneya was clothed with the mantle of King Tabu Ley in the spirit of the dynasty of the African rumba founded by the Grand Kalle, in appropriating the following four virtues: he was a great visionary, a capable and innovative bandleader, a leading singer, and a believer overwhelmed by nationalistic political convictions. Let’s assess the man by analyzing these virtues.
1. Kester Emeneya was a great visionary. Since his amateur debut in the Anges Noirs, he had been aware of having a calling: being a chief in music industry and leaving in there an indelebile mark. Evoloko, who had the blood of leader, having perceived it, subsequently preferred to let him join his old friend turned nemesis: Papa Wemba. Gina Efonge confirms his leader’s mantle when he declared that Kester—to whom he gave the affectionate nickname Evala Malakose, and whom he had the privilege to mentor in the harmony of text and melody (his influence can be observed in Milena, Kester’s debut song in Viva la musica)—is the torchbearer of the Zaiko Langa Langa clan after the elders (including himself) had faded away. Once having integrated Viva La Musica, he succeeded in imposing his authority. According to him, it’s because of his contribution with artistic advices and an imposing second voice that the melody harmony was sealed in the group, leading the Papa Wemba-Koffi Olomidé duo to perfection. Moreover, to heighten his charisma, he avoided wandering from one band to another, which is a feature of a superficial personality. Thus he declined an enticing offer from Tabu Ley to integrate Afrisa International, with the advantage to tour Europe. “To humiliate me”, he said, “Ley chose to co-opt my boss, Papa Wemba, who forsook Viva La Musica in my hands, retorting to my discontent: ‘Is it you who’llfeed my children?’ He flied with Afrisa to Europe. He deserted four times the band, but he was finding it flying high with success thanks to my know-how”. His unlimited love for the group drove the rest of members to nurse more respect and esteem for him than for the boss. This is what facilitated thereafter the great revolution that resulted in the founding of Victoria Eleison. Last, his constancy and clinging to the vision of greatness bore fruits: apart from his hegemony over the African music scene, he was one of the handful Congolese artists to have performed in the five continents (hence his slogan of “coupe du monde” [“world cup”]), especially to have held a series of concerts in Japan; and he performed in mythical halls, such as the Zenith of Paris (in 1987 as the invitee of Abeti Masikini, and in October 2001), Olympia of Paris (April 2002), and many more.
2. Kester Emeneya was a capable and innovative bandleader. To fulfill his dream of greatness, he brought about two innovations in African rumba. On the one hand, artistically, aside from the re-introduction of brass in the spirit of continuity of Rochereau’s tradition, he has enriched the sound by introducing the synthesizers in the Congo. The success of this innovation, which had the advantage of opening the African rumba to the monde by combining tradition and modernity, was typified in album Nzizi. The latter took by storm the conservative market of Zaire as well as the five continents. Furthermore, the sound of Nzizi got lifted up to ultramodern hights in Everybody thanks to another innovation of Kester’s: computer-induced sophisticated mastering. That brought him the title of ‘King’.
On the other hand, on marketing level, Kwamambu valorized musical profession. He created the positive image of musician in the Congolese society, that of a person that gets rich out his artworks and excels in liberalities in favor of the needy. This can be illustrated by his BMW brand new car, commandeered straight in Germany; designer’s clothes in the spirit of the SAPE religion [SAPE=society of revelers and elegant persons], which he immortalized in Ma Nzumba and later in Willo Mondo with the Kikongo slogan “mvuatu kankisiko, kanzi kalayi itechnique”, meaning clothing oneself is not about fetish, but it’s about learning technique; and many movables and immovables at the heyday of his fame in the mid 1980s. Subsequently, he succeeded to erase from the public opinion the negative image of a musician who is drug addict, quarreler, prodigal, semi-literate, moral corruptor of the youths, and whom elderliness and death unsuspectedly meet in poverty—the image former artist Lita Bembo admitted being co-authors with other young artists of the 1970s and early 1980s. “We [the artists of the abovementioned epoch] deserve to rot in jail for all the evils inflicted to the Zairian society”, said Lita.
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This is why Emeneya had raised a lot of callings in the field amongst the youths, particularly those of WengeMusica that created in 1981. According to a verified testimony, the artists of Wenge (Werrason, JB Mpiana, Alain Makaba, Blaise Bula, etc.), then unknown by the broad public, but having the privilege to cohabitate with the famous musician in the same borough of Bandalungwa, used to come to his house to pay visit to their friend and his younger brother, JoliMubiala, an employee of Victoria Eleison; and a singer of their group, Marie-Paul, is a nephew of Kester’s. Through JoliMubiala and Marie-Paul, they began to imitate in all Emeneya’s band. Werrason confirms this testimony, saying: “King KesterEmeneya was a model to all of us in the WengeMusica clan. He inspired us the most and coached us in our way to greatness. He is the godfather of the fourth generation”. JB Mpiana concurs on radiookapi.net of 03 March 2014: “It’s thanks to the advices he [Emeneya] was giving us in Wenge that we have become what we are today. Emeneya was a genius of sounds and threnodies. A great artist that has moulded music industry by his way of self-expression in vocal”. And Blaise Bula, paying tribute to the illustrious deceased, adds: “We [Werrason, Marie-Paul and me] had the privilege to partake in his second voice. Consequently, his dominion over the Congolese music had led us to believe that we could reach fame as well. And that’s what happened”. Therefore, when WengeMusica’s epoch-making album Mulolo was released in December 1988, unaware music lovers were thinking that was a new opus of Victoria Eleison. In summary, KesterEmeneya is the regent of the African rumba because he had fulfilled his task of grooming the future kings (JB Mpiana and Werrason [this one having prevailed over Marie-Paul in the succession battle, though the latter was favourite because of his family ties with the regent and his already effective leadership over the breakaway assertive Wenge El paris], who will divide the rumba kingdom into two) of this music style at the time when King Ley, though alive, was no longer able to manage the kingdom, that is, he was no longer the master of the musical scene in the Congo.
3. KesterEmeneya was a leading singer. Certainly, his second deep voice was so powerful, so resounding that he was dominating the chorus, bringing for instance equilibrium between Papa Wemba’s first voice and KoffiOlomide’s humming one. Yet Emeneya didn’t confine himself there. Like the great Tabu ley, he opted for the combination of both the first and the second voice, thus raising his magic over music lovers. Henceforth, he was able to alternately ascend and descend, and to break monotony. This is illustrated in the track Ata Nkale and finds its culmination in Nzizi. In Viva la Musica as well as in Victoria Eleison, and at the occasion of his featurings by colleague artists, his was a pivotal role in the chorus. Papa Wemba, while praising the artistic qualities of the “Grand Kisimbi” (as the departed was again affectionately called by colleagues and fans) and his exceptional contribution to the rise of Viva la Musica, admits that he had welcomed the option taken by Kester to alternately use the two voices. Ekumani implied that this option condemned him to suffocation, a sort of theft of his vital space within his very group. Whereas for Kester, it was a milestone in his music career; and the reaction of ex-boss—who, since his integration in the band, had confined him to the second voice, as it can be perceived in Teint de bronze—proves that he had become jealous, just like Evoloko in the past. A leadership stance to forcefully denounce inasmuch as it is a hindrance to the progress of any person in a lower authority position. A sort of levelling downwards; or a sheer sorcery. In this matter of the combination of the two voices Emeneya had influenced the Wenge clan: JB Mpiana had imitated him for example in the track ProcèsMambika of Titanic album (1998), whereas Werrason had excelled with it in the hit Blandine of KibuisaPimpa album (2001).
4. KesterEmeneya had nursed political convictions of a nationalist believer. Surely he expressed his Christian faith in the track NzilaVelele (“the way leading to heaven”, in Kikongo) of the album Everybody, a very high artistic quality hit that is to be listed in the anthology of the Congolese Christian music. Certainly he militated through the song for the Congo’s cause, as this is attested by his contribution in Tokufapona Congo, a song collaboratively performed by several renowned artists of the DRC in order to fight the Rwandan-Ugandan-Burundian coalition and their Western masters who had aggressed the country. However, the most poignant case of his Christian nationalistic militancy is reported by Mayoya“Tipo-Tipo”Bitumba in congoindependant.com, in his Tribute to King KesterEmeneya. According to this respected political analyst, Kester exposed his conviction about the Congo in Congo Beautiful Country, a hymn he sang in 1999, in Europe. The artist presents his complaint grounded on the paradox: a nation isolated and weeping, although she belongs to the club of great nations. Why is she weeping? “All your riches are transferred. You don’t have intelligence anymore, nor do you have sovereignty. Your rivers carry along torrents of blood. Your forests are sprinkled with corpses”. Poverty is ravaging, and despite the formal freedom of expression, the people is terrorised. Is there any hope of fortunate outcome following this calamity? Positive. But only if all the patriots rally behind the nationalist leadership (such as the then Mzee Laurent Desire Kabila’s), as in a divine commission from which one cannot shy away: “For if pity of us you feel, God on it will rather have mercy of you”. Nevertheless,as the hymn carries on according to Tipo-Tipo’s account, the nationalists’ struggle could be vain if they do not call for the assistance of God and the saints and heroes of Africa, as well as all the Congolese Christians (Roman Catholics, Protestants and Kimbaguists) and even the Muslims. Thus, Saint Michael, Joseph, John, Kizito, Charles Lwanga, Sister Anuarite, and Father Kinzanza, “pray for us”. Verily, Tipo-Tipo, as you suggested it, in remembrance of the colossus of Congo-Kinshasa, Congo Beautiful Country deserves to be taught in all secondary schools of the country.
May your soul, King Kester Emeneya, rest in peace; and may your good works follow you in the paradise of God.
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