The sudden death of Congolese rhumba maestro Papa Wemba is a blow to African music.
Wemba whose real name isJules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, will be remembered for improving rumba music and making it one of the popular music in Africa.
His last show in Kenya was in August 2014. His shows were crowd pullers which left Kenyans yearning for more with his songs such as Show Me The Way, Yolele among other hits.
Until his untimely death on Sunday April 24, Papa Wemba had many songs and several albums to his credit.
But what can Kenyan musicians learn from the late Papa Wemba?
1. Talent
Talent is inborn. Not everyone can sing. If you don’t have a voice like that of a nightingale, don’t waste your time going to the studio. A majority of Kenyan musicians are driven by money at the expense of nurturing talent. Once they release a single song which in most cases has nothing to educate society about, they vanish from the stage. Build talent and money will start following you.
2. Timeliness
The late Wemba started his career in the late 1960s but his music still resonates even with generation Y. This is unlike many of the Kenyan songs which die away after just a few years. Papa Wemba’s songs are still loved to date.
3. Organisation
Despite starting his career in 1960s, Wemba was still in the business, more than 40 years down the line. This is unlike some local musicians in Kenya who after just after a short stint on the musical stage go under, never to resurface again. Planning and management is indeed key to success.