One breezy evening in January this year, Felix Wazekwa sat at the pool bar of Kempinski Hotel Fleuve in Kinshasa, DRC. He pondered the unfortunate incident that prompted Kenyan authorities to deport Congolese musician and rival, Koffi Olomide, after the latter was filmed kicking a woman at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Then his brain went into overdrive. He had an idea; a simple spontaneous idea. A week later, Wazekwa and his band, Cultura Pay Vie, bellowed out Fimbu (Lingala for ‘cane’), a track that was a veiled attack on Koffi Olomide’s Selfie.
Not only did it become an anthem in DR Congo, but the Congolese football players sang and danced to it seven times - for each goal scored - during African Cup of Nations 2017 tournament held in Gabon, as their supporters in the stands cheered on with delight.
His music is astutely arranged, carefully thought-out and highly danceable.
“I am delighted by the wide reception of the song and dance. Everything about this dance is easy,” he says of Fimbu.
Wazekwa, who is in the country for the first time courtesy of locally based Congolese ‘president’ Ibrahim Lingo, describes his visit as God-sent.
“I am happy to be here after decades of cancelled trips. I can’t seem to get enough of the beautiful sights and sounds of Kenya,” he adds.
Wazekwa alleges that the cancellations were the works of a clique of Congolese musicians out to discredit him.
Accompanied by his 15-member band, Wazekwa is set to perform at City Cabanas Nairobi, next Friday July 21 and at Bob’s Bar and Grill the following day Mombasa, July 22.
Gate charges are pegged at Sh1,000 VIP and Sh500 normal for both shows.
“I will be introducing Fimbu and Debout Africains as well as the Boma Ngugi (Killing mosquito) and Fimbu dance styles,” says the musician who was recently awarded the title of Best act in some of the leading Congolese concerts in Olympia and Zenith.
He also won an award for Revelation of the Year for his second album Pauvres Mais featuring the late Tabu Ley Rochereau and Bozi Boziana.
With 15 albums such as Signature, Sponsor, Faux Mutu Moko Boye, Adam na Eva (featuring Simaro Lutumba) and Fimbu na Fimbu under his hat, Wazekwa admits that Koffi and he do not see eye-to-eye.
“My collaboration with Koffi turned sour after he publicly disowned me despite the fact that I wrote some songs for him; among them Papa Bonheur, Apres tous and Nobless Oblige,” he alleges.
He also points out that at some point he opted to work with his role model, Papa Wemba, who happened to be Koffi’s rival.
Other artistes he looks up to include Lutumba Simaro and King Kester Emeneya.
A holder of a degree in architectural interior design and a postgraduate in economics, Wazekwa thinks Congolese music has been diluted by the current generation of artistes.
He is currently undertaking a course in English in Paris is in the process of publishing his debut book titled Bonbon Sucre (French for ‘Sweet Sugar’) that should be out in November.
“It is basically about my life journeys. I plan to translate the book in Lingala and Swahili languages with time,” says Wazekwa, who apart from touring Europe, also does part-time lecturing in various universities within Paris.
When asked about locally based Congolese musician General Defao – the once musical giant who has been reduced to a pale shadow of himself - Wazekwa is quick to shift the blame to his critics.
He says it is high time Kenyans accorded Defao the much-needed support as opposed to bringing him down.
