Thousands gather to mourn death of Tabu Ley Rochereau

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/11/tubu-ley-rochereau-funeral-congo

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Tabu Ley Rochereau, who died 30 November, was commemorated this week at a state funeral in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thousands gathered at the parliament in the capital, Kinshasa, to pay tribute to the late rumba star, who passed away, aged 76, at Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels, according to his son-in-law Jean Claude Muissa. One of Africa's great voices and a pioneer of Congolese rumba, Tabu Ley crafted more than 3,000 songs in his career, with lyrics often sung in the Lingala language.

Speaking at the service, popular rumba musician Koffi Olomidé called for a national rumba day. "Tabu Ley Rochereau, our master, our guide and our father, was and will forever be the pride of the Congolese nation," Olomidé told the gathering of politicians, including the president, and other dignitaries the BBC reported.

"And so, respectfully, we ask President Joseph Kabila and his government to officially make the day of Tabu Ley's passing the national day for Congolese rumba and Congolese musicians.''

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Tabu Ley had an extraordinary career, launching his musical career in 1959 in a group led by Joseph Kabasele, better known as La Grand Kallé. In 1960, he sang the Indépendance Cha Cha. A songwriter and bandleader, Tabu Ley added African American influences to rumba to become a pioneer of the funkier soukous dance style. He became a politician in the late 1990s under two presidents, Laurent-Désiré Kabila and Kabila's son, Joseph.

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