Was Papa Wemba poisoned at FEMUA?: A'Salfo's response 10 years after the death of the famous Congolese singer

Ten years ago, Papa Wemba, the golden voice of African music, laid down his microphone for good at the Festival of Urban Music of Anoumabo (FEMUA) in Ivory Coast. The Congolese artist, known worldwide for his exceptional vocal timbre, succumbed to a sudden illness while performing on stage.

Yesterday, Friday, April 24, the day marking 10 years since his death, the group Magic System, promoter of FEMUA, paid tribute to him during a moving ceremony which took place in the Anoumabo square of Marcory.

"He told me, 'Boss, we have a problem on the podium.' I said, 'Oh really?' He said, 'Papa Wemba isn't feeling well.'"

A'Salfo, the group's lead singer, spoke at the event about the circumstances surrounding the death of the renowned Congolese singer. "I was giving a press interview when I realized the music had stopped. I saw Guy Michel Ablé, my communications director, come into the tent where I was giving the interview, and he said to me, 'Boss, we have a problem on stage.' I said, 'Really?' He said, 'Papa Wemba isn't feeling well.' When I went on stage, I saw Papa Wemba with a wry smile, and I thought to myself, 'Ah, he's tired,'" the Ivorian singer recounted.

In the aftermath, "the King of Congolese Rumba" was transported to the Polyclinique Internationale Hôtel Dieu in Abidjan. "The first cardiac massages began in front of me," revealed A'Salfo.

The doctors then reportedly asked him to leave his room. He then found himself in front of the dancers, musicians, and other members of Papa Wemba's team, all in tears, outside the hospital, even though nothing had yet been announced.

"He put his hand inside his blouse and took out Papa Wemba's watch, and he told me: 'Papa Wemba has decided to leave this world in your hands.'"

Around 6 a.m., the doctor came out, took him aside, and gave him the bad news. "He put his hand in his coat and took out Papa Wemba's watch, and he told me: 'Papa Wemba has decided to leave in your hands. We tried everything but we couldn't save him,'" recounts the lead singer of Magic System.

In the early hours following the Congolese singer's death, some spoke of "a poisoned microphone that had also poisoned the atmosphere" on stage, recalls A'Salfo. For the performer of 'Premier Gaou', these were just rumors because, in reality, "according to the medical report, Papa Wemba died of cardiac arrest."