The mortal remains of Tsaka Kongo will be buried on Saturday, March 16 at the Necropolis between Earth and Sky (NTEC).

These details are provided by members of his biological family. In a statement, they explain that the wake will take place on Friday, March 15 at the Place des artistes, followed by the displaying of the body the next morning, before the burial at the Necropolis between Earth and Sky (NTEC). It is due to a certain slowness observed in the organization of the funeral that the deceased's family had to set these dates almost two months after the death of the distinguished departed.

Moreover, they lament, "we inform you that the family had to take matters into their own hands due to the long wait caused by the various requests for support that we submitted to certain institutions, particularly the Ministry of Culture, which, unfortunately, did not yield any favorable response.

This, despite the fact that our dear Father, himself a musician, devoted himself body and soul, for more than 15 years with his NGO, to supporting artists and families of artists in difficulty, but also and above all for the promotion of the culture of our country."

The members of the Tsaka Kongo family explain: "We emphasize that the funeral was delayed, not because we were looking for money as some say, but because we were waiting for an official program from the ministry."

Under his real name Langu Masiama "Tsaka Kongo" passed away on January 26, at the age of 67.

Self made man

An amateur musician, he was a fan of Lita Bembo, the leader of the Stukas orchestra. When this group disappeared from the Kinshasa music scene (the group went on a long and endless European tour where it eventually faded away), Tsaka Kongo began performing playbacks on Télé Zaïre, the only television channel at the time, with the repertoire of this orchestra by imitating Lita Bembo and presenting the same physical build. And this caught the attention of viewers. As appetite comes with eating, and to avoid continuing to promote a group and an individual who were falling into oblivion without any reciprocation, he created his own orchestra, Stunning Mangenda. His song "Démocratie" which was on a loop on Télé-Zaïre, will still be remembered.

But he did not have much talent, neither in singing nor in composing. He also did not have personal equipment (instruments) nor the means to finance this group, or even to take care of the journalists who started to be around him. Thus, he launched himself into humanitarian work by, among other things, fighting for the defense and care of artists, not only musicians but also theatre practitioners, in times of distress such as sickness or for their funerals in case of their death. Hence the creation of his NGO "Artist in Danger." This last did not gain unanimous support.

But very enterprising, he was seen in action in several instances: Pépé Kalle, Madilu, King Kester, Kiamwangana... Due to his commitment, he was even accused by some of being the author of the images of the "Grand Ninja's" corpse that circulated shortly after his death. While he had nothing to do with it. Very ambitious and courageous, he even managed to find space on a local television channel where he hosted a show. But as a self-made man, he knew how to knock on all doors, especially television stations where he was received as a guest... to talk about his orchestra, Stukas, his NGO. Tsaka was "papa everything" except nothing. Whatever people say, he managed to make his mark in history. Farewell the "artist," farewell the "humanitarian," farewell dear "colleague"... who will say better or more?

Boni Tsala