Congolese guitarist Rigo Star buried in France
Rigobert ‘Rigo Star’ Bamundele. He was a multi-talented Congolese Rumba and Soukous musician.
The low key funeral of top Congolese guitarist Rigo Star (Rigobert Bamundele) last week marked the final journey for the diminutive artiste, who had spent most of his musical career in Europe.
Contrary to expectations, however, his funeral was a low-key private ceremony, with no colleagues or relatives in attendance. Initial reports had suggested that his body would be flown back to Kinshasa for burial.
Instead, according to his Paris-based colleague Nyboma Mwandido, Rigo Star's son, who lives in England, organised a private funeral ceremony in Le Havre in northern France.
"We learnt about the funeral ceremony later in the day, most of us were not privy to the funeral arrangements. However, we respect the wishes of his son who wanted the ceremony to be a private affair," he said.
Nyboma and his colleagues met in Paris last Saturday to pay tribute to Rigo Star the day after his funeral. .
Maitre John, a prominent Congolese music promoter and government official, also spoke about Rigo Star's private funeral in a video clip.
In another clip, also shared on social media, only a handful of mourners and clergy are seen attending Rigo Star's funeral.
His funeral follows the delayed burial of one of his colleagues. Lokassa ya Mbongo's body has been lying in a Kinshasa morgue since his death in Nashua, USA, in March this year.
It is still unclear why Lokassa's burial has been delayed. His relatives in Kinshasa have yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Like most of his colleagues living in Europe, Rigo Star had concentrated his musical career there, only occasionally travelling back home.
In Paris, he arranged and played guitar for some of his colleagues such as the Kekele Group, Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Madilu System, Kanda Bongoman, Shimita El Diego and Mbilia Bel.
One of Rigo's greatest achievements was in 1989 when he worked with Mbilia Bel to produce her first solo album 'Phenomene'. This was shortly after he left Tabu Ley's Afrisa International band in 1988. Rigo Star and Mbilia Bel also toured Kenya in the early 1990s.
The focus in DR Congo is now on the forthcoming general election, scheduled for December 20, 2023. Several top musicians, including Werrason and JB Mpiana, are involved in the campaign.
In particular, Werrason, the bandleader of Wenge Musica Maison Mere, is vying with a number of other candidates for a seat in the provincial administration.
