Re: [Ugnet] Papa Wemba back in Court

[Rehema Mukooza]

Hahahahah, oh my goodness!  What's up with Papa Wemba making a quick buck?

 

We enjoyed his music, and we still love him.  I have too many memories of his music videos playing on UTV.  We are behind him and support him.  What's wrong with smuggling people to foreign lands for a better future?  DRC is bleeding to death!

 

Ed thanks for the news.

Ed Kironde <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Wemba on French smuggling charge
Wemba's unique music brought him a global following One of Africa's biggest music stars, the Congolese singer Papa Wemba, is due to appear in court in France charged with aiding illegal immigration. Papa Wemba is suspected of having received payment to procure visas for Congolese nationals who entered France claiming to be his road crew members. The maximum sentence if he found guilty is 10 years in jail and a fine of 750,000 euros ($1m). Papa Wemba, 55, faces similar charges in Belgium, where he holds citizenship. The singer, whose real name is Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, was arrested in Paris in February last year. 'Humanitarian concern' According to the French authorities, would-be immigrants from DR Congo paid him $4,500 in return for which he told the French embassy in Kinshasa that they were members of his band or road crew. French officials became suspicious in 2000 when some 200 people formed his musical entourage, many of them turning up to the airport without instruments. Papa Wemba admitted receiving money from the would-be immigrants but said he was acting out of humanitarian concern. He was granted conditional release after four months in prison during which he said he underwent a religious conversion. He has since been allowed to leave France to give concerts. He is expected though to be in court in person in the Paris suburb of Bobigny. A flamboyant figure who has been dubbed the king of "rumba rock", Papa Wemba was already a hugely popular performer in the then Zaire before the fashion for African and world music brought him fame in Europe and the US. He is also renowned as the moving spirit behind a cult movement known as "the Sapeurs" whose members, young men, spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes. Paris is one of the cult's centres and many of Papa Wemba's supporters are expected to attend the trial.

 

 

There are known knowns - there are things that we know that we know. There are known unknowns - that is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns ... things we do not know we don't know. And each year we discover a few more of those unknown unknowns."  Us Secretary of Defense 2001 -?

 

Donald Rumsfeld

 

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