Family blames gov't as legendary guitarist Lokassa ya Mbongo yet to be buried seven months after death

Lokassa died on March 14 in Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S., aged 77 while battling diabetes. He is said to have passed away after developing breathing difficulties following a mild stroke. 

After his death, his body was flown to Congo and kept in a morgue in the country's capital, Kinshasa.

His son, André Marie Lokassa, claims that the government has broken its promise to arrange a proper burial for the musician.

"It is humiliation if we must call it that. If things continue to drag on, we will be forced to apply plan B," Mr Lokassa told BBC.

Marie says the family had submitted a budget request of Ksh.11.1 million ($75,000), which has yet to be released, adding that the delay was causing tension in the family.

He says the family plans to bury the late star in mid-October if the government remains tight-lipped on the matter.

However, Artist in Danger, a charity group for artists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, believes that the problem is not with the government, but with the family, which may be experiencing internal conflicts.

"I approached Lokassa's family to help them expedite the funeral process but they wanted to proceed alone, which I complied with. The [burial] delay is shocking, my wish is that a solution is found as soon as possible," the group's head, Tsaka Kongo said.

The guitarist was considered one of the finest in Congolese music, where he led the popular Soukous Stars band. 

Lokassa also teamed up with Tabu Ley Rochereau's Afrisa International in the 70s. Here, he worked with other popular musicians like Sam Mangwana and Pepe Ndombe.

Some of his very popular hits include ‘Bonne Annee’, ‘Monica’ and ‘Marie-Josse’.