When it was completed--it didn't resemble anything and the author planned to finish it at the rehearsals.
As we know, Meyerbeer died suddenly.

He realized that he was dying and as he knew how necessary his presence was for a performance of _L'Africanne_ he forbade its appearance.

But his prohibition was only verbal as he could no longer write.

The public was impatiently awaiting _L'Africanne_, so they went ahead with it.
When Perrin and his nephew du Locle opened the package of manuscripts Meyerbeer had left, they were stupefied at finding no _L'Africanne_.
"Never mind," said Perrin, "the public wants an _Africanne_ and it shall have one." He summoned Fetis, Meyerbeer's enthusiastic admirer, and the three, Fetis, Perrin and du Locle, managed to evolve the opera we know from the scraps the author had left in disorder.

They did not accomplish this, however, without considerable difficulty, without some incoherences, numerous suppressions and even additions.