Kinshasa Orchestra plays Carmina Burana

Musicians in the west may gripe but they ain't seen nothing. In Kinshasa the local orchestra have to build their own instruments and share scores round. "I haven't made a violin yet", says the orchestra manager but I've made 10 basses and 5 cellos." That's the spirit! In the Congo average life expectancy is 53 years, per capita GDP is USD 1200 per annum. Many places don't have clean running water, or paved roads. Life's tough. Yet these people care about higher things. "Music is like prayer" says a cellist. "Music helps me to think", says a soprano. "When I'm sick, and I sing, music gives me strength". This clip shows the orchestra and a local choir doing Carmina Burana. Some time back Operachic raised the very valid point that Carmina Burana is about the struggle of life. (see label at right under Carmina Burana for my comments and a FUNNY video). In Kinshasa, people aren't so far from war and poverty. When they do this music they aren't thinking Nazi rallies or O2 arena glitz. Maybe they're thinking Old Spice ads or whatever, but the fact that they care enough about music to do what they do says a lot about who they are.
Since this post was first written, more has been happening ! Please read the comment below and follow the website http://www.kinshasa-symphony.com. As they say in Cantonese "Feichou tak !" (Africa CAN !!!!!")