Hearing the name Congo might make us think of civil war, gorillas or poverty, but we’re unlikely to expect that one of the most extraordinary groups in world music lives in this central African country – or more precisely in the Kinshasa zoo, where the homeless musicians of Staff Benda Bilili have lived and played for years. A few years ago Papa Ricky and Coco Ngambali began to gather together a group of people who they believed had true strength in adversity: some are in wheelchairs due to chil...dhood polio, while others walk on crutches, but all still believe they can live life to the full. The group expands from time to time, and their young guitarist Roger Landu, for example, lived on the streets before the band took him under its wing. Landu is capable of astonishing solos on a lute-like instrument which he made himself from a tin can. The band’s music mixes rumba with elements of rhythm & blues, reggae and funk, while the lyrics to its songs often contain wise or ironic advice to homeless people – for example, to vaccinate their children against polio. But most of all, they provide a perfect portrait of life in Kinshasa, putting into song the stories the city’s orphans and street children, war refugees and prostitutes tell them about their own lives. In recent years the members of the group have supported themselves with casual work and playing music in restaurants, until their discovery not long ago by a visiting film crew. This meeting led to the making of their first album, which was recorded outdoors in the vicinity of the zoo. Their success culminated in their winning the Womex Award in 2009 and embarking on a subsequent European tour. Presented by the Palace of Arts
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
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