Kinshasa Beta Mbonda
Directed by Marie-Françoise Plissart2019 52mDocumentary
A dozen or so young percussionists bring music to Barumbu, a poor neighbourhood of Kinshasa. They are the Beta Mbonda, former members of the Kuluna violent gangs. Music has given a new meaning to their lives while cementing their friendship. Moving between odd jobs and musical improvisations, with seemingly easy playfulness they invent rythms and sing about the hardships of daily life. Like a Greek chorus underscored by traditional instruments or everyday objects, their songs ring out into the air of Kinshasa, echoing a world adrift.
