Staff Benda Bilili
Encyclopedia
Staff Benda Bilili are a group of street musicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. They live around the grounds of the zoo in the countries capital city, Kinshasa
, and play music which is rooted in rumba
, with elements of old-school rhythm 'n' blues
and reggae
. The core of the band consists of four senior singers/guitarist, who are all disabled (they had poliomyelitis
when they were young) and move around in spectacularly customized tricycle
s. They are backed by a younger rhythm section consisting of abandoned street children who were taken under the protection of the older members of the band. The soloist is an 18 year-old boy (2009) who plays guitar-like solos on an electrified one-stringed lute
he designed and built himself out of a tin can.
Staff Benda Bilili have earned the 2009 Artist Award at Womex
(World Music Expo).
Staff Benda Bilili have sought to raise awareness about crimes against humanity in Democratic Republic of the Congo
, contributing to the Enough Project
and Downtown Records
' Raise Hope for Congo compilation.
, a Belgian record producer specialising in Congolese music, who arranged for the band to record their debut album, Tres Tres Fort ("Very Very Strong").
Barret and de la Tullaye have finished a feature-length documentary on the band. Benda Bilili! has been selected by the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) at the 2010 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, and premiered on May 13, 2010 to critical acclaim on the opening day of the Quinzaine.
in March 2009. It was produced over the course of three years by Crammed's Vincent Kenis
(known for introducing and producing bands such as Konono Nº1, Kasai Allstars
, and for the Congotronics series
). Kenis recorded the band mostly in the Kinshasa zoo. The album also contains four of Barret & de la Tullaye's videos.
Staff Benda Bilili's Très Très Fort album will also be released on vinyl by Crammed Discs
, only as part of the limited-edition Congotronics Vinyl Box Set which includes most albums on the Congotronics series
.
Initial media reactions to Très Très Fort were excellent, especially in the UK, the USA, and France.
In June 2010, Staff Benda Bilili contributed the song "Je t'aime" from Très Très Fort to the Enough Project
and Downtown Records
' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. They live around the grounds of the zoo in the countries capital city, Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, and play music which is rooted in rumba
Rumba
Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
, with elements of old-school rhythm 'n' blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. The core of the band consists of four senior singers/guitarist, who are all disabled (they had poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
when they were young) and move around in spectacularly customized tricycle
Tricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
s. They are backed by a younger rhythm section consisting of abandoned street children who were taken under the protection of the older members of the band. The soloist is an 18 year-old boy (2009) who plays guitar-like solos on an electrified one-stringed lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
he designed and built himself out of a tin can.
Staff Benda Bilili have earned the 2009 Artist Award at Womex
WOMEX
WOMEX is an international world music support and development project based in Berlin, whose main event is an exposition held annually in different locations throughout Europe. It integrates a trade fair, showcases, conferences, film market, networking sessions, and awards...
(World Music Expo).
Staff Benda Bilili have sought to raise awareness about crimes against humanity in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, contributing to the Enough Project
Enough Project
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress , based in Washington, D.C., created to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Its Co-Founders are John Prendergast and Gayle Smith; its Executive Director is John C. Bradshaw, J.D....
and Downtown Records
Downtown Records
Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...
' Raise Hope for Congo compilation.
Background
Staff Benda Bilili was formed by Ricky Lickabu and Coco Ngambali with other people with polio as other bands in Kinshasa would not work with them and was later joined by a teenager, Roger Landu, who fashioned his own instrument from an empty fish can, a piece of wood and a guitar string. The band rehearsed in Kinshasa zoo, because it was a quiet location, and played the streets of Kinshasa until they were heard by Vincent KenisVincent Kenis
Vincent Kenis is a Belgian musician and record producer. He was a member of the avant-garde group Aksak Maboul and of The Honeymoon Killers, an experimental rock band...
, a Belgian record producer specialising in Congolese music, who arranged for the band to record their debut album, Tres Tres Fort ("Very Very Strong").
The "voting song"
In 2006, Staff Benda Bilili's song Let's Go and Vote ("Allons Voter"), written and performed by the musicians, was played repeatedly in the run-up to the 2006 historic polls on radio and television stations; it was reported to be responsible for a 70% increase in voter turnout. The credits on the video clip says it was produced by Monuc UN Mission in DR Congo and distributed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The musicians were not offered contracts, but were reportedly paid $50 each. Staff Benda Bilili have filed a lawsuit in the Congolese courts seeking $100,000 for Monuc's use of their music.The videos and the film
Staff Benda Bilili were featured in the documentary film Jupiter's Dance, by Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye (aka Belle Kinoise), who have been documenting the band's progress since 2005. They shot several videos, which have become quite popular on the Internet.Barret and de la Tullaye have finished a feature-length documentary on the band. Benda Bilili! has been selected by the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) at the 2010 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, and premiered on May 13, 2010 to critical acclaim on the opening day of the Quinzaine.
Career
Entitled Très Très Fort, the band's debut album was released on Crammed DiscsCrammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
in March 2009. It was produced over the course of three years by Crammed's Vincent Kenis
Vincent Kenis
Vincent Kenis is a Belgian musician and record producer. He was a member of the avant-garde group Aksak Maboul and of The Honeymoon Killers, an experimental rock band...
(known for introducing and producing bands such as Konono Nº1, Kasai Allstars
Kasai Allstars
Kasai Allstars are a 25-piece musical collective based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The musicians originally come from five bands, all from the Kasai region, but originating from five different ethnic groups: the Songye, Lulua, Tetela, Luba, and Luntu...
, and for the Congotronics series
Congotronics series
The Congotronics series is a collection of albums devoted to electrified traditional music from the Congo, curated and produced by Vincent Kenis for the Crammed Discs label....
). Kenis recorded the band mostly in the Kinshasa zoo. The album also contains four of Barret & de la Tullaye's videos.
Staff Benda Bilili's Très Très Fort album will also be released on vinyl by Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
, only as part of the limited-edition Congotronics Vinyl Box Set which includes most albums on the Congotronics series
Congotronics series
The Congotronics series is a collection of albums devoted to electrified traditional music from the Congo, curated and produced by Vincent Kenis for the Crammed Discs label....
.
Initial media reactions to Très Très Fort were excellent, especially in the UK, the USA, and France.
In June 2010, Staff Benda Bilili contributed the song "Je t'aime" from Très Très Fort to the Enough Project
Enough Project
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress , based in Washington, D.C., created to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Its Co-Founders are John Prendergast and Gayle Smith; its Executive Director is John C. Bradshaw, J.D....
and Downtown Records
Downtown Records
Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...
' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
External links
- Staff Benda Bilili page on the site of the Crammed DiscsCrammed DiscsCrammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
label. - Womex Artist Award page
- Appearance on BBC's Newsnight