Culture, Social
Ngbaka EP
7. Oktober 2021, 13:26
FULU MIZIKI roughly translates as “music from the garbage”, which in a literal sense is an accurate description of the thrillingly chaotic eco-friendly Afro-Futurist collective. The instruments they design, build and play are masterclasses in upcycling.
From guembris built out of computer casing, to jerry-can drum-kits, keyboard inventions from wood, springs and aluminium pipes, and old flip-flops used as pads by plastic tube-wielding percussion players, the Democratic Republic of Congo-formed group’s ethos lies in the respect of nature, the celebration of its gifts and the importance of its preservation through environmentalism.
The band explain on new single 'Bivada' - “This is for the man who walks without shoes in the middle of the bush to find food for their loved ones, this is for the Congolese women who have lost their lives trying to protect and raise us. This is to all the standing and fallen men and women around the world who wake up with nothing but manage to find food for their loved one at the end of the day. This is for the hustlers. It's for Kinshasa,” says SEKELEMBELE.
"I grew up in Kinshasa next to the biggest market called ''zando”. It's the biggest and most popular market in Kinshasa, there’s many people helping vendors by carrying their merchandise on their backs and heads to feed their families. That’s the daily job of these people, to transport goods on their head, these men and women who do this job sometimes don't have shoes or can't afford to have clean clothes.”
“There's also some other people who laugh at them, and saying how their legs have got muscles because of dirty work, because all their work is physical."
“These people are our mothers, our fathers, brothers and sisters, they do this job out of choice, because they want to feed their children, and I'm one of those children.”
The “Bivada” music video was also shot during the pandemic, when the group had limited access to open space. It was shot in Kampala and highlights their work in terms of art and design. “In this video you find our spirit, the way we print it on our costumes, our masks, also the old traditional congolese ways of moving your body,” says Sekelembele.
Social media site
http://instagram.com/fulumusic
Audio: Klimainnovation - Musik
Overview:
Fixing the Future