Two hundred orchestral musicians are playing Orffs Carmina Burana in total darkness. A power cut has hit the Ngiri Ngiri district of Kinshasa, only a few bars before the last section of the work. Kinshasa's power stations and main networks are insufficient to supply electricity to all the 8 million inhabitants of what is Africas third-largest city. Once again the lights have gone out in the Salle des fêtes, a kind of open garage where the orchestra practises. But for its members this is no reason to stop rehearsing. Most of them know their parts by heart. Small lapses of memory are compensated for by a talent for improvisation and the grace of God.
Claus Wischmann
Claus Wischmann is author, director, producer and executive director at sounding images GmbH.
He has worked together with numerous European broadcasters and his music themed films have won awards all over the world, including the German Film Prize Nomination for his acclaimed film Kinshasa Symphony.
Martin Baer
Martin Baer is a cinematographer, author, and director. He has made television features and documentaries and has also filmed many opera productions, concerts, and stage plays. As an author, director, and cinematographer, his documentaries mainly focus on historical topics and on Africa. Additionally, Martin Baer is the author of several texts about Africa’s history.