Artist page

Staff Benda Bilili is a group of street musicians from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The band, composed of paraplegic artists who contracted poliomyelitis in their youth, originally lived around the zoo grounds and plays music rooted in soukous, incorporating elements of old-school rhythm and blues and reggae. The core group features four senior singers and guitarists, who navigate their performances using customized tricycles. They are supported by a younger rhythm section made up of abandoned street children whom the older members have taken under their wing. Notably, the soloist is an 18-year-old boy (as of 2009) who creates guitar-like solos on a one-stringed lute he designed and built from a tin can. The name "Staff Benda Bilili" translates from Lingala as "look beyond appearances."

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