Benda Bilili! – review

Benda Bilili (which apparently means "beyond appearances") is the name of a band made up largely of paraplegics from the rutted, alternately muddy and dusty streets of run-down Kinshasa, capital of the corrupt Democratic Republic of the Congo, with percussion provided by streetwise urchins. This heartwarming, rough-and-ready Franco-Belgian documentary, made between 2004 and 2009, records their heroic struggles to support their families through music reflecting the hopes and sadness of their everyday lives. It concludes with a European tour and the impressive album Très Très Fort . We see and hear their music getting steadily more confident over the years.