Marimba Band from Botswana makes final stop in Berkeley
Just added to the African Music Calendar: Direct from Botswana! The Maru-a-Pula Marimba Ensemble will perform at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley at 8pm on April 30. More information at La Peña’s website.
The ensemble is a group of students from one of Botswana’s premiere secondary schools. From the press release on the school’s website:
The award-winning Maru-a-Pula marimba band will come from Botswana to the Pacific Northwest in April 2010 to raise funds for orphan scholarships. We need your support to make this tour a success.
The ten-piece marimba band will perform a celebration of music and cultural exchange, raising awareness of a continent’s struggles while looking to a future of hope and prosperity.
Botswana has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world and currently has more than 30,000 AIDS orphans. The school now funds 30 full orphan scholarships and hopes to raise the money to fund 60 full scholarships by 2010.
There is something about marimba music that is just so uplifting and infectious. Check out this video of them practicing: