Joy in the Congo
Photo: cbsnews.com
Sunday night I watched the last segment of 60 Minutes. Normally I'm not a big 60 Minutes because sometimes I think the stories can be downright hurtful, or mean, or too sad for me. But since I was waiting for Amazing Race to start, I kept the station where it was. I am so glad I did.
The Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. The pictures of what I can only call squalor were unfathomable. How people live, work and raise children in a place like that is beyond me. But if you look closer, like Bob Simon from 60 Minutes did, you'll find the Kimbanquist Symphony Orchestra. A 2oo piece orchestra and choir under the tutelage of Armand Diangienda. I wonder if this is what Beethoven was thinking of when he wrote Ode to Joy.
Diangienda, a commercial airline pilot after the airline he worked went belly up, taught himself to read music, play instruments, find broken instruments in the trash, repair them then teach others how to play. How he did this has got to be a miracle. The Divine Maestro had to have had a baton-waving hand in the whole thing. Like planting an acorn and having it grow into an Oak tree, God gave one man an idea, and and many gifts. Then sprinkled it with the water of hope, hard-work, inspiration, tenacity, beauty, and joy for the love of music.
Seriously you need to watch this video. It made me weep for the joy and promise as seen on the musicians faces. It made me clap my hands and shout encore! Encore! It made me want to spend Daddy's last nickel on airline tickets for these musicians to play at Carnegie Hall. But maybe that's too grand an idea. Maybe the place where they are is where they are meant to be. An ode to joy for others who need to believe in miracles.
May you find music in the most unexpected places.
Merry ME
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xoxo