1. Hailing from the slums of Kinshasa in the Republic of Congo, Staff Benda Bilili is composed of a core of senior musicians who were affected by polio as children. They now tour the world playing their traditional folk songs informed by blues, rumba and reggae, travelling on modified tricycles with their rhythm section consisting of young street musicians from Kinshasa.

2. The band sings in a mix of French and Lingala and plays on a variety of modified and beat-up instruments including a satongé, an electrified one-string lute made from a tin can, a piece of wood and a guitar string invented by Roger Landy, the youngest member of the band.

3. Staff Benda Bilili were the subject of a documentary entitled Benda Bilili! that screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival last year. The film showed their rise from the streets of Kinshasa, which involved them playing for fans in the streets, fighting for survival and the dramatic burning of the building where they kept what little possessions they owned.

4. The band has released two albums: Très Très Fort (“Very Very Strong”), which was originally envisioned by Benda Bilili! documentary masterminds Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye and came out in 2009, and Bouger Le Monde (“Move The World”), released in September.

5. The band is a strong advocate for human rights. In 2006, they released a song urging the Congolese people to vote (Allons Voter), which is said to have increased voter turnout by 70 per cent. Staff Benda Bilili, who consider themselves “the true journalists of Kinshasa,” also sing openly about life on the streets, polio vaccination, their handicaps and other health and social issues affecting their people.

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