"KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO" "DECEMBER 2004" "That guy filming us..." "I couId easily snatch his bag." "And the millions inside it." "And I'II take the camera he's holding too." "I wouldn't think twice, I'd just "comb" him." "I don't mind being a thief." "Any 12-year-oId living on the streets should do that." "I sleep on cardboard, man." "Just look around..." "We're in a concrete jungle." "Kids don't have a choice." "You sleep outside, you suffer from the cold." "This country is screwed." ""Combing" is the only system." "You have to watch your back, we're in a jungle." "It's survival of the fittest." "Give us something!" "We're starving!" "Come on, sir!" "How are you?" "I waited yesterday." "Nobody came to rehearsal." " I was held up." " held up..." "That's OK." "Where are the others?" "They're on their way." "It's tough to rehearse these days." "Don't worry, we'II work hard." "Ever present." "Your humble servant." "We've known Staff Benda BiIiIi for a Iong time." "Papa Ricky is the street kids' old man." "He has always helped us out here, at the Sonas Roundabout." "Papa Ricky is the boss, he conducts the orchestra." "I used to sleep on cardboard" "Bingo, I bought a mattress lt could happen to you" "To you, to him, to them" "A man's life is never over" "Luck shows up unannounced lt's never too late in life" "I know we'll succeed someday I used to sleep on cardboard" "Bingo, I bought a mattress lt could happen to you" "To you, to him, to them" "A man's life is never over" "Luck shows up unannounced lt's never too late in life" "I know we'll succeed someday" "No one can judge a man's life" "Life comes and goes" "No one can judge a street child's life" "We don't get to choose our lives" "The kids at the Mandela roundabout are big stars" "They sleep on cardboard" "The handicapped people at the Platform are big stars" "They sleep on cardboard" "We have cardboard!" "Who are you to make fun of me?" "Who are you to make fun of me?" "applaud!" "Thank you, cardboard." "JULY 2005" "When we met Staff Benda Bilili on their street corner, we were in Kinshasa, making a film about urban music" "Like the majority of Congolese people," "Benda Bilili were just about surviving, their only weapons being their talent and an unwavering optimism" "We fell in love at first sight with these unknown virtuosos" "They sang of life on the streets and of getting by in this cruel city" "Their music went straight to our hearts- lt got us thinking- lt wouldn't take much to help them record an album" "So we decided to do just that with our own money" "For these disabled, veteran street musicians we presented an opportunity not to be missed, but we never imagined our collaboration would last five years" "It's OK, I talked to them." "We came to an agreement." "Are they going to pay us more?" "No, we don't get more dough." "We've negotiated." "They warned us that they were broke." "They're giving us the cash to pay the soloists." "We have to make an effort or it won't work." "They pay for our smokes, our food..." "With their money!" "And weed." "We have to come to an agreement so we can keep going." "We can't mess things up." "That's how we have to look at it." "SHELTER FOR THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED I was born a strong man" "But polio got me" "Look at me today I'm screwed onto my tricycle" "Here I am, with my canes I've become the man with canes" "These damn crutches" "What a mess" "Responsible mums" "Go to vaccination centres" "To vaccinate their babies" "Against poliomyelitis" "To eradicate buka buka" "Parents, listen to me" "Stop neglecting your kids" "The one who has polio" "As well as the one who's able-bodied" "There's no difference between them" "Who knows which one will help you later?" "God in heaven" "I don't make anything up." "My songs are about my Iife." "In one song we say," ""Your job is like your parents'."" "Here, if you don't take your job seriously, you're signing your death warrant." "My wife whines when I leave to go rehearse for three weeks." "She doesn't understand what I do." "She wants me by her side but I'm working for our children's future." "If I die tomorrow, they'II say, "Daddy did nothing for us."" "If I die, what will I be leaving them?" "A sewing machine?" "They won't have anything, not even a roof over their heads." "With the music I've composed, it's different." "If it's successful in Europe, it'II bring money every year." "My kids will be saved." "Ju, come over here." "Come and try this on." "This year, you're going to school." "This is your uniform." "Do your best." "If you complain, you won't get to go to school anymore." "Go get your sister." "The ante is 100 francs." "Let's raise it to 500." "You're cheating, guys." "Come on, the ante." "Let's see the cash." "You pinched my money." "You owed him 200." "I already paid him." "You're swindIing me out of 100 francs!" "calm down." "Come on, Iet's play." "OUTSIDE THE "PLEIN VENT" RESTAURANT" "DOWNTOWN KINSHASA" "Go on, Coco, your friends are listening." "They can hear you in Europe." "Europe heard us!" "I'm a street daddy." "You're a street kid." "So how are we different?" "You have music." " We..." " You don't have anything?" "You could be..." "How about Staff dancers?" "You can play the drums, can't you?" "Yes." "So you can play music." " Can't you?" " absolutely." "Come to rehearsal tomorrow, at the zoo." "THE KINSHASA ZOO" "Work, work!" "Yourjob is like your parents'" "Work, and work even more!" "That's Adam." "It's his fault that it hurts to give birth." "It's because the man crawled onto the woman's stomach." "Here, Adam and Eve hadn't eaten the fruit yet." "Things were good back then." "people even played with lions." "Our country is screwed, man." "Man, you know what?" "I was here before they ate the fruit." "One day you'd eat and the next day you wouldn't be hungry." " Whatever." " I'm telling you." "No one was ever hungry back then." "And then the country changed and I started starving to death." "AII because of Adam and Eve." "How do you make a living?" " I wash cars in town." " That's your job?" " And I'm a drummer." " What else?" "Other than that..." "I do what I can." " Do you beg?" " Yes, I'm a beggar." "I spend every Christmas on the streets." "For the Iast five years." "Five years!" "I'd really like to have a house." "My job is to push the the handicapped people's bicycles." "I do that all day long and they give me money and food." "My parents are both alive." "But they don't have enough money to send me to school." "You know, a man's life is never over until the end." "Nobody is doomed." "I'm like the branch of a tree." "Whether I'm happy or in pain," "I hang in there." "But in the end, I'II end up in a trashcan." "I use this instrument to make a living." "We, the congolese, help each other out." "I use my instrument to play a few weII-known tunes." "If people like it, they give me something." "I don't pick the pockets of the people who walk by." "That's not why I'm here." "I'm making a living from my instrument." "Thanks to this, I'II be able to feed my mother and my little brothers soon." "If I cross paths with someone who has a good heart, who could support me so that I couId work on my music," "I'II do great things with this instrument." "The day after we meet him, we introduce Roger to the Staff Benda BiIiIi musicians." "Other than that, is everything OK?" "We're all here." "Try to play in the right scale." "Yeah, I'm trying." "First I have to tune this." "It's the little soloist." "I can play half tones." "With that thing?" "He can play all the notes!" "It's the neck over there that produces the tone." "I'm curious to hear it." "He rocks!" "Roger, come a little closer." "little Roger..." "tell me, what's your race?" " Age?" " No, race." "What tribe?" "I'm Mayumbe." "From Lower Congo?" "Is Mayumbe in Lower Congo?" "In which village do you live?" "In Kisenso." "It'II take time and work." "I'm going to work with him for a while." "If he works hard, he'II become a good guitar player." "I see that..." "he's still young." "In time, in three or four years, he'II do good things." "On the side." "That's good." "For the handicapped, life is a battle" "One day you eat, the next you don't" "In life, the wheel of fortune turns my friend" "Never forget that" "Never forget that" "What's that white guy filming?" "What's your problem?" "Did he film you?" "Are you the police?" "You're in our way!" "You're screwing up my work." "Whatever." "Are you from a small village?" "Haven't you ever seen a camera in your life?" "You do nothing in life." "Leave us alone, you idiot!" "SHELTER FOR THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED" "BANDAL NEIGHBOURHOOD" "He's starting to get it." "Is it something like this, man?" "It's coming, little by little." "No, you're already in tune." "I have to get it." "My mother has been sick since her divorce." "My father hit her." "He hit her on the head and she was traumatised." "She spends all day at home like that, without any money." "With my little brothers there, it was like a henhouse." "I had to leave home to live my Iife." "I didn't run away." "I'II go back when I've succeeded." "Now that I'm a member of the Staff Benda BiIiIi, everything's going to be OK." "I'm patient." "I know my time will come." "They play really well." "September 2005, after one month of rehearsal," "Staff Benda BiIiIi enter a studio for the first time." "STUDIO I.C.A, KINSHASA, LINGWALA NEIGHBOURHOOD" "No, stop." "Like we said, if someone messes up, we start over." "Let's start over." "No!" "It's the solo, damn it." "Concentrate." "We're on the second verse." "Roger, tomorrow at noon." "We'II meet here at noon." "Staff Benda Bilili" "Try to understand" "What you need to do to pull through this rotten life" "The girls on the streets are crying" "They want to hear Staff" "The children on the streets are crying" "They want to hear Staff" "Ju!" "Come in here." "pull curtain, we're going to bed." "And close the door." "It's really perfect." "Papa Ricky?" "It's your wife." "We lost everything." "There was a fire." "Everything!" "The whole shelter burned down." "I couldn't salvage anything." "No, not just us." "Everyone's in the same position." "I just got here." "Everything burned down." "It happens." "That's life." "This is my youngest son." "We had four." "Four children." "Tonight, he was supposed to sleep at the BandaI shelter." "Why is he so sick?" "I don't know." "Maybe it's because I don't breastfeed him anymore." "I just stopped." "It seems like you don't want to have any more babies." "More babies?" "I hope you're kidding." "The fire that destroyed central Bandal started during a recording session" "Overnight Benda Bilili had ended up back on the streets with their families" "They were facing problems of basic survival" "Despite all Ricky's efforts, work in the studio had become impossible" "There was no point" "Weeks passed and the group broke up" "Roger went back to his village" "With heavy hearts, we decided to return to France" "We gave Ricky our last remaining dollars and promised him we'd find a way of finishing the album" "One year later, backed by a record label, we were back in Kinshasa" "JULY 2006" "This is my business." "Without this," "I couldn't make it." "With this, everything is OK." "It's Benda BiIiIi." "The Benda BiIiIi Store." "OPPOSITION DENOUNCES ELECTORAL FRAUD" "In the hopes of finishing the album," "Ricky tries to find the musicians and take up rehearsals." "GOD IS THE ONLY ONE PROTECTING THIS VEHICLE" "Who's waiting for us down there?" "Is it near GambeIa?" "Towards GambeIa?" "Or is it near Ngiri Ngiri?" "Avenue KwaIu?" "KwiIu?" "Near the City council?" "There's no way." "Where are you going, old guy?" "I'm looking for Roger." "Do you know him?" "He plays the monochord." "With a milk tin." " The thing that goes "gIing gIing"?" " That's it." "He plays solos." "Do you know where he lives?" " The guitar with the tin?" " That's right." " He lives in Lemba Imbwa." " Where is that?" " Very far away." " You'II show me." " Can we drive there?" " That's impossible." "Forget it, I'II never find him." "Push through that way." "I'm going to die!" "Mums and dads, trust in God!" "Don't look back!" "You can't miss those years of unemployment!" "Don't expect too much from the elections because only God can bring peace back to Congo." "people of Congo, who will you believe?" "people of Congo, in whom will you place your hope?" "place it in the hands of God!" "He who restored the people of israel!" "He is the same yesterday, today and for all eternity!" "HaIIeIuiah!" "God will visit our sons." "God will visit our country, He will visit our families." "God will restore this country," "God will bless this country." "Let's appeal to Him." "Let Him hear our lament." "By the victorious blood of Jesus!" " President." " Yes?" "There you are." "We have a Iot of work ahead of us." "rehearsal starts at two." "Practice the song we talked about." "KINSHASA ZOO" "September 2006, the producer Vincent Kenis meets us in Kinshasa with his portable studio." "For the first session, he records them where they rehearse: the zoo." "These mosquitoes..." "Marguerite, my sister" "Marguerite, my sister" "We were born of the same father" "But other children were born after us" "Our families separated" "Today, you're on one side of the river, and I'm on the other" "The only thing left between us is Vodacom" "The only thing left between us is Telecel" "And I'm left here all alone" "And I'm just left here" "One day I eat, the next I don't" "Everyone has their lucky day" "Today it's you, tomorrow it's him" "Your time will come soon" "Marguerite in Brazza, Coco in DRC" "Separated by this damn river" "Come on, pull them out." "Hey kid, get off my ride." "You're acting like a villager." "You won't get to Europe by hanging on to my bike." "You kids are really low lives." "I heard that the album isn't ready yet." "We have to go back to studio." "We screwed up some of the songs." "We have to do them over." "We have to fix it, we have to concentrate." "So we messed up?" "Before, our problems got in the way of our work." "We kept messing up, we had to do several takes." "We're recording for the third time." "Our sound engineer came back." "This time, we'II get it right." "Let's put our problems - the fact we sleep on cardboard - aside until we have an album in our hands." "Coco, how are you?" "SEPTEMBER 2007, GOMBE HALL" "Our work here is done." "It sounds beautiful." "Great music." "The new sound of the world." "The world's new idol is Staff Benda BiIiIi." "It will be the event." "Never in the history of the world has this been seen." ""Unmixed - unedited"." "They did a good job." "It's beautiful." " Let me see it." " It's beautiful." "I'm very happy about this." "In the future, we're going to make a living." "My orchestra is Staff Benda Bilili lt will never die" "We'll be better and better so we can play with the big boys" "Like Werrason or Papa Wemba" "Great artists like Koffi Olomide" "Why not us?" "We're as good as they are" "Our heads and our hands work hard" "We work so that it will pay off and we'll make it" "The sun shines on everyone" "My brothers form Staff" "Let's always perfect our art" "For Staffs children I love you" "We're going to sleep on boards." "Soon, I'II buy myself a mattress." "March 2009, after two long years, the album Tres tres fort is coming out all over the world." "Why are you making fun of me?" "Because I'm crippled?" "Why are you making fun of me?" "Who do you think you are?" "Why are you making fun of me?" "Because I sleep on cardboard?" "Why are you making fun of me?" "You make me laugh" "I sleep on cardboard" "OPENING CONCERT FOR THE ALBUM" "FRENCH CULTURAL CENTRE I sleep on cardboard I jump on boards" "Born on cardboard, asleep on boards" "All day long on boards" "Went to Europe on a board" "Street children dance on boards" "Who doesn't sleep on cardboard?" "We dream on it too" "We screw on cardboard asleep on boards" "We do more than just sleep my life began on a board" "We fight for boards I dream of Europe on a board I'll go from cardboard to luxury I get high on a board" "We got 800 dollars for the concert." "Staff Benda BiIiIi!" "Very, very strong!" "80 dollars." "You're missing 40?" "Here." "80." "You can't count, huh?" "You're a bad secretary." "It's Roger's turn." "Tomorrow, you'II pay your mum's hospital bill." "She can't come out until you pay." "80 for Roger." "Get your mother out of the hospital." "AII right?" "And 10 dollars for you." "Share, OK?" " Who's the oldest?" " He is." "You think you can steal from me?" " I'm like your father!" " It wasn't me, man!" "I didn't do anything, man!" "We're all on the streets, I would never do that!" "Roger, we're on the same team." "Beat him up, Roger!" "Did you steal from me?" "Go to the cops!" "Do you want to end up in jail?" " Why did you do that?" " Man, I promise..." "Don't you dare do it again!" "Man, you're our President." "Let's drink champagne." "We're here to celebrate!" "We have two bottles to share." " That's for us." " The "outside sleepers"." "Today we're going to party!" "Get out of here." "This champagne is a present from Staff Benda BiIiIi." "It's our movement." "If we put our destinies in your hands, we'II go far." "If you go too fast, break with your butt." "Benda BiIiIi are paving the way." "Drink, little guy." "This is my part." "Tres tres fort, their first album coming out in France" "And they really are very, very strong" "Picture an orchestra of paraplegics living on the streets" "Their rehearsal room is the Kinshasa zoo" "We're right here." "They'll be playing in the very big festival, the Eurockeennes in Belfort- Bravo!" "Thank you, my friend!" "We'II be in Europe soon." "That's so cool!" "I'd Iike to know..." "What is there in Europe that's so great?" "I see people who are ready to die to go to Europe." "I am too." "But what's over there?" "well, it's a country..." "It's a country that not everyone can go into." "Some can, others can't." " It's a country..." " Not everyone gets in?" "Like I said, some can go in, others can't." "So it's a country..." "God made that country so that..." "So that we could compare it to ours." "So too many people want to go there." "We're lucky that at Ieast God allowed our fathers to go to Europe." "They'II make lots of dough over there." "And we'II benefit from it." "We'II have good lives, we'II have houses, a good inheritance..." "They dream of going to Europe too." "They've been put in a cage, Iike prisoners." "Like a bird, I'll fly" "All the way to beautiful Europe" "Like a bird, I'll fly" "All the way to beautiful Europe" "The day Roger was old enough to go to school," "I bought his uniform, his school supplies..." "And on the first day of class, he sold everything!" "He said, "Mum, school won't get me to Europe." ""This monochord thing will."" " What's it called?" " A satonge" "A satonge?" "He said his satonge would get him to Europe." "I have nothing to say." "You can see how we live." "Ever since you were born, I've had nothing but problems." "You know how you were born, how I had to raise you, how much I suffered." "Me, your mother." "You know all that." "Not too long ago, I couldn't leave the hospital because of a 100 dollar debt." "Don't mess around over there." "If you faiI, it'II kill me." "You can fool around here but over there they have the Law." "If you mess up and they send you back, the others will make fun of us." "The family despises us because I'm raising deIinquents." "I want your bad-mouthing uncles to know that the delinquent went to Europe." "Tomorrow there will be no teasing, no disdain." "Put them to shame, shut them up." "You have to behave over there." "We're counting on you." "Your two older brothers didn't make it." "It's up to you to do your best to feed your family." "Your brothers couldn't do it so you have to take their place." "Thanks for the advice, that was helpful." "JULY 2nd 2009" "So today's the big day, President." "You're all jealous." " Papa Coco." " Yes?" "will you bring me a doll?" "Yes, I'II buy you one." "And for you too." "We're leaving with our friends" "We'll leave you here to worry" "To worry" "We're leaving with our friends" "We'll leave you this song" "To worry" "You can't say I didn't warn you." "I'm going to Paris and believe me, I'm going to be a big hit!" "Be strong, kid." "What are you doing?" "Keep your member to yourself over there." " Don't fool around." " I won't do anything." "You didn't eat anything." "That's OK, we'II eat over there." "Don't cry." "I'II bring you a bike." "Black man, wake up" "Get up and you'll understand" "From the beginning of time" "All you've done is sleep too much" "Wake up and you'll see the sun" "Already high in the sky" "Look in front of you" "Your rivers are teeming with fish" "Look behind you" "Your forests are packed with game" "The ground you walk on is full of gold and diamonds" "Black man" " This airport is..." " Roissy." " Roissy." " Roissy-CharIes-de-GauIIe." "We have to knock 'em dead, here in France." "Let's give them all we've got, so they'II remember us." "Then other countries will invite us." "The stakes are high for this concert." "Did you see the chickens here?" "They're huge." "They sell us the skinny ones." "But they give us a good price." "It's a beautiful city." "The city of de Bedfort." "BeIfort!" "JULY 5th 2009" "EUROCKEENNES FESTIVAL, BELFORT, FRANCE" "After the concert, you'II go meet the girls!" "They'II all come and say, "I Iove you."" "But be careful, it's not Iike the Congo here." "If they get clingy, you say, "Honey, I'm off to Germany."" "Staff Benda BiIiIi." "Very, very strong!" "We're going to be on fire today!" "It's hot out." "I'm an orphan, alone in the world" "My parents died a long time ago" "My daddy told me never to steal" "He'd say, "Listen to me and you'll live a long life"" "Kids don't listen anymore" "They join gangs, the Kuluna" "Our advice goes out the window it's so hard" "There's nothing to eat at home so they join the Kuluna" "Delinquents, gangsters, the Kuluna" "What's the solution?" "The Kuluna" "What's this Kuluna business, Roger?" "Tell us about it" "Before he died, my daddy said," ""lf you want to live a long life, avoid problems" ""And respect the world's principles"" "I'm just a kid, I have a long way ahead of me I listened to my old man" "And I'm still alive" "Young man, your parents are there to help you" "Being in a gang is short-term" "You're playing with your life, little brother" "Very, very strong!" "We're visiting lots of countries." "After Germany, we're off to Denmark." "We won a trophy." "Tomorrow they've giving us a trophy because we won." "And then we're taking a plane to another country." "To OsIo which is even farther." "I couldn't call you before but everything is fine." "It's very cold." "AII the musicians say hi." "She hung up." "No more credit!" "I used to sleep on cardboard I used to sleep on cardboard" "You have to be strong, right?" "The work mentality." "Work is serious business." "We're serious, sure, but we're freezing our asses." " It's freezing!" " It's tough." "They don't fool around here." "If you mess up, you turn into an ice cube." "They were wrong, those who didn't believe in us." "Staff was our project." "And today that project is coming to life." "It's becoming a reality." "Hey, my friend, never forget" "Today you have a plate but you used to eat on the ground" "Hey, my friend, never forget" "Today from a plate, tomorrow, on the ground" "My friend, don't forget" "Don't forget the wind can blow the other way" "Never forget" "Hey, President." "This is the Argentinean Ambassador's wife." " Argentinean?" " The Ambassador's wife." "pleased to meet you." " She speaks French." " pleased to meet you." "You speak French?" "Thank you." " I forgot." " You forgot your French?" "several years?" "Where's the Ambassador?" " Ambassador." " That's me." "Yes, she told us that." "Thank you." "hello, excellence." "excellence." " Argentina." " You're very kind." "Staff, straight ahead Benda Bilili" "What do you need to pull through" "Your rotten life?" "Staff, straight ahead Benda Bilili" "How do you pull through" "Your rotten life?" "Carried by Staffs love, we will never die ln Staffs hands, we get ahead" "In Staffs hands, we get ahead" "Our leaders don't care about us" "We stay strong no matter what" "Our leaders don't care about us" "We only count on each other" "Staff Benda Bilili!" "You have to understand ln order to pull through your rotten life" "This whisky is strong!" "Drink up." "Come on, a little for Papa Ricky." " Is there any weed around?" " Yeah, I Iike that better." "We'II get in trouble." "Smoking weed is serious here." "You can't get caught." "I heard they have marijuana detectors." " Those things on the ceiling?" " No, those are just..." "If the smoke gets too thick, they throw water everywhere." "Everything's wet and you have to leave the hotel." " immediately." " You leave your room right away." "You have to watch out." "Of all of us, the one who was most affected by our success is Roger." "It really stirred him up." "You should see the kid in his neighbourhood." "He's become a music master in his neighbourhood." " He bought a TV." " A TV and everything!" " A couch." " A mattress." "He organised his life." "At 18, Roger has become a man." "He'II have a house, he's straightening himself out." "I guarantee you, this kid will do great things." "Papa Ricky knows that his child has grown up." "He knows I'm making progress." "He knows his child has a future in Staff Benda BiIiIi." "He often says, "We're going to die soon." ""We're getting old, you have to take over the orchestra."" "We've suffered together." "Ricky knows I come from far away." "I want him to know that he can count on me." "translation:" "Ana Zappa" "subtitles TITRA FILM Paris"