They rehearsed outside the Kinshasa zoo, in wheelchairs and hand-pedalled tricycles. Staff Benda Bilili, a band whose core members had been disabled by polio, played on the streets of the Congolese capital for years before anyone outside the city noticed. Then a pair of French filmmakers began to film them.
The band
The band was formed around Ricky Likabu, the oldest member and a co-founder, and Coco Ngambali, the group’s main composer and co-founder. Several members used wheelchairs or custom tricycles. They were joined by able-bodied musicians, including young street kids from Kinshasa.
Roger and the satonge
One of the band’s most distinctive sounds came from Roger Landu, a teenager who played the satonge, a one-string instrument he made from a tin can, a piece of wood and a wire. Its high, sliding notes cut through the band’s rumba grooves.
Benda Bilili
The band’s name is usually translated as “look beyond appearances”. It was a message to people who saw only their disabilities.
Très Très Fort
In 2009, Staff Benda Bilili released their debut album, Très Très Fort (“Very Very Strong”), on the Belgian label Crammed Discs. The album mixed Congolese rumba, soul, reggae and James Brown-style funk. Their songs were about real life in Kinshasa: sleeping on cardboard, getting polio vaccinations, surviving.
The documentary
French filmmakers Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye met the band in 2004 and filmed them for five years. Their documentary, Benda Bilili!, premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, where audiences gave it standing ovations. It was later nominated for best documentary at the César Awards.
World tours
The album and film took the band to festivals across Europe and beyond. Men who had played for coins on Kinshasa streets were performing at major venues and on international television.
The break-up
Success brought tension. In 2013, singers Coco and Théo quit the band, and the end of a tour was cancelled. The band’s second album, Bouger le Monde, had come out in 2012. In 2021, members spoke to reporters of their hope for a comeback.
Their legacy
Staff Benda Bilili changed how many people thought about disability and music in Africa. Their story also showed how Kinshasa’s streets are full of musical talent. The band’s name asked audiences to look beyond appearances. When they did, they found one of the most joyful bands of its era.
