Music has always been a way to escape, relax and create connections between different cultures. And that’s exactly what happened at the recent Piano evening in Kinshasa, which attracted a large and diverse audience.
The fourth day of the Kinshasa Piano Festival had a special program with the performance of two talented artists, Jérémie Tshibi and Alexander Gunning. These two pianists worked together for two weeks to create a unique fusion between Congolese and Belgian cultures. They drew inspiration from the archives of the Royal Museum of Central Africa, notably using the rhythms of the Mbuti people.
For an hour, Jérémie Tshibi and Alexander Gunning amazed the audience with their soft and melodious music. They alternated between duo and solo performances, impressing spectators with their mastery of the piano.
According to Jérémie Tshibi, the meeting between him and Alexander Gunning was based on the festival’s theme, “Intervals”. They interpreted this theme as a distance that connects two different cultures. As an African and European artist, they managed to show that these differences can mix harmoniously on stage.
The Kinshasa Piano Festival has always been a multicultural event and this edition is no exception. Belgian, Swedish, German, Swiss and French artists joined Congolese artists to make this evening even richer and more diverse. The audience, too, reflected this diversity with the presence of people of different nationalities.
The Kinshasa Piano Festival is the only music festival in the DRC and sub-Saharan Africa dedicated to the piano and pianists. It aims to promote this instrument and explore the different possibilities of musical fusion with other keyboard instruments and traditional Congolese instruments.
This evening at the Piano in Kinshasa was a true celebration of music, cultural diversity and harmony between peoples. She demonstrated that music is a universal language that can transcend borders and bring people together. The festival continues until Saturday, October 7, still offering many unique musical experiences to festival-goers. One thing is certain, this piano evening will be remembered as an exceptional moment of sharing and emotion.