Orchestra turns trash to music and environmental activism in Bolivia
February 27, 2023 — 08:22 pm EST
Written by Monica Machicao, Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi for Reuters
LA PAZ, Bolivia, Feb 27 (Reuters) - In a creative bid to raise environmental awareness, a group of musicians from Paraguay belted out familiar tunes at a hilltop concert just outside Bolivia's capital city on Monday, overlooking a not-so-scenic and sprawling garbage dump.
But the garbage was the point, as the young musicians who make up Paraguay's Cateura orchestra use recycled materials to make their own instruments, "transforming trash into music," according to Fabio Chavez, one of the performers.
The orchestra has performed in over 50 countries.
Playing songs by Coldplay and John Lennon, among others, the musicians entertained local garbage workers, many of whom were impressed by the sound of cellos, violins and horns fashioned out of large cans, pipes and other discarded materials.
"It's very beautiful and I was really surprised with these recycled instruments," said worker Silveria Vega. "They're better than the originals," she added with a smile.
More:
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/orchestra-turns-trash-to-music-and-environmental-activism-in-bolivia
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RECYCLED ORCHESTRA OF CATEURA
REVIEWED BY MAKIKO MORINAGA
The Recycled Orchestra of Cateurla have played the miraclel instrument that was made from garbage.
-The world sends us garbage, We send back music- by Favio Chavez
The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura was founded in the slums in Paraguay’s capital Asuncion. Cateura district has been the slums of the poorest among the Latin America. It is a district becoming the hideout of an alcohol addicts and a criminal performing thieves, pickpockets, and rape(by Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs).Children who live in this area have helped their parents from young age. Garbage picking up, car window cleaning, and begging are their main job. They are very poor and cannot even go to the school either. In this area, children are important labor force. And prospects for most of the children born in Cateura is bleak as gangs and drugs await many of them. One of the men who hurt his heart to such children, he stood up in order to provide a place where children cultivate a sense of independence education through music. And what, He was created a musical instrument to be given to children from the garbage in order to teach.
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Description of the Process
Instruments used in the orchestra made of all garbage picked up from landfills in Cateura. This area has been carried garbage of 1500 tons daily. When Favio started teaching music to children, it was very difficult to get the real instruments. Because a real violin is more expensive than a house. At one point, he wold come up to make a musical instrument from the garbage. A skilled craftsman just lived in this district. Favio has created a variety of the miraculous musical instruments with him.
Violin: paint cans, aluminum pot, wooden pallets
Cello: olive oil cans, tenderizer, wooden pallets
Saxophone: water pipes, coins, buttons, keys, tops of the beer bottles, cutlery handles
Drums: wooden pallets, radiograph, angles and pins of metal for windows
Guitar: wooden pallets, cans for sweets
Children came to be able to learn music with these musical instruments.
Situation before
More than 40% of the population are the poors in Paraguay. The poorest 2500 family live in Cateura area. They live on top of the landfill coming carried garbage also 1500 tons daily.And they collected pick up such as cardboard and plastic from the garbage, they make a living by get bought to recyclers. There was also a children's appearance there. Children who cannot have future dream and hope. They cannot go to school even during the day, children had given up that they cannot get out of the slums throughout the life such as their parents.They were exert themselves to the utmost to live every day, the fight by the scramble for garbage did not die out. They are not even afford to take care of siblings, and children without the parent were often involved in a drug and a crime.
More:
https://www.insideflows.org/project/recycled-orchestra-of-cateura/
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ETC.
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