Sounds of solace from direct provision

Norbert Nkengurutse is 36 years old and from Burundi, a country in east Africa with a history of violent conflict and a cultural heritage so rich that UNESCO listed its ceremonial drumming on its Intangible Cultural Heritage lists, writes Ciara McDonnell.

Three years ago, Norbert fled his homeland for Ireland, in the hope of securing refugee status and bringing his wife and four children to Ireland, and safety. He lives in the accommodation centre on Kinsale Road in Cork with over 270 others, and waits daily for news that he will be granted refugee status and can begin the process of reuniting with his family.

When Roos Demol, a Flemish woman living in Kinsale first met Norbert a year ago, she was delivering clothes and daily necessities to the accommodation centre. The two formed a bond over a shared love of music and hatched a plan to create a refuge of music within the centre.

“We believe that if you play an instrument then you forget about the bad things in your life for a while,” says Roos.

A post on Facebook calling for guitars and instruments resulted in donations of 13 guitars, a keyboard and a flute, as well as the voluntary services of three music teachers and so, a music group was born. The group of students within the centre traverses countries including Ukraine, India, Russia and Africa, all united in the common language of music.

Norbert says that the sense of community created by the group is as important as the music they are playing.

We don’t speak the same language. We don’t have the same culture, so within our group we try to chat together. The guitar is universal. When you are holding a guitar, it is an instrument of peace, and it doesn’t matter if you can play or you can’t — you can feel it

The group are revving up for one of their first major public performances, taking place this Sunday at Bull McCabes on Kinsale Road.

Starting at 3pm, their World Music Day afternoon will feature a taster of music from countries as diverse as Russia, India and Ethiopia, and a special performance from Burundi drummers who are travelling from all over the southern counties to share their music.

Sayed Odin hails from Bangladesh. He says being a part of the group gives him a sense of community and crucially, pause from the worries of his everyday life.

“A lot of people in the centre feel depressed,” he says. “Playing music gives us an outlet and a way of communicating.”

Roos Demol says that music is a mechanism for storytelling, for sharing cultural heritage. “It’s about telling stories. When people tell stories you have an opportunity to hear what’s going on in the world, and understand life from different perspectives.”

A year after Demol and Nkengurutse sowed the seeds of their idea, the results speak for themselves.

“One of our members didn’t speak at all before joining us,” explains Norbert. “He began learning to play the keyboard and within a few days he was chatting and smiling — he is changed, because of music.”

In an environment fraught with stress and worry, the positive impact of music is far-reaching, offering members respite from the traumas of their past and the uncertainty of their future.

Bull McCabe’s, Sunday, from 3pm. As well as music, there will be a raffle and a barbecue. The afternoon is free, but donations will be accepted for instruments and to buy schoolbooks for the children in the accommodation centre. Donations of instruments also welcome.

To find out more about Guitars For Direct Provision see www.facebook.com/events/1000419786785370/