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Hotchkiss School, May 2, 2008 Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band: Playing With Heart Despite Setbacks
A Minor-Key Miracle: Finding rare Zimbabwean marimbas for Botswana ensemble was...
Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band and Drama Group
Show Goes On For Band From Botswana Thanks To Generous New Yorkers Story and video
But Maru-a-Pula is in a troubled country: Botswana has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world and currently has more than 30,000 AIDS orphans. In 2005, Maru-a-Pula started funding 2 orphans scholarships, recognizing that many more future leaders were in this population of orphans if only they had the opportunity for a world-class education. The school is now funding 20 full orphan scholarships, and is hoping to raise the money to fund 60 full scholarships by 2010. Despite the urgency of its cause, the 2008 Marimba Tour will be a celebration of music and cultural exchange, raising awareness of a continent's struggles while looking to a future of hope and prosperity. The ten-piece marimba band will be accompanied by Maru-a-Pula's drama ensemble who will perform an original production about the complex social impact of AIDS in Botswana. The Forum Fundraiser, New York, NY, Monday, April 14th, 7:00 p.m. The Riverside Church Concert, New York, NY, Tuesday, April 15th, 7:00 p.m. Del Prete's Tennis Event, Queens, NY, Thursday, April 17th Williams College Concert, Williamstown, MA Sunday, April 20th, 3:00 p.m. Ryles Jazz Club, Cambridge, MA, Thursday, April 24th
Contact: Reif Larsen (reiflarsen@yahoo.com)
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The award-winning Maru-a-Pula School Marimba Band will be touring the US in April 2008 to raise funds for AIDS Orphan Scholarships. Located in Gaborone, Botswana, Maru-a-Pula consistently ranks as one of the top schools in all of Africa and regularly sends its students to universities across the US and UK. Many of Botswana's leaders--ministers, businesswomen, doctors--are all graduates of Maru-a-Pula.
