iThemba

Making music provides eight physically disabled young people in bankrupt Zimbabwe with hope, meaning and self-worth. When they were born, they not only had to cope with their physical limitations, but also with a culture quick to dismiss them as useless or cursed, although there was nothing wrong with their brains. The funny, charming lady-killer Marvelous is a lead singer in their virtuoso band, Liyana, and speaks seriously and openly about his life: "Africa always reminds me I am disabled. However I try to forget about it, people talk about disability as a spell, as witchcraft." In the words of his fellow singer and best friend Prudence, "I am a child of God. I might be physically handicapped, but there is nothing wrong with my soul." These ambitious, talented young musicians share their incredible stories with humor and self-mockery. We follow them during rehearsals, in their daily lives and through special moments, such as when they raise the roof at a local theater.