The Great Orchestra

Koumba has lost her brand new school bag and hopes to find it in front of the school. So, she sets out early in the morning, and there’s not a soul on the way. The little girl suddenly feels very lonely… Luckily, when evening comes, her grandmother is there to encourage her. She will teach her to open her senses to the elements around her and to the multiple sounds of life. To the sunbeams beating like the fingers of a djembe player, to the rain drumming like sticks on a balafon, or to the lament of the moon echoing in the night like a flute tune. Aren’t each of us part of a great orchestra? 

• A poetic text that leans on a musical metaphor to evoke the beauty of the elements and their life force

• Cheerful collages with cut paper to illustrate the rhythm

• Reassuring grandmother’s words in the face of loneliness and the fear it can provoke

• Discovery of African musical instruments.