"The US militarisation of Africa: throwing open our doors to a formidable war machine"

Children dance with soldiers to rock ’n roll at an orphanage in Republic of Congo, at a school in Gabon, at a cultural centre in Cote D’Ivoire. Afterwards, the soldiers give them teddy bears. Young aspiring musicians in South Africa are happy to have the opportunity to share a stage with visiting professionals, and by the end of another visit they are singing along to foreign tunes. In Djibouti, the collaborative creation of music and visual art builds bridges across language barriers. In Washington DC, visiting music maestros from Benin and Ghana demonstrate “the value of music as an international language”.