The ghettos of Kinshasa —the devastated capital of a country politically and economically adrift— are filled with many gifted, yet impoverished musicians. Their outstanding talent, humour and vital energy are their only means of survival.
Amongst them, Jupiter, the charismatic leader of the band “Okwess International”, acts as our narrator and guide. This local Don Quixote introduces us to the Kinshasa music scene —teenage rappers, handicapped bluesmen, street children, griots and guitar craftsmen— and describes his 20-year struggle to move his songs out of the ghetto.