This is quite amazing - the Kimbanguist Symphony is the first orchestra in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was founded by an unemployed airline pilot, and many of the stringed instruments were made from scratch. They tackle difficult repertoire too - Handel, Beethoven, Orff, etc.
I once served as managing editor for an encyclopedia of Africa. There were many articles on traditional music, but when I asked the editors for coverage of symphonic music in the European tradition, I ran into blank stares. There is certainly a symphonic tradition in South Africa, long the wealthiest sub-Saharan country. But perhaps the editors were right about the rest of the continent. Well, you've got to start somewhere. Look how far Japan has come since "discovering" the European classical tradition less than two centuries ago.
