Banda Internationale

In cooperation with 12 professional and amateur musicians from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Burkina Faso, Banda Internationale will produce a concert programme combining music from the countries of origin of all involved, from Afghan pop songs, to traditional pieces from Lebanon and metal vibes from Iran.

Through performances in large and small venues, and a studio album we want to bring the stories of old and new homelands to a wider audience, to explore cultural differences and similarities, and the process of different cultures meeting. Alongside this, Hechtfilm UG will record our adventures and experiences in a documentary film for national and international release.

The target group of this project is not limited to refugee musicians - although we help them to find instruments, provide rehearsal rooms and assist in any way we can with everyday problems.

But more than this, with music we hope to enhance our and our fellow citizen’s commitment to helping refugees transition to life in Germany. We want to demonstrate the positive effects of migration and how it can enrich and enhance the lives of those already living here. By doing this we hope to reduce and ease the fear of those arriving, to help them dance into life here rather than walk!

All across Europe, but especially in Dresden, we need to openly demonstrate a commitment to compassion. While the project was started as a way to share our lives with refugees arriving in Dresden and Saxony, it has become more than that. We also hope to inspire and encourage as many people as possible to implement similar ideas in their areas. The more support we can garner here in Dresden, the greater the chances of this becoming a reality.

Most of our new band mates are in need of instruments, we also need equipment to bring all of these instruments to life, to make them sound good together!

This means we need amplifiers and pickups, as well as the support of sound engineers, music teachers, musicians who can arrange and transpose music and interpreters. In addition to this are the costs of room rentals, travel expenses, PR and accounting.

We hope to round up the project with the production of a CD and a DVD documentary film. The CD will showcase new and old songs and we need to cover costs for the recording studio, CD production and pressing. The documentary costs are made up of technical equipment – purchase or hire – cameraman fees, editing, postproduction and DVD pressing.

To reach these goals we have already made project proposals at various foundations and charities, but we also need your support.

We can implement the project with €10,000, with €15,000 we can do even more.
The money will give us the freedom to provide our musicians with instruments, to assist with travel costs for those housed outside Dresden, and to maximise our time with educators, technicians and arrangers.

It will also let us do the thing we love the most, to get out there and play music. Your donations will let us welcome people in refugee camps, to let them know they are not alone, and, by playing at anti-Nazi demonstrations we let those who are opposed to the arrival of refugees know that they are not the majority.