Beat the Donkey

Friday night we listened to what to me was the most amazing anarchic energetic creative exhibition of musical theatre I have encountered in a long time. It was billed as a concert by Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and his troupe of assorted musicians who call themselves “Beat the Donkey” and was part of the week long Festival of World Music in Sines 150 km south of Lisbon which we have been enjoying while here on holiday in the Alentejo Coast

The fact that these multi talented artists trooped out on stage at about one in the morning after two other sets by Polish and Indian musicians had finished did not lessen the surprise at how different this all was. It exploded on stage with rhythms and beats emerging from a whole plethora of strange objects. It seemed to be a case of if it can make a noise, it can make music. In retrospect, maybe that’s why they call their band “Beat the Donkey”- If tapping out a rhythm on the back of your donkey can help you express what’s in your heart, then go ahead and beat it (as long as you don’t hurt the creature).

Isn’t this something even just a little bit close to the words of Jesus when he claimed that if the people on the side of the road who were singing to bless Him were to be silenced - “even the stones on the side of the road would cry out" * , or the cacophony of praise described in Psalm 150. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord". We are made for music. We are born with rhythm. It’s the natural way we know of expressing what’s inside of us. Lets find ways of harnessing this to what its meant to be – praising the One who made us who we are.

While on the subject. Isn’t it a bit odd that the whole world music scene is so devoid of any expression of authentic faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ There’s room for tree huggers, aryudevic massage and lingam stones. But the name of Jesus is so conspicuously absent. What have we, who know Him to be alive and with us, done to deserve that? Or more pointedly, what have we not done? If we claim that we desire to reach out to embrace the world with evangelistic zeal, how have we so completely ignored this celebration of richness and diversity in this wonderful world our God has made? The growth in world music, and the coming together of rhythms and harmonies from Mali, or Mongolia, Iceland or India, over the last thirty years or so is something that everyone else seems to have noticed and paid attention to. But the evangelical remains silent and uninvolved. So it’s really good when we do meet someone engaging in this so human of cultural expressions and trying to invest it with meaning and enrich it with authentic Christianity. Rave on, Rod and Donna, in the deserts of Sindh!!

Links

* Luke 19:40 in the New testament

http://fmm.com.pt/en/programme/

http://www.cyrobaptista.com/index_flash.cfm