last day in Kinshasa

Today is our last day in Kinshasa. These missions of 10 days are long and short at the same time. They seem long, as we are doing so much in such a short time. It feels as if we have been here several weeks in terms of what we have been able to work on. But it is in many respects objectively also too short, as we need to sort out so many things in order to make our projects in Kinshasa work. In 2009, we will ask our Government to give support to a programme which will focus, instead of bringing students to Europe, on 2 different interventions of European expert-luthiers in Kinshasa: (1) one shorter of 10 days in June-July (3 expert-luthiers for the repair of pianos, wind instruments and guitars), and (2) another one longer of 3 months (1 expert-luthier for repair and tuning of pianos + maybe an expert-luthier for repair of wind instruments). Also, Music Fund will in 2009 further equip its repair workshop in the music school of Kinshasa, as well as send more music instruments for teaching students and for the orchestra of the school. Please go for pictures about our 'mission' to Kinshasa to the blog of the luthiers Jacky Walraet and Karel Dedain - for their blog, click here - both guitar-makers and teaching at the Flemish Lutherie School of Puurs (CMB Puurs).