We all love to score some good LOLz when we drop #firstworldproblems every time we bitch and moan about mundane bullshit in our day. How can we not express our frustrations when the toaster isn’t toasting fast enough, or your smartphone isn’t responding fast enough to your pressing need to see your stock prices or the latest HuffPo sideboob exposé? Yes it is easy to complain when things just aren’t what we expect.
But it’s time we realize we suck. Compared to a group of Paraguayan youth who turned the landfill that happened to be their neighbourhood into an orchestra, we are pretty much just shitty, shitty people.
The story of these youth is the subject of a soon to be created feature-length documentary, Landfill Harmonic, about a community music program that became so popular the teachers ran out of instruments for the students. Because it is Paraguay and they hardly trust their government to not steal from them, protesting the under-funding of arts programs is pretty much out of the question. Instead these clever would-be artists fashioned instruments out of the one thing that was plentiful around their neighbourhood — garbage, and believe it or not they sound pretty damn good.
The project is pioneered by the local music teacher, Fabio, as well as Maestro Luis Szaran who sees the project as “an element of social transformation.” Szaran believes that though the program results in beautiful music coming from repurposed refuse, the purpose isn’t to create great musicians but rather to create good citizens.
Below is a trailer for the film that is still in production as the orchestra begins to take shape and more and more students join. The documentary project is being organized through the Creative Visions Foundation and is actively soliciting donations to help fund its completion.
So feast your eyes on these ingenious kids and proceed to feel terrible about everything you’ve complained about today.
If you’re so inclined there is also an 11-minute teaser here.
video: Youtube
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