African army bands debut at Moscow festival (VIDEO)

Musicians from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe are taking part in the Spasskaya Tower Music event for the first time

Army bands from Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia have performed for the first time at the ongoing international military music festival hosted by Russia, in which various foreign orchestras are taking part.

The Spasskaya Tower Music Festival, now in its 17th edition, is taking place from August 22 to 31 on Moscow’s Red Square, featuring Russian and foreign military bands performing national songs and dances.

According to the organizers, the Zimbabwean Defense Forces Orchestra, led by Rutendo Mutonono, is performing at the event for the first time. The band, created in the 1980s, after the southern African state gained independence from colonial rule, is a “shining example of national unity and cultural identity of the state,” Spasskaya Tower said in a description of the group on its official website.

The Presidential Orchestra of Burkina Faso and the Ethiopian National Defense Force Marching Band are also making their debuts at the festival.

On Sunday, the three African groups, along with participants from Italy, Republika Srpska, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Belarus, took part in the concert program.

“One of the most exotic participants of the Spasskaya Tower, the Presidential Orchestra of Burkina Faso, performed an hour-long program in Gorky Park,” the organizers said in a news release.

Africans dressed in national costumes played a variety of pieces for Muscovites and guests of the capital, including popular foreign melodies and folk songs from the West African country.

“We would like to thank all the residents of your country for the warm welcome in Russia. We are giving you this wonderful music. Thank you very much for your hospitality,” one band member said during the performance, according to the release.

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