Watch…Kinshasa Symphony (Cornerhouse) a documentary made in 2010 about the only symphony orchestra in Central Africa. The film is not just about the orchestra but also about the Congo, one of the most violent countries in Africa. The musicians are self-taught and rely on other jobs to make a living whilst dedicating themselves to their music and the orchestra. They get no funding from the government and have to pay for their own instruments, clothes and sheet music. There are many Congolese people in Manchester who have fled the war in their country, let’s hope they can get to the film or the concert given by the L’Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste at the Bridgwater Hall on the same evening. Watch a clip from the film at

Go to…the International Workers of the World meeting in Manchester. They are a very different kind of trade union from the British…