Building bridges: Beethoven meets Afrobeats | Documentary

There were so many magical moments during this project. Six young German orchestra musicians travel to Nigeria and rehearse with six peers. First they give a concert in Lagos, then in Bonn (http://youtube.com/watch?v=1Uwn1b9GxMo&t=5904s) and Berlin. It is an incredible experience for everyone involved. Beethoven meets Afrobeat – this documentary tells a story that builds bridges between continents.

At a glance:
(00:00) Final preparations ahead of the big gala concert in Bonn in September 2025
(00:50) Excerpts from the concert featuring Afrobeat songs and Beethoven's Egmont
(01:24) The 12 musicians meet in Lagos, West Africa's megacity
(01:50) First rehearsal with the project's musical director, Adé Bantu and his band BANTU
(02:17) Adé Bantu on the the collaboration
(03:18) Award-winning composer Cassie Kinoshi on the piece she wrote for the project
(04:26) The young musicians on their expectations
(05:27) Relaxed atmosphere at the rehearsal in Lagos
(05:48) Adé Bantu on his life between Nigeria and Germany
(06:28) Relaxing on Victoria Island beach
(07:11) Luis McCall, German clarinetist on Lagos
(07:52) Visiting the New Afrika Shrine nightclub, founded in 1972 by Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti
(08:27) First reactions of the musicians about their collaboration
(09:05) A public ‘rehearsal’ becomes a concert at the J. Randall Centre
(10:06) Arrival in Bonn, Germany, and sightseeing tour
(11:07) Visit to Beethoven's birth house
(11:36) Adé Bantu on musical education in Nigeria
(12:09) Dress rehearsal in the auditorium of the University of Bonn
(12:55) The campus concert begins after 6 months of work
(13:55) Visit to the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, an ethnological museum with looted objects
(15:22) Finale of the trip on the roof of the Humboldt Forum

The Campus Project has been a central part of the Beethovenfest in Bonn since its inception. Each year, it seeks to foster encounters and exchange between young musicians from Germany and a guest country, whether near or far. The aim is to broaden horizons, challenge techniques, listening habits, and approaches, and thus promote the artistic development of young musicians on both sides.

At the heart of each edition lies a major work by Beethoven, which is placed in dialogue with compositions connected to the guest country, illuminated, fractured, or expanded in unexpected ways. The Symphony Orchestra of the National Music Academy of Ukraine marked the beginning of the international orchestral campus in 2001, as the project was then called. Since then, countless musicians from countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Iraq, South Africa, India, and Mexico have taken part.

The Campus Project is focusing on Nigeria this year. Lagos is currently undergoing rapid development, boasts a vibrant musical life, and is regarded as Africa’s unofficial cultural capital. Nigerian-German musician Adé Bantu is the artistic director of this year’s edition and long known for his “music with a message.” He invites the musicans to perform original songs marked by a clear political stance. The Nigerian-British composer Cassie Kinoshi contributes a homage to Yorùbá culture, while Beethoven’s Egmont Overture flashes up in between – a universal message of freedom and defiance against all forms of tyranny.

Report by Andrea Horakh

© 2025 DEUTSCHE WELLE

Thumbnail photo: © Natalie Wittmann

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