Gift, 18 years old, discovered the Kalimba association before the covid pandemic through the Arriaga civic center in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The cultural project, led by Inma Zudaire, was founded in 2003 and has been using music since 2015 to foster "affective bonds and friendship." It currently has about 30 members, like Gift, and consists of children and young people aged 4 to 18. The group meets every Friday from five to six in the afternoon in a venue on Hegoalde street in the neighboring town of Apodaka.
There, they rehearse with Afro-Brazilian drums and sing songs such as Aldapeko (covered by Oskorri), La bamba, and even tunes rooted in the African collective imagination. What Gift, as well as companions like Elisa and Gladis (17 and 16 years old), enjoy most is playing in the streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz and witnessing firsthand that "music is a universal language that can unite people."
Despite her young age, the girl has an elaborate social discourse. She emphasizes that these encounters promote cultural diversity and is clear that music can be an integrating tool to combat racism and break down cultural barriers. The batucadas also motivate her: "People, when they see us, dance, laugh, and enjoy themselves, and that motivates us and makes us want to play more," says Gift.
Kalimba's desire is to perform in other Basque cities like Bilbao and Donostia, but they need financial resources to do so. In its second phase, Inma and Alfonso Zovar, founders over 20 years ago, decided to focus on the local sphere to "relate" and "see each other" among neighbors. The "Meriendas musicales" (Musical Snacks) project, subsidized by the Coexistence and Diversity Service of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, was the seed of this initiative.
The name Kalimba comes from a musical instrument from sub-Saharan Africa, belonging to the lamellophone and percussion family. Inma Zudaire highlights the symbolism of percussion instruments, present in all cultures, and that "almost anyone can be taught to play percussion." Alfonso adds that the kalimba has "a sweet and at the same time very rhythmic sound," and that "rhythm is the heart of music." The association promotes "time with people from other cultures" through everyday activities like snacks, "always respecting the cultural codes" of each participant.
The association, with humility and few resources, seeks to have a positive impact. In its early days, they supported a project in Córdoba (Argentina). For the past decade, Kalimba has been weaving networks in Vitoria-Gasteiz with entities such as the Ucrania-Euskadi association or the Arriagako Haritza educational project. "We firmly believe that people need long-term processes to contribute our small grain of sand for the common good," they state.
