Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band

Maru-a-Pula’s celebrated Marimba Band, from Botswana in Southern Africa, will be touring in New York and Massachusetts in April to benefit student scholarships. Composed of 13 accomplished teen musicians hailing from Maru-a-Pula School in Botswana’s capital city of Gaborone, the band will perform traditional and contemporary selections from its upbeat repertoire. Donations are welcome; performances benefit Maru-a-Pula’s commitment to fund full scholarships for orphans and vulnerable children, including refugees, whose families could otherwise not afford tuition and related costs.

Maru-a-Pula, whose Setswana name means “clouds of rain” – a welcome sight to behold in a thirstland context – is perched on the edge of the Kalahari Desert and is a co-educational, independent day and boarding secondary school. Founded in 1972, the nonprofit school was dedicated to multiracial ideals and community outreach in an era when South Africa, just a few miles away, was in the cruel throes of apartheid. The school now nurtures its 800 students – two-thirds from Botswana, one-third from 65+ other countries – to be deeply committed to serving their communities, both locally and globally.