Baba's Song

by Wolfgang Panzer

Ten-year-old Baba, who has been mute since the death of his parents, lives in a town in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Placed in an orphanage, he had run away when the director tried to sell him to Paula and her girlfriend, two Europeans wanting to adopt a child. Since then he’s been living in the streets with Jo, eleven, both of them savvy to all the stratagems required for survival. The only thing that manages to draw Baba out of his silence and come into his own is music. One day a famous Malawi musician, Ben Michael, hears Baba playing and singing. Intrigued by his talent, he tries to help him by suggesting he performs at a concert.