Samba Mapangala (Orchestre VIRUNGA)

Congolese-Kenyan musician Samba Mapangala has released a new song in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund in order to raise awareness about conservation in the Congo Basin, and more specifically, the Virunga region (where Mapangala was born, and what he named his band, Orchestra Virunga, after), the home of over half of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas, the habitats of whom have been devastated by human activity, from war to poaching (remember, mountain gorillas are the species that Dian Fossey died trying to save). That's not a typo - there are really only 700 mountain gorillas left. It's often the case that awareness for important issues only coincides with a tragedy, so I'm always excited when awareness is drummed up by positivity instead. Indeed, that's the case here, as Samba Mapangala is releasing this song for free. It's called "Les Gorilles des Montagnes," and you can download it directly from drop.io, and learn more about the song and the gorillas themselves on the WWF website. It's a beautiful, upbeat song, and totally worth the mere seconds it will take to download it. Just remember the reason he's giving the song away - the gorillas need our help!