DEER Park musician Nestor Omari firmly believes in the power of music to heal.
The leader of the nine-piece Jerusalem Gospel Band says the music the band plays is a way to put to rest a troubled past for the band and their wider communities.
Omari (pictured) fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Zimbabwe after his pastor father was killed. He eventually made his way to Australia in 2009 and has found many rewards in the Jerusalem Gospel Band.
"I started this band to bring people together and forget the past. The idea is to make people happy," he says.
"The hope is to move people, to give them the message to love each other."
The band draws together musicians who have arrived from Sudan, Rwanda, Angola, Burundi and Congo.
The band will perform at The Famous Spiegeltent this Saturday as part of Art Centre Melbourne's 'Saturday Sessions: Music from Around the Globe'.
Tickets: $15 adult, $12 concession, $10 child. Bookings: 1300182183
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