By Chris Muhizi Minembwe Capital News Friday 2nd/2023.
Congolese artist Jean Precy Numbi Samba, commonly known as “Robot Kimbalambala,” lives and works in Belgium. He creates his bizarre attire using parts from abandoned cars.
Samba turns outdated automobiles into what he refers to as “armor” out of metal sheets and disconnected wiring in order to highlight consumerism and waste in the DRC.
According to Samba, the Lingala language, which is the most common one in Kinshasa, has a slang term for used cars that have had multiple repeated repairs: kimbalambala.
He makes note of the fact that many vehicles deemed unfit for the road in Europe are smuggled into Africa in order to “start a new African life.” 40% of used cars worldwide are produced on this continent, and 80% of them do not comply with minimal emission regulations.
Samba argues that his creations “embodies the madness of men” and that his costume is “a positive way to show that creating is still possible, even with miserable conditions.”
“Fulu Act,” a portrait series starring a few of the KinAct artists, was made by Brussels-based photographer Colin Delfosse.
According to Delfosse, the word “fulu” in Lingala refers to garbage or waste. He explains, “I produced these images because I thought it was an interesting way of dealing with the scourges that affect the DRC,” and he was motivated to make the series because the performers’ outfits are visually arresting and the pictures express their ideas without using cliches.
The 20 years of fast population increase in Kinshasa, during which time the infrastructure for recycling and trash disposal has not kept pace, has led to the pollution issues that the KinAct artists have brought to light.
Currently home to about 17 million inhabitants, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to surpass all other megacities in Africa by 2030. 75% of the city’s population lives in slums with subpar housing and a lack of essential infrastructure and services, resulting in widespread poverty. Around 9,000 tons of garbage, including 1,500 tons of plastic waste that clogs rivers and causes flooding, is thought to be produced each day by the “Kinois,” the inhabitants of Kinshasa.