Spaceman in Congo

SPACEMAN IN KONGO follows three generations in the evolving quest for an African space program. Two young engineering students, Nestor and Isaac, have journeyed from Eastern Congo to Kinshasa to build a rocket. Their mentor, Jean- Patrice Keka, a charismatic Congolese engineer, has spent two decades crafting rockets from salvaged parts, undeterred by scepticism and stalled government support. Hovering between past and present is Edward Mukuka, the 1960s Zambian “Afronaut” who dreamed of sending Africans to Mars. For Nestor and Isaac, part of a new Congolese generation who have watched global powers feed on their country’s resources, space represents a chance to reclaim technology. What Keka and Mukuka share, and strive to impart to the students, is a decolonised mindset. For them building a rocket isn’t just about reaching space but reclaiming self-determination and igniting a shared sense of possibility.

For Nestor and Isaac, this conviction doesn’t come easily. Around them, Kinshasa roils and corruption plagues the government. Back home, war rages, threatening their families. Keka’s workshop, and the small crew of dedicated engineers, seems both inspiring and enigmatic. Meanwhile, Mukuka drifts through the city, seeking those who carry on his dream, demonstrating that true liberation begins in the mind.

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