Afronauts-To Boldly Going Where no Afrakan has Gone Before...The Zambian Space Program.

The sixties was one of the most impactful decades for  Afrakan people the world over. Afrakans were seen  freeing their countries from colonial rule, fighting for Civil Rights, developing Black Power organizations and exploring the cultural mores that uniquely defined themselves. It was a time when Afrakans could reach for the stars and maybe even touch them.

Such was the case when Mkula Nkoloso a schoolteacher in Zambia declared "We're going to Mars!" Written in a 1964 newspaper article Nkoloso saw Afronauts beating Cosmonauts and even Astronauts in the space race. Here is an interesting article of what follows.

"Our rocket crew is ready," continued Nkoloso, explaining that his aspiring troupe of space explorers had been gearing up for their interstellar journey in the headquarters of the academy he'd set up on the outskirts of Zambian capital Lusaka.

From within what he called the "Academy of Sciences and Space Technology," Nkoloso had been studying Mars through telescopes and rigorously training his would-be Afronauts.

Still courtesy  "Afronauts" a film by Frances Bodomo  

Matha Mwambwa would be the first woman to go to space accompanied by an unnamed missionary and two specially trained cats informed Nkoloso, the director of the space academy.

The program failed to receive a $7 million grant Nkoloso had requested from UNESCO and as such was not taken seriously by the government of the newly independent Zambia.

In 2010, photographer Cristina De Middel was searching for "unbelievable stories" for a new personal project she was hoping to develop.

Fascinated by Nkoloso's visionary and dreamy perspective on life, De Middel set about creating an imaginary documentation of his elusive endeavors some 50 years ago.The result is "The Afronauts," an arresting photo book.

In the self-published book, De Middel self-consciously conjures up the story of the unofficial space program piece by piece. She uses a series of cinematographic images, including staged depictions of discarded oil barrels, makeshift spaceships, elephant-hugging spacemen and flying cats, as well as vintage-looking maps, documents and newspapers cuttings.


Throughout, facts and fiction are intertwined as part of an intriguing narrative which challenges viewers' perceptions about what's real and what's not.

Whilst playful, De Middel's dream-like images are not intended to make fun of Nkoloso's fantastical, yet high-flying, ambitions

Her speculative pictures exude a feeling of nostalgia and sympathy, celebrating the audacious and naive spirit of a past era where grandiose dreams were not limited by circumstances.

De Middel says, the extraordinary tale of the forgotten Zambian space program presented a chance to talk about Africa from a different perspective.

"The only honest approach I could do to that story was documenting my cliché, and that's what I really wanted to do, because, in a way, I was raising awareness of the existence of that cliché and what we expect from Africa," she says.

"Not only because the story is positive, in terms of African people having dreams, but also evidencing what we expect from Africa in terms of aesthetics and behavior."

edited and taken from a CNN article by Teo Kermeliotis

In related news: Frances Bodomo revisits the Zambian Space Program in the film entitled Afronauts. Heres the trailer...