DR Congo: rubbish bins inspire Kinshasa performers

"Performers" dressed in cans, tubes, mirrors and other materials salvaged from rubbish bins parade through the streets of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the 5th edition of the "KinAct" festival, which aims to raise awareness of the environment as well as art.

"The CDs that you see and the records are things that are salvaged from the garbage to be used for creation. So, what I often say about salvaging to transforming and creating, that's what I do," Shaka Mfumu Kabaka, who is a performer said.

Eddy Ekete, a 43-year-old Congolese artist, who lived both in France and Kinshasa, is the initiator of KinAct, famous for his costumes made of hundreds of empty soda cans of all kinds.

"We find it dirty (the city), very dirty and that has been a long time. . That's why we're doing this festival. It's really for that reason, to say, well, we live in waste, what are we doing with this waste?" Eddy exclaimed.

Costumes are on display, made of flip-flops, cell phone shells, electrical wires, corks, or cigarette packs. An inscription on a wall welcomes visitors: "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed".

"It's a really good thing (art and recycling). In addition, it also allows us to bring a bit of integrity to the city because we see how bags pollute the city, these non-degradable objects that destroy the soil," Vanza Veluswamina, KinAct festival spectator said.

"KinAct 5" festival will last three weeks, with the team hoping to see more next year. 

In the meantime, the artists will continue to meet in their HQ "Ndaku Ya La vie est belle" in Matonge, another popular district of Kinshasa known for its music and its bars.