The film Mikuba by Congolese director Petna Ndaliko was screened for the first time in the city of Kolwezi in the province of Lualaba in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This premiere launches several other film screenings, the next of which will take place in a mining square where the actors themselves will be present.

The first to view the film are political decision-makers in the mining sector and leaders of artisanal mining cooperatives.

Thousands of people work in small artisanal mines, digging to extract cobalt and copper in often dangerous conditions. The film depicts these miners’ struggle for dignity and the pursuit of well-being.

“When we work, we cannot understand the issue, but with this film, we see it and it makes us think differently about how we can improve further,” said one of the mine inspectors after the screening. 

Artisanal miners supply a significant portion of the cobalt mined in the country, estimated at between 20% and 30% according to a report by Afriwatch. 

The choice of the world’s cobalt capital is not insignificant. Kolwezi is a major mining center in the DRC, known for its vast copper and cobalt deposits, which are exploited by both large industrial companies and thousands of artisanal miners.

Francis Kapund: “Thank you very much for the film, which shows our regret. We work hard, but no Congolese have contracts in the factories. May the political authorities break this system, because we are the ones who suffer.”

Makuba is a film shot in the artisanal mining areas near Kolwezi. The film tells the story of miners who work in difficult conditions but end up being paid less than the price of their efforts, even though this underground wealth belongs to them. Petna Ndaliko immerses us not only in the present but also questions the local origins of mining before plunging viewers into a questioning of the future of the sector from a purely Congolese perspective. This 60-minute film was co-produced by the Basandja Coalition, a collective of community organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma