Kinshasa's Fulu Act turn the rubbish from their streets into wild costumes, challenging citizens and authorities to do better

These extraordinary photographs by Colin Delfosse, of members of Kinshasa political-arts collective Fulu Act, have been shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards. Context below, from Colin’s website:

On Kinshasa’s streets – third biggest city of the continent - artists raise awareness among citizens about the challenges the Congolese capital city is facing. In an increasingly degraded environment, these artists question the profusion of consumption goods and rubbish, recyclIng them into costumes.

Gathered as a collective, they perform in the street, condemning societal issues: lack of healthcare, pollution, deforestation and overconsumption. By mixing urban culture and performances, they initiate a dialogue with the city’s inhabitants.

The demographic explosion of this megalopolis coupled with its inhabitants’ increasing needs, a global economy and significant appetite for single-use plastic have led to massive importing of consumption goods—generating environmental havoc. The numerical consequences are alarming: 13 million inhabitants generate a volume of 7000 tonnes of waste each day. Poor neighbourhoods are the hardest struck, their inequalities reinforced.

This was a simple colonial small town, but gained a population of 200,000 by the end of the fifties. The city became the country’s hub after its independence in the early sixties. Two wars and permanent insecurity has led millions of people to follow the roads to Kinshasa. Beyond the urban centre, the capital city is an endless village, lacking any kind of infrastructure. The Congolese state is incapable of tackling basic challenges like roads, sewage and electricity.

In these areas, Fula Act re-embody their city, by creating contemporary myths. What we take for traditional masks are actually archetypes of key environmental challenges, questioning our modernity.

These photos are on display at the belfastphotofestival.com, until June 30th. More on this from Creative Review.