"Zambia's 'Black Mountains': Art, Danger, and the Fight for Survival!"
🏞️ A TOXIC LEGACY: 🏞️
In the heart of Zambia's Copperbelt, the notorious "black mountains" loom large—massive heaps of mining waste that scar the skyline and tell a story of industrial exploitation. For Stary Mwaba, one of the country's leading visual artists, these mountains are more than just a backdrop; they are deeply personal.
👶 A CHILDHOOD OF DANGER:
"As kids, we used to call it 'mu danger'—meaning 'in the danger'," Mwaba recalls, reflecting on his childhood spent in the shadow of these toxic giants. "The 'black mountain' was this place where you shouldn't go," he says, but the allure of wild fruits growing amidst the waste was too tempting to resist.
⛏️ A DANGEROUS HUSTLE:
Today, young men flock to "mu danger" not for fruit, but for fragments of copper ore hidden in the stony slag. They dig deep, creating perilous tunnels to extract rocks for sale to mostly Chinese buyers. This dangerous, often illegal work can be lucrative, providing a lifeline in a region where youth unemployment hovers around a staggering 45%.
🎨 ART THAT TELLS A STORY:
Mwaba's latest exhibition at the Lusaka National Museum captures the essence of these young miners in Kitwe, showcasing the rhythms of life in the Wusakile neighborhood. His portraits depict the miners who work for gang masters known as "jerabos," a term that hints at their criminalized existence.
📰 GRAND NARRATIVES TURNED ART:
Using old newspapers as his canvas, Mwaba cuts out articles that resonate with him—what he calls "grand narratives." He then burns away parts of the text, creating perforations that symbolize the fragmented stories of ordinary people. "I take these grand narratives and create holes so that you can't make sense of the stories anymore," he explains.
🌈 BRIGHT COLORS, FRAGILE LIVES:
The resulting portraits are vibrant and can be viewed from both sides, coated in transparent acrylic to protect their fragile nature—much like the lives of those Mwaba depicts. His work shines a light on the health and environmental crises caused by the toxic waste that has plagued the area since the 1930s.
🧗♂️ A PAINTING OF PERIL:
One standout piece, titled Jerabo, illustrates a miner preparing safety ropes as he descends into narrow, precarious tunnels prone to landslides. This artwork encapsulates the daily risks these young men face in their quest for survival.
📸 A GLIMMER OF HOPE:
Mwaba's art has the power to inspire change. During a workshop, an older jerabo expressed his admiration for Mwaba's work, stating, "I think I may not understand it, but it's best for my young brother to be coming here because I don't want him to go through what I went through."
🌍 A CALL TO ACTION:
Through his art, Mwaba not only tells the stories of those living in the shadow of the black mountains but also advocates for a brighter future. His work serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity, urging society to recognize the importance of these "little narratives" in the larger story of Zambia.
