As STARBURST readers most likely know, Zambia was part of the Space Race. Back in the 1960s, while the USA and USSR competed against each other to make it to the moon, the nation of Zambia threw its hat into the ring. Though history records this mostly as a publicity stunt, the story of the Zambia National Academy of Science and its founder, Edward Makuka Nkoloso, continues to fascinate folk.
Afronauts is a circus show comprised of acrobats and performers from the nation of Zambia. It is an optimistic and idealised version of these actual historic events, which uses gravity-defying stunts, costumes and absurdist humour to tell the tale. Afronauts makes history fun. We get over-the-top costumes, people dressed as cats and an awful lot of circus skills. Every time someone has to prove themselves, it involves swinging, flipping or moving in a way that looks like magic to most people. Astounding and inspirational.
The cats make sense in context; one of Nkoloso’s space plans involved taking cats into space, and though a fair bit of fun is poked at the impossible dream of going to the moon, the show pivots to the idea that no dream should be too big and no ambition too large. The name of the show comes from Nkoloso himself; he called the young people he was training to go into space Afronauts.
Our other main character is Matha Mwamba, a young woman who wants to make something of her life. It’s their account that the show is framed around, and their desire to live a life less ordinary that drives the plot.
The tempo is very strong; humour is mixed in with incredible acts of circus, and a back projection of the other space programmes is shown at key points. There is a denouement of sorts when we are shown the BBC documentary footage of the programme, in which Nkoloso is called a crank. This, of course, leads to more circus, more jokes and an underlining of the central message that one should reach for the stars.
A solid family show. See this and dream of the stars.
You can find tickets here, and learn more about future shows here.
