‘Kinshasa Now’

35,000 children live on the streets of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). They survive among 17 million inhabitants thanks to their resourcefulness and improvisation. The installation Kinshasa Now follows 14-year-old Mika, forced to flee his family home overnight, throughout the streets of the bustling Congolese capital. 

The first part of the exhibition focuses on the issue of street children in Kinshasa. The second part delves into Kinshasa Now, the virtual reality film by Marc-Henri Wajnberg, which follows Mika as he is forced to learn the rules of the street in order to survive. The final part reveals what has happened to the film’s characters a few years later.

Marc-Henri Wajnberg is a Belgian film director and producer. He has been working with street children in Kinshasa for ten years, and has made several films on the subject. Kinshasa Now premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It was subsequently featured in various other festivals and received multiple international awards.

Kinshasa Now 
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​360° virtual reality experience (21’)
Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2020
​​​​​​​Written and directed by Marc-Henri Wajnberg
Cast: Mika Bangala, Vainqueur Kanga, Chancelvie Kaponge, David Lemba, Patrick Makambo 
Produced by Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Lucie Wajnberg, Catherine Boes - Wajnbrosse Productions
Coproduced by RG & Créatifs Associés, Wim Forceville
With the support of Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Wallimage, VAF, Europe Creative Media, Trust Merchant Bank, Fondation Jean-François Peterbroeck, Groupe Forrest International, Finasucre, Chanic, Belga Productions, Belgian Tax Shelter, Unicef Belgium, Amnesty International, Texaf, Wallonie-Bruxelles International

On the 24th of January at 20:30, Bozar will invite director Marc-Henri Wajnberg to participate in a discussion with artistic and cultural personalities from Kinshasa who work with street children, in order to compare their perspectives and enrich their points of view. Click here for more information.