In Kinshasa, a new wave of creativity is transforming how the city thinks about waste, fashion, and activism. Ndaku ya la Vie Est Belle, a collective led by Congolese artist Eddy Ekete, is turning discarded materials into powerful works of wearable art.
Their pieces, made from scrap metal, plastic, and leftover packaging, are more than aesthetic experiments. They are statements. The group uses performance, costume, and community collaboration to challenge the ongoing impact of industrial pollution across the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each creation becomes a conversation about environmental neglect, resourcefulness, and resilience.
At its core, Ndaku ya la Vie Est Belle’s work sits at the intersection of art and activism, or as they put it, artivism. The collective does not make art to be displayed; they bring it to life through interactive street performances, engaging Kinshasa residents in moments that blur the line between spectacle and social commentary. The result is a body of work that speaks to both local realities and global environmental concerns.
Every August, their pieces take centre stage during the KinAct Festival, where artists parade through the city in their handcrafted sculptures. What begins as waste becomes performance, turning Kinshasa’s neighbourhoods into moving exhibitions of colour, protest, and pride. The festival has become a highlight on the city’s cultural calendar, drawing attention to how creativity can be a form of resistance and renewal.
Photographer Stéphan Gladieu has documented these creations in a striking portrait series that reveals the layers of artistry and activism behind each piece. His images frame the artists as modern-day storytellers, their costumes both armour and message, their bodies the canvas for change.
Ndaku ya la Vie Est Belle is more than a collective; it is a movement that reclaims creativity as a tool for awareness and empowerment. By transforming waste into beauty, they challenge perceptions of both art and value, showing that the materials we discard can still carry meaning, and that hope, like art, can be rebuilt from what has been thrown away.
Photography by Stéphan Gladieu
