Personal Projects| Exploring Stories Through Photography

“THE AFRONAUTS”

From Zambia to the Moon and Back

John — The Journey of a Dreamer

John Mputu’s circus journey began in 2016 with Circus Zambia in Lusaka. In 2019, he joined The Afronauts, sharing the dream of bringing Zambia’s extraordinary space story to Europe, a dream that finally came true in 2

From Zambia to the Moon and Back

What I love most about Edinburgh in August is the international cultural exchange that brings this city to life. Artists from all around the world arrive with their dreams, bringing their unique ways of seeing the world and expressing themselves through performance.

That’s how my path crossed with that of The Afronauts, a wonderful circus production brought to life by a group of artists whose talent, passion, and dreams shine both on and off the stage. Beyond their performances, they work to bring hope to their community in Lusaka, Zambia, through social programmes that use circus and cultural activities to empower vulnerable young people, while also promoting environmental awareness and activism.

For all these reasons, I knew I had to meet these artists, hear their stories, and take their portraits.

Their show captivated me with its seemingly impossible acrobatics, witty humour, and powerful storytelling, while introducing me to a fascinating chapter of Zambian history. It tells the extraordinary story of a group of dreamers led by the visionary Edward Mukuka Nkoloso, who set out to put Zambia’s flag on the Moon.

A fascinating and determined figure, Nkoloso made enormous efforts to train a select group of aspiring astronauts, pursuing every possible avenue to secure funding for this ambitious and unconventional endeavour. Unfortunately, no one responded to his requests, and the dreamers’ efforts, along with Zambia’s space project, faded into silence. Yet, some 60 years later, their story found new life, inspiring filmmakers, playwrights, and the creators of this remarkable circus production, The Afronauts.

Inspired by this extraordinary tale of seemingly impossible dreams, Adam McGuigan and Gift Chansa created The Afronauts, a show that left me amazed not only by the astonishing acrobatics of its cast but also by its powerful message: to pursue our passions and dreams without being discouraged by how impossible they may seem or by the uncertainty of whether we will ever achieve them.

What really matters is daring to dream and discovering what we are capable of along the way.

Whatever Nkoloso’s intentions may have been, whether he genuinely hoped to take Zambia into space or wanted to draw attention to the astronomical sums invested in the space race, money that might have been used to address more pressing problems here on Earth, his efforts left a lasting mark on Zambia’s aspirations and collective imagination.

His story leaves us with a message of hope: no matter how impossible our dreams may seem, they can become reality. In the words of the artists themselves, “No dream is too big, no challenge is too great if you believe in yourself.”

The Afronauts is a collaboration between Wake the Beast, a UK-based theatre company co-founded by Adam McGuigan, and Circus Zambia, a Lusaka-based enterprise. Together, these organisations share a vision of a better future for Zambia, creating opportunities for young people from vulnerable and marginalised backgrounds through circus, culture, and life-skills training.

Meeting these artists reminded me of the power of dreaming, not only of reaching the Moon, but also of imagining and building a better world here on Earth. They rekindled my own hopes and aspirations, inspiring me to take their portraits and ask them about the dreams that drive them. Becky, Mussa, John, Ephraim, Angus, Charles, Angel, Hassan, and Gift: nine individuals, each with their own story, hopes, and dreams, united by the belief that no dream is too big.

Portraits of Fear & Becoming

A woman with face paint and a headscarf, wearing a green dress and a necklace, sitting at a table with tarot cards, some floating in the air and some on the table.

A mime artist with white face paint, wearing a black bowler hat, striped shirt, and white gloves, resting her chin on her hand, with pink and blue dominoes arranged in a smile on a table.

Person dressed as a mime sitting on a yellow chair, holding a vintage green rotary phone, with another rotary phone on the floor beside them, against a plain background.

A mime artist with white face paint, black teardrop makeup, pink lipstick, and daisy flower hair accessories, sitting at a table with a meat cleaver in hand and a guillotine model, dressed in a floral dress and white gloves, against a green backgroun

A woman with face makeup resembling a mime or clown, wearing a black hat with a pink flower, black dress with textured fabric, and a strap over her shoulder, against a plain blue background.

A mime artist with white face paint, black tears, and pink lips holding out her hand, which supports a small birdcage with a woman dressed as a mime inside, wearing a striped shirt and blue gloves, with a flower on her head.

A person with clown makeup, wearing a black hat and floral shirt, sitting on a yellow chair in front of a black background. There are crumpled tissues, a wine glass, a pen, and blank paper on the floor.

A mime artist with face paint, wearing a black hat and gloves, and a flower in her hair, looks at a shadow puppet of a bird on the wall.

A woman dressed as a mime or clown, holding a microphone, with white face paint, black hat, and red roses in her hair, standing in front of a dark curtain with red spheres hanging in the background.

Woman in Halloween costume with skeletal makeup, black hooded cloak, flower crown, holding a lit red candle, against a dark background.

Portraits of Fear & Becoming

Portraits of Fear & Becoming is a series of self-portraits created as a deeply personal exploration of my inner world. This project began as an exercise to understand myself better, to analyse the triggers, thoughts, and fears that disrupt my daily life, and to examine why I sometimes hesitate, feel paralysed, or avoid certain experiences. Themes such as rejection, failure, death, ageing, physical pain, heartbreak, and uncertainty about the future became central to this exploration. Through this series, I confronted these fears, learning to accept them, laugh at them, and even transform them into visual narratives.

The creative process was intentionally theatrical and experimental. I used the camera and flashes as tools of self-investigation, combined with exaggerated, uncomfortable makeup to embody the tension and vulnerability I was feeling. Drawing inspiration from iconic artists such as Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman, I adopted the persona of a mime, a playful alter ego that allowed me to step outside myself and observe my emotions from a different perspective. This approach enabled me to experiment with character, expression, and narrative while creating a visual language that is at once humorous, whimsical, and deeply personal.

Each portrait was carefully crafted with colourful backgrounds, props, and theatrical gestures to transform fear into something tangible and observable. By exaggerating my anxieties and embodying them in visual form, I could both distance myself from them and engage with them more consciously. The intention behind these images is to remind myself to meet life as it is, without avoiding discomfort. To embrace both joy and pain equally. To feel fully, to be fully, and to exist authentically.

This series is more than self-portraiture, it is an ongoing journey of self-discovery, artistic experimentation, and emotional growth. Through these images, I explore the universal tension between fear and courage, vulnerability and playfulness, ultimately capturing the process of becoming in its most honest and creative form.