We thought we were going to watch a wrestling match. Instead, we ended up front row at catch fétiche: a baby coffin set on fire, smoke and panic in our faces, live snakes escaping into the crowd, and opponents moving like puppets under spells. Funny, cruel, chaotic and strangely beautiful in its imperfections.
History remembers the moment the titans clashed, but it forgets how two warriors were transformed into those titans. That story was written during the five-week delay that stranded them in Kinshasa. The city itself was a crucible, forging each man into his mythic role. One became a titan by dissolving into the world around him, drawing strength from its soil and people. The other was hammered into an opposing titan by his solitude, his power hardening in the silence, fueled by alienation and a longing for home.
And that is how myths are forged. In the unseen struggles. Long before the first bell.
“In ‘Rites de Passage,’ Phinet Kisimba masterfully bridges ancient traditions with contemporary art. Through a contemplative figure draped in white and the symbolic presence of a Mwanza mask, he explores the sacred feminine rites of passage in Katangese culture. The vibrant red background and traditional symbolism create a powerful dialogue between past and present, inviting us to reflect on the evolution of cultural transmission in modern Congolese society.