Reaching for the Stars: A Teen Parent Astronaut?

In the 1960s, a young Zambian woman was part of a space programme and training to be the first person to walk on the moon and possibly even Mars.  Ultimately she didn’t make it into orbit, as the space programme faced numerous challenges, but the story is remarkable. 

“Ukulalana” - Photojournalist Cristina de Middel created a series of images highlighting the 1960s Zambian space program.

The story begins in Africa around 1964.  At the time, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (which was made up of 15 Communist countries in Eastern Europe and Asia, the largest being Russia) were in the middle of a space race.  These two Cold War superpowers were jostling to be the first to put a man on the moon.  But the teams at NASA and the Soviet space program were not the only ones with extra-terrestrial ambitions and a desire to showcase their superior knowledge around the globe.  In one of the world’s newest countries, Zambia, there was a man with the same audacious dream – Edward Makuka Nkoloso. 

Nkoloso was a science teacher who had dreamt of venturing into space from an early age.  He had been inspired by a flight he took in his childhood.  Apparently, he was so enamoured by the sky that he wanted the pilot to stop the plane so he could walk on the clouds.  When the pilot refused to stop the plane, Nkoloso decided he would one day make his own way there.  Decades later, Nkoloso became the self-appointed Director of Zambia’s unofficial National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy. 

Nkoloso wanted his country, Zambia, to be the first nation to reach the moon.  Zambia had only recently attained its independence from British rule and had become a republic in October 1964.  If Nkoloso’s space programme was successful, perhaps this would prove the nation’s importance on the world’s stage.  Alternatively, Nkoloso’s ambitious programme may have been a publicity stunt to generate international interest or as some suggest a satirical retort to the US and USSR space race.  Either way he seemed intent on training astronauts and capturing the world’s attention.  In an interview with the Associated Press, Nkoloso told a foreign reporter that, “Some people think I’m crazy, but I’ll be laughing the day I plant Zambia’s flag on the moon.”

A screenshot from the short film Afronauts (2014), available on YouTube.

Nkoloso selected twelve astronauts for his space programme.  Godfrey Mwango, aged 21, was the preferred astronaut for the moon landing.  Matha Mwamba, a ‘curvaceous 16-year-old girl’, had been selected for the Mars expedition. In a 1964 article by the San Francisco Chronicle columnist Arthur Hoppe, Matha was described as ‘a demure, well-rounded young lady with a charming smile.’ When directly questioned about ‘whether she found orbiting thrilling, valuable or merely routine’, it is reported that Mwamba ‘ducked her head shyly and giggled charmingly’ noting that she did volunteer but it was ‘a bit worrisome’.

As Director, Nkoloso dressed his part.  He wore a standard-issue combat helmet, khaki military uniform, a flowing multicoloured cape with embroidered neckline and an assemblage of medals.  The team of astronauts also wore uniforms of green satin jackets and yellow trousers, which as Nkoloso told reporters, doubled as their outfits for their ‘Dynamite Rock Music Group’ when they were not space cadets.

Nkoloso put his selected astronauts, who he famously dubbed ‘Afronauts’, through a special space training programme that he developed. This entailed putting the space cadets in an oil drum and rolling them down hills and spinning them around trees to simulate weightlessness. The Afronauts were also taught to walk on their hands as Nkoloso espoused that this is the way they might walk in space. Additionally, they experienced free falling by being swung on a rope that was then severed while they held on tightly. You can watch some original training footage here.

Screenshot taken from an original interview showing astronaut training.

Nkoloso told reporters that by the end of 1964 a teenage girl astronaut, a Christian missionary, and two cats would journey to both the moon and Mars. The intention was for them to be taken into space in a spacecraft named after Nkoloso’s dog - Cyclops I. When columnist Hoppe asked Nkoloso what the cats were for, Nkoloso was quoted as saying, ‘Partly, they are to provide her [Matha] with companionship for the long journey. But primarily they are technological accessories… When she arrives on Mars she will open the door of the rocket and drop the cats on the ground. If they survive, she will then see that Mars is fit for human habitation.’

“Especially trained spacegirl Matha Mwambwa, two cats (also specially trained) and a missionary will be launched in our first rocket.”

Article by Edward Makuka Nkoloso.

To fund the intended space missions Nkoloso wrote to several countries and organisations seeking financial backing. This included asking the US, Israel, the USSR and UNESCO for donations that reportedly ranged from $20 million to $2 billion. However, all that Nkoloso received in response were well wishes.

Ultimately, the space programme fell apart. Lack of funds assumedly being a key obstacle. By this stage, Mwamba had also fallen pregnant and returned home. There seems to be a lack of factual information on what happened to Mwamba after she left the programme. Other Afronauts left too, allegedly going on drinking sprees and taking up other activities such as tribal singing and dancing. Nkoloso moved into a political role at the Liberation Centre, where his work focused on regional freedom.

Much of this incredible story would have been forgotten, except for its mention in a 1964 Time magazine article about the independence of Zambia and some global artistic works. The 2012 series of photographs titled ‘Afronauts’ by Cristina de Middel received critical acclaim. The surreal photographs by de Middel are fictional but invite the viewer to explore the story of the Zambian Space Programme in the 1960s through staged reenactments of the events. Images from this series can be viewed here and found in her book also titled ‘Afronauts’ found here.

“Dhana”

While working as a photojournalist, Cristina de Middel’s passion for finding unconventional angles led to the acclaimed series The Afronauts.

“The Afronauts” - Book by Cristina de Middel.

Furthermore, a short film called Afronauts (2014) was created by Ghanian filmmaker Nuotama Frances Bodomo. The film centres on Matha (played by Diandra Forrest) and deals with her role in the programme and the expectations and responsibilities that she carried. This short film can be watched on YouTube here. It highlights the fears that her family members may have held around her being blown up.

Screenshots from the 2014 short film Afronauts. Image credit: moviemosaics on tumblr.

More recently, the novel The Old Drift (2019) was published by Zambian-American author Namwali Serpell. Serpell reimagines the story of Zambia’s participation in the space race through Matha Mwamba’s eyes as the first female African astronaut. The fictional account not only imagines Mwamba’s childhood and time in the space programme but also the events that follow her teen pregnancy. In addition to giving voice to Mwamba, Serpell uses the story to explore the transition of Zambia away from colonisation. Tradition and societal norms that limit Mwamba’s future, in turn limit Zambia's. But the novel illustrates how critical nostalgia can open imaginative possibilities and provide inspiration for the future. For a New York Times book review on The Old Drift visit here and for a research paper visit here.

From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines – this novel sweeps over the years and the globe.

“The Old Drift” by Namwali Serpell

However ambitious the Zambian Space Programme was in the 1960s, reflecting on it can remind us that we can confront seemingly impossible challenges and inspire us to reach for the stars! We may even carve out for ourselves our own little place in history.

The Zambian Space Programme can remind us that we can confront seemingly impossible challenges and inspire us to reach for the stars!

Sources:

https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/zambian-space-programme

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-zambian-afronaut-who-wanted-to-join-the-space-race

https://griotmag.com/en/afronauts-zambia-space-program/

https://www.magnumphotos.com/shop/collections/the-afronauts-by-cristina-de-middel/

https://www.space.com/23110-afronauts-art-exhibit-photos.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JZBY-Hb-TDw

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374720385_Space_Nostalgia_in_The_Old_Drift_Memorializing_Matha_Mwamba_the_Afronaut

https://fuckyeahwomenfilmdirectors.tumblr.com/post/676989891575496704/afronauts-directed-by-nuotama-bodomo-2014

Last updated: 9 June 2024