Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jean-Michel Kibushi Ndjate Wooto was born in 1957 in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo). He began his studies in drama and cinematography at Kinshasa’s National Institute of the Arts, and in 1988 he was introduced to animation during a workshop by the Belgian production company Atelier Graphaoui. In the same year, in collaboration with Atelier Graphaoui, he created the first local mobile studio for animation, Studio Malembe Maa, which means “slowly but surely” in Lingala. In 1990, he completed the first Congolese animated film, The Toad Who Visits His In-laws (Le Crapaud chez ses beaux-parents), a local Tetela oral tale from his own childhood. This was followed by his animated documentary Black September in Kinshasa (Kinshasa, septembre noir - 1991), a collaboration with school children from Kinshasa. This film acts as a testament to the children’s memories and experiences of the 1991 military coup, framed by Kibushi’s political voice. His work continues to frame socio-political struggles and local perspectives whether through his rich, tactile animations, or enabling and advocating arts education in the DRC. He remains a critical proponent of central African arts and culture.

Filmography

The Toad Who Visits His In-laws [Le Crapaud chez ses beaux-parents] (1990)
Black September in Kinshasa [Kinshasa, septembre noir] (1991)
L’Orange blanche (1993)
L’Éléphant qui pète de la neige (1993)
Muana Mboka (1996)
RICA – Wissembourg, les Chemins croisés de la coopération (2000)
L’Ane et le Chat (2001)
Première traversée (2002)
L’Héritier [Prince Loseno] (2004)
Caravane pour le Sankuru (2007)
Ngando (2008)