Democratic Republic of the Congo / 1990 / 8mins / Animation / French

Rooted in the oral tale recounted by the Tetela in Sankuru, Democratic Republic of Congo, this story explains how it came to be that the Fox ate the Chicken, the Chicken ate the Termite, the Termite ate the Stick and the Stick ate the Toad, when the Toad arrives at his in-laws’ home and is served a meal with a single spoon, sparking off a terrible row!

Jean-Michel Kibushi Ndjate Wooto

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. Learn More