Kabwe Ka Mukuba (Land of Smelting)
Logline: Faced with a lead pollution crisis that began 99 years before he was born, a young activist fights for the wellbeing of his hometown.
Synopsis: This documentary tells the story of Caleb, a young activist working tirelessly to advocate for a more sustainable future for his community. Lead pollution has made his hometown –- Kabwe, Zambia — ‘the world’s most toxic town,’ with over 100,000 people affected by the crisis.
The film follows Caleb as he gives talks in schools, speaks about the impact of the lead crisis on his life, and meets other affected community members, including a man making a living off the now defunct lead mine. This story captures the vulnerable side of unwavering activism as Caleb reckons with the future of his home.
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Audrey Colgin-HubbardDirector
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Joshua KalengaDirector
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Caleb Mulenga BwalyaKey Cast
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Sylvester MumbaKey Cast
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Luke KatembaCinematographer
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Project Type:Documentary, Short, Student
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Runtime:16 minutes 1 second
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Completion Date:May 16, 2023
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Production Budget:11,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Zambia
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Colorado College
Audrey Colgin-Hubbard is a documentary student-filmmaker aspiring to share stories of perseverance, resilience and hope in our complicated world. She has worked on a handful of student films but “Kabwe Ka Mukuba” is her first independent project. Her upcoming films include another documentary, “Immigrant Amnesia,” and a fiction film entitled “Residue”
Joshua Kalenga is a student filmmaker and journalist. He is passionate about telling human stories of love, loss and identity. He is the former co-editor-in-chief of The Catalyst Newspaper, Colorado College’s independent student newspaper. “Kabwe Ka Mukuba” is his debut film.
Two generations ago, Zambia as we know it did not exist; it was called Northern Rhodesia and was a British colony. Since Zambia is such a young state, it is still recovering (and is continually impacted) from the effects of British colonialism and ongoing neo-colonialism. In Kabwe, lead pollution is clearly and directly linked to colonization. The Broken Hill Mine was (for the majority of its operations) owned by Anglo-American, a British company. The mishandling of the mine resulted in widespread lead contamination in surrounding communities, including in Makululu, one of the largest informal settlements in Southern Africa. We made this film to address the lack of current information and awareness about the catastrophic health and environmental emergency in Kabwe. The city’s lead pollution crisis has been an open secret for too long.
In order to raise awareness about Kabwe’s lead crisis, we wanted our film to elevate the voices of activists inside their communities who are desperately trying to make their communities safe for their generation and the next. Young activists are rarely given the opportunity to create palpable change or given a seat at the table. Our film gives a platform to young activists like Caleb and Sylvester (two of our protagonists) to tell their stories and create the change they desire for their hometown.