Mwamba Phiri

Growing up in Zambia's Copperbelt, Mwamba watched the town's slow decline alongside the fading fortunes of its copper industry. Retiring from a life of shifts at the smelting site, he became the lone guardian of sleepy workshops, patrolling the perimeter with only his thoughts for company. Each rusted gate and abandoned tool tells a story, and on long, solitary nights, he translates these into sounds, imbued with the aroma of old books and cigarette smoke, reminders of camaraderie lost.