For three years, Sarah Ndele and her friends have been crisscrossing the working-class neighborhoods of Kinshasa with a project called ‘Butu nde Makambu’ (Lingala for ‘The Night Has Its Own Realities’). Their mission: to reach impoverished young people and introduce them to drawing, painting, music and dance performances, aiming to foster social reintegration.

‘Through this project, we want to show that beyond the danger, the night is also full of realities,’ Ndele told africanews.com. ‘We’ve created a nighttime atmosphere where we can produce our artwork. There are workshops in painting, dance performance, and music. We’ve brought together young people who live on the streets and others who live with their families, but who share the same passion for art. Instead of letting them wander the streets at night with nothing meaningful to do, we bring them together to create something as a group.’

Plamedy runs the painting workshop at Butu nde Makambu. He hopes the knowledge passed on to these young people will enable them to build artistic careers and steer clear of drug use, which seriously harms their health.

‘Today, we’re here to show them the right path to follow, so that it won’t be too late for them tomorrow,’ Plamedy said. ‘The drugs they’re using are very harmful to their health. We’ve come with the determination to bring about change and offer them better prospects for the future.’

At just 12 years old, Chris is an orphan living on the streets of Lemba, a commune in Kinshasa. That night, he took part in the painting workshop. He dreams of pursuing a career in drawing.

‘I’m glad to be here tonight. The activities went very well. My hope is to learn how to draw well through my time at Butu nde Makambu,’ Chris said.

Butu nde Makambu thus joins the many local initiatives working to raise awareness and provide guidance to young Congolese people, in order to steer them away from delinquency and drug addiction.