Memory of today, Memory of the Future

In a first, the artists Géraldine Tobé, Michel Ekeba and Jean David Nkot , who can be considered as African ambassadors in space, have produced a work of art that was be launched into space. Their original art work was reproduced onto the nose cone of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, which transported the first of the next-generation Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Earth observation satellites into space.

The spacecraft, called MTG-Imager1 (or MTG-I1), flew 36000km above Africa and sent regular and frequent images of the continent to inform weather forecasters and scientists.

The artwork is not just a series of elements placed side by side: they are mixed in order to create a unified message about sustainability, but also about the importance of collaboration and harmony.

The central character is a woman depicted three times in different positions by Géraldine Tobe. Her work represents the rural part of the African population that is extensive, continues to suffer, and will experience increasing hardships because of climate change. As Africa has many challenges to overcome, sending satellite in space might not be seen as a priority. However, the information brought back by the MTG satellites will be crucial to support their development. There is a very important need for more outreach and education towards these rural populations.

Surrounding these three women, Jean-Daniel Nkot painted a dotted cartography representing Africa using six colours to depict the six climatic regions in the continent. Lastly, Michel Ekeba created astronauts made of electronic waste, a reference to the 1960s Zambian Space Programme, in order to bring attention to the vast amount of non-recyclable electronic waste that pervades the environment in his country, the Congo RDC.