House Hunters - Kinshasa

One of my big goals on this trip is to find an atelier space. House hunting in Kinshasa is so different than house hunting in the States.

The first barrier is just getting around to seeing the houses. The traffic, double parking and tight spots make driving in New York City feel like a spa vacation. Your broker (Commissioner) is only for a certain area. if you look at homes in four different areas of Kinshasa you will have four different brokers. Before they show you a house you have to give them Mbongo ya makolo (money to show you a house) so that’s four different mbongo ya mako love (literal translation is walking money).

We saw a bunch of different types of atelier options. We saw an apartment type in a commercial neighborhood that was just not the right fit. I also looked at an apartment in a residential area. The interior was nice but it didn’t provide enough workspace or security for my apprentices.

We saw a space in Lingwala neighborhood. The location works perfectly since it’s near the Academie Des Beaux-Arts. We can invite students and professors to tinker and hold workshops. Although the location was great, the space didn’t work. In fact, it used to be a nightclub. It’s very dark, had weird lighting and would require a lot of cosmetic work. It also doesn’t give us space to grow.

Another space that we considered was a house in the neighborhood of Limete. It used to be a former school. It had great bones, it was located near Patrice Lumumba Boulevard and had a good amount of parking for guests and artisans. The plan was to take the three rooms and split them. The living room would be the greeting/reception area with a table and chairs guests. The largest bedroom would be used for workspace and the other two rooms are yet to be determined. 

After looking at so many spaces we decided to not sign a lease. The house in Limite requires a lot of changes, time and it would overwhelm the team.  In Kinshasa, the renter does the renovations. After you're done you can take the cost of work our of your rent. The house needed A LOT A LOT OF work to get it into a proper working standard. The driveway needed a complete overhaul, the kitchen needed to be gutted and updated, wiring wasn’t safe and all the doors need to be changed. After careful consideration, we decided that it was best to have the Kinshasa team continue to look for a proper space and not rush things. Like the saying goes, good things (space) come to those who wait.

Here’s a short video to show you how we spent our day and house hunting in Kinshasa.

Merci,

Adolophine