Kitwe’s identity is etched in steel headgear frames that punctuate the horizon at sunset. Industrial photographer Mutale Chisanga spent a month obtaining permits to document shaft heads at Mopani’s Nkana and Konkola’s Nchanga operations.
The essay contrasts archival black-and-white prints from the 1960s nationalisation era with contemporary colour frames showing automated winding systems and ventilation stacks installed after privatisation.
Retired miner Joseph Chewe provided oral histories accompanying each photograph, describing shifts when thousands descended daily and safety standards were rudimentary. Young engineers pose beside control panels illustrating technological transformation.
The Copperbelt University architecture faculty uses the series in lectures on industrial heritage preservation. Debates continue over whether decommissioned headgear should become UNESCO-listed monuments or be dismantled for scrap.
Twenty selected prints tour Ndola, Chingola and Lusaka through August, sponsored by a mining house corporate social responsibility fund.
