The Real, Actual Zambian Space Program

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  • Опубліковано 11 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 99

  • @torscabinetofcuriosities
    @torscabinetofcuriosities  Місяць тому +58

    As you can tell, the audio quality in this video leaves a little to be desired, and it probably won't improve for the next few videos I post. This is one of a backlog of 10 total videos that I recorded back in the summer & I'm only now getting around to editing and releasing. I was really figuring things out as I went along - I'm a total newborn with video & audio editing. There'll be another few weeks of videos at this quality level before I start making and releasing videos with the advice all my commenters offered me on my previous video (the Utah fake town). Thank you all for helping me with this, and with your help, I'll work things out! Like the OTRAG rocket, Tor's Cabinet of Curiosities is gonna blow up!

    • @tommykelso3592
      @tommykelso3592 Місяць тому +6

      Keep up the good work dawg I’m willing to watch 10 videos with subpar audio (genuinely not that bad actually) if it means you keep making videos as good as the Utah one and I’m sure this one is good too I haven’t finished yet.
      I love the theme song thing you have after your intro

    • @Projectdarke
      @Projectdarke Місяць тому +1

      This is great! You're gonna make it big with this one, kiddo. 😊
      I love the little bubble with the related pictures, but could you make it like double size, so I don't have to squint my old dry eyeballs bc God forbid I have to put the glasses on bc I can't find them and the wife is away and I can't find that button that make th

    • @torscabinetofcuriosities
      @torscabinetofcuriosities  Місяць тому +2

      @@Projectdarke yeah, making the talk bubble bigger is definitely an improvement I already had in mind. It's not as visible as I hoped.

    • @erict3728
      @erict3728 12 днів тому

      I hope the best for this channel. You've got a ton of potential. Can't wait to see how this develops.

  • @midn8588
    @midn8588 Місяць тому +148

    These seem very high quality and well researched, but it feels like there's a distinct lack of cited sources. I don't think you're doing a plagiarism or anything, but when you have stories as wild and interesting as these ones, its super nice to have a list of sources as a baseline for doing more research. Like, "Bringing Christianity to Martians is one of the main missions of the program" is a banger quote that deserves a citation.

    • @torscabinetofcuriosities
      @torscabinetofcuriosities  Місяць тому +56

      Sure! Here are some of my sources:
      www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/zambian-space-programme
      www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-zambian-afronaut-who-wanted-to-join-the-space-race (by far the most in-depth source, written by Namwali Serpell, who I cited in the video)
      blogs.bootsnall.com/theglobaltrip/updates/DSC00988marsprogramV.JPG (an op-ed by Nkoloso himself in which he talks about bringing Christianity to Martians)

    • @gradynotgrady
      @gradynotgrady 24 дні тому +6

      22:22

    • @kateapple1
      @kateapple1 16 днів тому +3

      @@torscabinetofcuriositiesway to smack an internet troll down 😂 👏 where yer sources, mannnn 🥴

    • @somerandomidioticnerd9769
      @somerandomidioticnerd9769 15 днів тому +45

      @@kateapple1 yeah I HEAVILY doubt the original commenter set out to be a troll, they likely just wanted to see the sources to do their own research into the topic without any type of ill will towards Tor

    • @peytonburns626
      @peytonburns626 14 днів тому +5

      ​@@kateapple1like the zambian space program this comment is too absurd not to be a joke but no matter how much i think about it i still dont get it

  • @KeKe-bv8qv
    @KeKe-bv8qv 7 днів тому +7

    I find it interesting that having animals on board was for keeping the afronauts company where as every other space program uses them as expendable test subjects.
    If this was satirical then I see it as a lovely bit of commentary.

  • @azureascendant994
    @azureascendant994 Місяць тому +78

    'The Afronauts' would make an excellent psychedelic rock band name.

    • @poiwytlee
      @poiwytlee 8 днів тому +1

      It's diabolical, truly.

    • @kostibulished
      @kostibulished 5 днів тому +4

      It exists, The Shaolin Afronauts!

    • @yannickgrignon2473
      @yannickgrignon2473 2 дні тому

      I was thinking it sounded like a '70's Blaxploitation movie lol

  • @leeanderrr
    @leeanderrr 18 днів тому +7

    this is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels ily tor

  • @mheltcel
    @mheltcel Місяць тому +35

    You know…he probably said the thing about mars needing Christianity thinking churches would donate.

  • @AntyGG-ij3je
    @AntyGG-ij3je Місяць тому +22

    Great videos, interesting topics! It would be nice if the "thought bubble" with footage was a little bigger :)

  • @wasserkatze7822
    @wasserkatze7822 6 днів тому +2

    i am very in love with these videos, they're all so interesting and i can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is, but the homemade feel/editing style/general vibes are great.
    also enjoying the long intro and outro music :3

  • @TheLadderman
    @TheLadderman Місяць тому +15

    Great stuff man. I've never seen anyone talking even remotely this deeply about the Zambian space program before. All I've ever seen is people covering the surface level facts and poking fun at it (Granted it's not like I've sought out content relating to it before). Regardless, you've got some great potential here, keep making videos.

  • @im_Vmk.2
    @im_Vmk.2 Місяць тому +31

    now this is peak youtube

  • @KeKe-bv8qv
    @KeKe-bv8qv 7 днів тому +3

    At first I could go either way on this because there's some pretty crazy people in this world with some pretty crazy ideas, who don't care if reality cooperates or not.
    But then I got to the second half of the video going into Nkoloso's life.
    Really great job.

  • @skelehedron3070
    @skelehedron3070 15 днів тому +6

    Frankly, all 13 people involved there probably looked back on it in the way of "you know, that was a great time" Whether it was a serious endevour to reach Mars, or a satirical play on the great powers, the people involved probably had fun along the way, in what otherwise may have been difficult or uninteresting lives. To me at least, no matter how successful they were in their goals, it seems at least somewhat worth the time.

  • @TheNamelessChicken
    @TheNamelessChicken 17 днів тому +4

    You’re seriously one of the best storytellers I’ve ever seen. From choice of topic to script writing to emphasizing the humanity of the people you cover, you got it all. This is the third video of yours I’ve teared up at, and I’m ready for so many more to come ❤
    (also love to see another Portlander in the wild)

  • @Bangkoks
    @Bangkoks Місяць тому +12

    your narrative is so goooood.
    I came for the fake town and stayed for this

  • @lhaviland8602
    @lhaviland8602 22 дні тому +3

    7 minutes in and this is already the greatest thing I've ever seen.

  • @theortnow3492
    @theortnow3492 Місяць тому +5

    honestly amazing video. i love you!

  • @hottwunk420
    @hottwunk420 Місяць тому +15

    I think it's likely that we will never really know 100% fore sure. I feel like he might have been resentful of how much colonialism had prevented Zambians from being able to pursue science (idk I think about the reported comment he made while on the plane, and people today might think that he was stupid, but they should consider that he literally grew up as a second class citizen in an apartheid state). Space travel was clearly something that would not be able to be prioritized in the country until long after the main space race had ended, which may have been a factor too. I'm not really sure, and it's possible he had very conflicting feelings and motivations himself. I don't think it was ultimately a 100% legitimate, serious program but I do think that his interest and passion for science and space were real.

    • @Chungledoor
      @Chungledoor 12 днів тому

      Lol yeah “colonization” is what kept them from pursuing science. They had such a rich scientific history full of discovery and invention before the evil colonists took it all away

  • @SolvableMattB
    @SolvableMattB 3 дні тому

    I really like your videos, these have all been great.

  • @A_doe_wasting_her_life
    @A_doe_wasting_her_life 19 днів тому +3

    I was trying to figure out why there was a cross on his portrait like wad that the only pic you could find of him until I figured out you tapped a green speech bubble to the wall 😭

  • @xoxo-ni9sg
    @xoxo-ni9sg 5 днів тому

    I love your videos!!

  • @LEBrown-iy5li
    @LEBrown-iy5li Місяць тому

    your channel is just great, man, keep it up!!

  • @proghrdindhhrrslug
    @proghrdindhhrrslug Місяць тому +13

    Quality Note:
    I run ALL my audio through the FREE Bandlab Mixer App.
    1: upload mp4 to free bandlab app.
    2: use the 5 band graphic EQ.
    3: Adjust volume AND Gain.
    4. Save File.
    5. Publish and make private.
    6. Download.
    7. Add "mixed" audio file BACK onto the mp4 video.
    A 1 hour spoken file would take me aprox15 mins to mix and fix.
    Many examples here on my youtube of spoken word vids and music videos.
    OR: Move that microphone to where it goes. Ie: about a foot in front of yer mouth.

    • @rekit7351
      @rekit7351 22 дні тому

      It looks like bandlab uses the opensource ffmpeg on the backend(pretty much every audio program does). You could look thru their github and figure what settings they use. then you could do the exact same thing with a single line on the command prompt.

  • @colleenorourke7199
    @colleenorourke7199 6 днів тому +2

    Here in the 2020s we’re definitely in the dawn of the age of the charismatic space programs-or as I like to call them, the Rocket Barons-but it’s kinda nifty to hear that Africa came up with the idea way before the western world did 😅

  • @TheEnderMineMC
    @TheEnderMineMC Місяць тому +5

    Checked out a couple of your vids, and really enjoyed them. Looking forward to how your channel improves in the future. Good luck!

  • @TheBigChoomah
    @TheBigChoomah Місяць тому +1

    Didn't realize until you mentioned it. Saw the utah video and loved it. I've been interested in zambias space pogram since I've first heard of it 6 months ago.

  • @CineMiamParis
    @CineMiamParis 5 днів тому

    Who are you? Who’s this kid, what’s he gonna do? Look, like many I subscribed when the phantom cities video showed up on my feed unannounced. Today I was looking for a good story well told. One hour later, I’m floored. The amount of research and, even more importantly, the combination of intelligence and heart you apply to your stories are a rare thing. I got emotional at several points in this video. Can you just please age a little so I can say, hey, I spotted that phenomenal mind when he was a young UA-camr with a Formica table and a durian.

  • @Aligartornator13
    @Aligartornator13 Місяць тому +6

    Toe to toe
    Dancing very close
    Barely breathing
    Almost comatose
    Wall to wall
    People hypnotized
    And they're stepping lightly
    Hang each night in rapture
    Back to back
    Sacroiliac
    Spineless movement
    And a wild attack
    Face to face
    Sightless solitude
    And it's finger popping
    Twenty-four hour shopping in rapture
    Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
    DJ spinnin' I said, "My my"
    Flash is fast, Flash is cool
    François c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
    And you don't stop, sure shot
    Go out to the parking lot
    And you get in your car and drive real far
    And you drive all night and then you see a light
    And it comes right down and it lands on the ground
    And out comes a man from Mars
    And you try to run but he's got a gun
    And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
    And then you're in the man from Mars
    You go out at night eatin' cars
    You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
    Mercurys and Subaru
    And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
    Then, when there's no more cars you go out at night
    And eat up bars where the people meet
    Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
    One to one, man to man
    Dance toe to toe, don't move too slow
    'Cause the man from Mars is through with cars
    He's eatin' bars, yeah wall to wall
    Door to door, hall to hall
    He's gonna eat 'em all
    Rapture, be pure
    Take a tour through the sewer
    Don't strain your brain, paint a train
    You'll be singin' in the rain
    Said don't stop to punk rock
    Well now you see what you wanna be
    Just have your party on TV
    'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars where the TV's on
    Now he's gone back up to space
    Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
    And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
    Just blast off, sure shot
    'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
    And now he only eats guitars, get up

  • @splatgorek
    @splatgorek 18 днів тому +3

    Zambia has some of the best rock music. Comment reader, I compel you to look up 'zamrock.' My favorites are Witch, Salty Dog, and Crossbones.

  • @jjrussell_gallery
    @jjrussell_gallery 24 дні тому

    Fantastic vid!
    I love the idea that Nkoloso was trolling 😂

  • @joegei3581
    @joegei3581 19 днів тому +1

    The timing of that mouth click 😂 5:11

  • @gocelotspice5766
    @gocelotspice5766 10 днів тому +1

    The whole ‘we need to go to mars and convert the natives there’ as an aspect of the program certainly reads as satirical to me coming from an anti-colonial activist.

  • @thoughts222
    @thoughts222 Місяць тому

    Awesome Job man

  • @alyxxm1019
    @alyxxm1019 6 днів тому

    futuretor wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to joke that “space cat training” likely involved chucking the poor guys in oil barrels and fliging them around

  • @ericfusco8235
    @ericfusco8235 21 день тому +1

    Now he only eats guitars.

  • @pineapplepotato6985
    @pineapplepotato6985 Місяць тому +2

    Absolutely astronomical bro

  • @professorhaystacks6606
    @professorhaystacks6606 10 днів тому

    Oh yah, new video about the Zambian space program! Well not new new but I haven't seen it before.
    feel like I've seen this program mentioned on another video somewhere, though it may have been a written article. Wish I could remember where that was.

  • @_plutovi
    @_plutovi 12 днів тому +2

    afronauts?? thats badass wtf

  • @rivetsquid8887
    @rivetsquid8887 Місяць тому +2

    It hasnt mattered for a lot of videos. But with this one I had to keep pausing to go look up those tiny little speech bubble pictures.

  • @neuromantic4313
    @neuromantic4313 11 днів тому

    fascinating. thank you.

  • @johnkeller2952
    @johnkeller2952 10 днів тому +1

    The only thing that gives it away is a joke is the band. They had a band. Otherwise, people are ridiculous, and it could absolutely be true. The world is filled with flat earthers and other equally delusional people. That isn't Africans, that's people everywhere. At least this one understood that space is real and people can go there, even if he was serious. Which I don't think he was at this point, rather an absolute master of tomfoolery
    The racism is probably more thinking anyone else is immune to that kind of ridiculousness

  • @TheMykeShow
    @TheMykeShow 4 дні тому

    The entire lyrics to "Rapture" by Blondie!

  • @Igorooooleynikov
    @Igorooooleynikov Місяць тому +1

    He probably always was a little crazy and when given authority and freedom to do whatever his mind went off(to the mars).

  • @Ben-kv7wr
    @Ben-kv7wr День тому

    Secretly training guérilla freedom fighters against colonial control while also taking the piss out of said colonizers as a cover sounds so cool I choose to believe it’s true

  • @salablav
    @salablav Місяць тому +1

    what song is that at the very beginning of the video i must know

    • @luckymackerel777
      @luckymackerel777 Місяць тому

      hi! it is tiyende pamodzi - kenneth kaunda ^_^

    • @salablav
      @salablav Місяць тому +1

      @@luckymackerel777 thank you :D

  • @romulusnuma116
    @romulusnuma116 Місяць тому

    Good video

  • @swagswap
    @swagswap 18 днів тому

    the entire lyrics to "Rapture" by Blondie

  • @mitchelltague3674
    @mitchelltague3674 Місяць тому

    It's algorithm comment time!
    Algorithm comment time!
    ALGORITHM COMMENT TIME!

  • @tamarasanjani
    @tamarasanjani 28 днів тому

    I wouldn't go to space if they paid me for one lol

  • @makaveliandcheese
    @makaveliandcheese Місяць тому +2

    Great video Zanesville Ohio is a really beautiful place I used to live there. The y bridge is awesome and the place is just good vibes from what I can remember.

  • @kamikazetsunami9137
    @kamikazetsunami9137 Місяць тому +2

    Echos .... of the past. Subbed

  • @featherpuke
    @featherpuke Місяць тому +3

    *dab* just came from mystery town :3c right on time

  • @inquisitive4
    @inquisitive4 5 днів тому

    He sounds more like Africa's Johnny Knoxville

  • @SamGarcia
    @SamGarcia Місяць тому +1

    Post-irony, take the joke so far it becomes almost real

  • @williamharris8367
    @williamharris8367 Місяць тому +2

    So, now that space travel is becoming (relatively) more affordable, is there any discussion of reviving the Zambian Space Program? Presumably there is now a larger number of educated personnel available to work on such a project. A partnership with a private sector company may be an option to consider to finally move this forward.

    • @jjones503
      @jjones503 Місяць тому +1

      In an extremely poor place? It's unlikely. The money would better be spent on infrastructure.

  • @Projectdarke
    @Projectdarke Місяць тому

    This

  • @tonnentonie2767
    @tonnentonie2767 Місяць тому

    The real Wakanda

  • @dreaziemobbins
    @dreaziemobbins Місяць тому

    laika is not the first dog in space and is not commonly cited as such. she is commonly just called that by people not using citations

    • @lettuceshredder9225
      @lettuceshredder9225 16 днів тому

      what dog was?

    • @gocelotspice5766
      @gocelotspice5766 10 днів тому +2

      Everything I’m finding online still says Laika.

    • @dreaziemobbins
      @dreaziemobbins 10 днів тому

      @@lettuceshredder9225 Dezik (Дезик) and Tsygan (Цыган, "Gypsy") were the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight and successfully recovered on 22 July 1951

    • @OutbackCatgirl
      @OutbackCatgirl 6 днів тому +1

      It's a matter of semantics. Laika was the first to *orbit* the earth, but Tsygan and Dezik were the first on a suborbital trajectory that reached the karmen line

    • @dreaziemobbins
      @dreaziemobbins 6 днів тому

      @@OutbackCatgirl the difference between orbital and sub-orbital is if it goes around the earth at least one time to complete at least one orbit. They are both space flights. In space.

  • @dde1fy
    @dde1fy Місяць тому +4

    Hey brother no hate, but you’re giving Edna from the incredibles. Please consider adjusting your style.

    • @jjones503
      @jjones503 Місяць тому +2

      Spread love. Not your legs.

    • @ashx8772
      @ashx8772 Місяць тому +10

      I agree, although I don’t see how strange yellow bumps and bizarre, engorged lips says “Edna” anyway the guy with glasses looks just fine to me

    • @Tinyshinysnake
      @Tinyshinysnake 29 днів тому +3

      Forget that, rock the 70's vibe!

    • @tennpowell9490
      @tennpowell9490 27 днів тому

      @@Tinyshinysnakeno time like the old times

  • @tanker9764
    @tanker9764 Місяць тому

    We goin to mars with barrels Karbala time

  • @SergiReyner
    @SergiReyner Місяць тому +2

    Toe to toe
    Dancing very close
    Barely breathing
    Almost comatose
    Wall to wall
    People hypnotized
    And they're stepping lightly
    Hang each night in rapture
    Back to back
    Sacroiliac
    Spineless movement
    And a wild attack
    Face to face
    Sightless solitude
    And it's finger popping
    Twenty-four hour shopping in rapture
    Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
    DJ spinnin' I said, "My my"
    Flash is fast, Flash is cool
    François c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
    And you don't stop, sure shot
    Go out to the parking lot
    And you get in your car and drive real far
    And you drive all night and then you see a light
    And it comes right down and it lands on the ground
    And out comes a man from Mars
    And you try to run but he's got a gun
    And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
    And then you're in the man from Mars
    You go out at night eatin' cars
    You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
    Mercurys and Subaru
    And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
    Then, when there's no more cars you go out at night
    And eat up bars where the people meet
    Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
    One to one, man to man
    Dance toe to toe, don't move too slow
    'Cause the man from Mars is through with cars
    He's eatin' bars, yeah wall to wall
    Door to door, hall to hall
    He's gonna eat 'em all
    Rapture, be pure
    Take a tour through the sewer
    Don't strain your brain, paint a train
    You'll be singin' in the rain
    Said don't stop to punk rock
    Well now you see what you wanna be
    Just have your party on TV
    'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars where the TV's on
    Now he's gone back up to space
    Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
    And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
    Just blast off, sure shot
    'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
    And now he only eats guitars, get up