EUMETSAT Annual Report 2022

EUMETSAT ANNUAL REPORT 2022
Jean David Nkot (Cameroon), Michel Ekeba
(DRC) and Géraldine Tobé (DRC) in residency in
Ouidah, Benin, as they work together to create
the unique work of art, a fusion of their three
creative universes, a copy of which was transferred
on to the fairing of the rocket launching MTG-I1
into space (far left) (credits: Frédérique Toulet
Photographe, ESA/CNES/Arianespace)
“We built on the very ancient astronomical
knowledge stemming from African people. For
example, several thousand years BC, the Dogon,
an ancient West African people, developed a very
complex cosmogony based on the distant stars
Sirius A and B that were “discovered” by Western
astronomers only in the 19th Century. More generally,
the tight interconnections between Earth and space
are very present throughout many African cultures.
“In the 1970s, several projects aimed at giving
Africans a more prominent role in the conquest of
space were set up, but they did not succeed, which
just adds to how meaningful it is for us to have the
privilege of participating in this project.”
“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.”
Géraldine Tobé
Artist
Democratic Republic of Congo
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